Despite several Tony nominations, a musical based on the Woody Allen film Bullets Over Broadway will close after only five months.
Bullets Over Broadway opened on April 10 with a lot of fanfare and promise, considering the filmmaker played a part in bringing the stage version to life. Variety reports the musical never lived up to expectations, however:
With a book by Allen (based on the screenplay he co-wrote with Douglas McGrath) and direction and choreography by Broadway favorite Susan Stroman (“The Producers“), “Bullets,” which opened cold on Broadway without an out-of-town tryout, came into the 2013-14 season riding a wave of strong buzz from previous industry readings. However, critical reception didn’t match the hype, and although box office showed promise early on in the run, sales and attendance have tapered in recent weeks.
The film and musical revolve around a playwright who gets mixed up with gangsters during the production of his newest play. Starring John Cusack, Chazz Palminteri and Jennifer Tilly, the film earned Dianne Wiest an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1995. Mixed reviews ultimately hurt the musical version (The New York Times called it “mostly just loud”).
“Bullets” earned six Tony Award nominations but was left out of the all-important race for best musical, which many in the industry believe is the only Tony that significantly drives sales. Last week the production pulled in less than $700,000, or about 45% of the show’s total gross capacity. Attendance averaged 67%.
The last show will be Aug. 24 at the St. James Theater.
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