Broadway is not for the faint of heart even in a good economy.
But with inflation soaring and COVID lurking, keeping a show going is not an easy business.
So there’s good news and bad news. Good news first: “For Colored Girls” and “How I Learned to Drive” are extending their runs by two weeks. The former has had a last minute surge after announcing its closing. Super fans rushed in to help, and the effort worked. Catch both plays before they end their runs soon.
The bad news is that “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the musical based on the Robin Williams movie, is done. They’re closing on May 29th. “Mrs. Doubtfire” was severely hampered first by the pandemic, closing and re-opening three times. But the show didn’t get any major Tony nods, just a Best Actor citation for star Rob McClure. The producers will reboot it with US and UK national tours starting in the fall.
Some other shows are in jeopardy and we’ll be hearing about their fates soon. All this news means the Tony race gets hotter because the winners will cash in and the losers will have struggles. More on that later…