“Mrs. Doubtfire” will play its final Broadway performance on May 29, producer Kevin McCollum said Thursday.
The development comes days after the production garnered a single Tony Award nomination for its lead actor, Rob McClure. It is the first production to post its closing date following the nominations.
McCollum explains in the announcement that families, a key audience for the show, have not yet returned to theatergoing as expected. “Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to run the show without those sales, especially when capitalizing with Broadway economics on three separate occasions,” he said in a statement. The show has played to middling returns for most of its run, with the most recent two weeks showing a decline in gross and attendance.
In addition to the closing notice, it was announced that the show’s original Broadway cast album will be released next month. McCollum also pointed to the musical’s planned engagement in Manchester, England and the national tour set to begin in October 2023.
The new musical, which plays the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, is now ending its third Broadway engagement after twice halting performances due to the pandemic. Originally beginning performances on March 9, 2020, the show ran for three days before being shuttered by the industry shutdown.
The musical resumed previews on Oct. 3, 2021 and opened officially on Dec. 5, before pausing again on Jan. 9 to wait out the Omicron surge. After a four-month hiatus, performances began again on April 14.
“Mrs. Doubtfire” will have played 49 previews and 75 regular performances across its three Broadway engagements at the time of closing.
“I would like to express my profound and unending admiration for our extraordinary Broadway cast, crew, orchestra, creative team, and entire company who brought the show to the stage. They have risen to every challenge thrown at them over the last two years with a remarkable amount of resilience, good humor, passion, and love for one another,” McCollum added.
“Mrs. Doubtfire” is produced by McCollum by special arrangement with Buena Vista Theatrical.
