Motown to close January 18th, 2015

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:21pm

Just announced via their twitter account, when was the last time a musical announced their closing so far out?

Apparently though it will then reopen on Broadway July 2016???

Motown The Musical ?@MotownMusical 43s
@DavidStruckman A little bit of good news! We'll be back on Broadway in July 2016!


Motown to Close January 19th, London In The Cards Updated On: 8/21/14 at 11:21 PM

[justincharacter]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:22pm

Wow.

Updated On: 8/21/14 at 11:22 PM

[gstrus2]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:23pm

Wow, didn't see this coming. Glad something new can come into the Lunt Fontanne, but I thought this was grossing quite well. I thought it would be the next Mamma Mia.

Updated On: 8/21/14 at 11:23 PM

[gstrus2]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:24pm

Maybe Finding Neverland is coming to the Lunt Fontanne?

[matineeidol2591]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:24pm

Huh???

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:25pm

It is slated to return to Broadway in July 2016 at a Nederlander theatre TBA.
NY Times

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:25pm

this seems very strange.

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:26pm

It's 2014. It will close in a few months and open in 23 months from now? Sorry, but I doubt this re-opening will occur. Congrats to all the performers and artists who have worked hard on this show, thought!

[AKarp2013]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:28pm

This is very, very strange.

In response to the question: "When was the last time a musical announced their closing so far out?" If I recall correctly, didn't the revival of "42nd Street" announce its closing 10 months before the closing? Updated On: 8/21/14 at 11:28 PM

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:29pm

Maybe the plan is start the tour, let it go for the year, then put the tour on Broadway during July like Hair, Bring it On, and Fella did?

I agree though, this seems out of nowhere and very odd.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:30pm

Read... the article.

[RW3]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:31pm

I'm just confused.

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:31pm

This seems very strange and im not buying this story.
NYT Article

[gstrus2]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:32pm

Finding Neverland must be going into the Lunt Fontanne because all the other Nederlander theatre's have tennants for the spring except the Marquis, but with On Your Feet coming in Fall 2015, it would have to be a limited run and I think Weinstein wants an open run.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:35pm

it would make sense if they'd reopen in Fall 2015. But a nearly two year hiatus is dumbfounding. Sure send the current Broadway set to London, but will Broadway audiences really remember this show in July 2016???

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:37pm

also, IF FINDING NEVERLAND does want this theater, maybe there's a little push by the Nederlander organization to get MOTOWN out of there. Regardless, this is a little bizarre considering MOTOWN is still grossing around $1 million a week.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:40pm

Why do Broadway audiences need to remember it at all? This is a jukebox show for people who want to remember the great hits of Motown. There will plenty of those folks visiting in the summer of 2016.

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 8/21/14 at 11:41pm

the only conceivable reason is that the advance takes a massive nose-dive after the holidays also at 850k a week run cost not a lot of profit potential.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 8/22/14 at 12:00am

This is good. It will recoup its 18 million dollar investment (wowzah!), so people interested in investing don't have to be disheartened and nobody has to go broke, but we can be relieved of this awful mess of a show.

[Tag]

Posted: 8/22/14 at 12:02am

This has Weinstein written all over it. We'll hear a Finding Neverland/Lunt announcement any day now.

Sidenote: Why the hell did Mowtown cost $18 million!?!?

[loliveve]

Posted: 8/22/14 at 12:10am

^ I wonder if the cost had to do with song rights, since Berry Goldy sold Motown and would have had to obtain the rights back, right?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/22/14 at 12:10am

Wowza

[brdway411]

Posted: 8/22/14 at 12:15am

They should have spent some of the 18 mil on a better writer for the book. It SUCKED!!!!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/22/14 at 12:17am

Will it be eligable for Best Revival?

[kade.ivy]

Posted: 8/22/14 at 12:19am

This is quite strange. I bet the plan is exactly what nastykhakis suggests. That will give the tour two years on the road. They'll bring that production to Broadway and have a new run if it's successful.

I am glad that the Lunt-Fontanne is now the presumable house for Neverland!