The Pillowman to Play Final Performance on Sept. 18

[Rob]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 3:56pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/l.cfm?id=80886

[Johnnytoc]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 3:58pm

Wow, thanks for the link to the article Rob.

[Pinguin]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 3:58pm

WHOA, wake up call!

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 3:59pm

Ah...good bye Pillowman. *sniff*

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 4:01pm

Very odd. The show has never had a losing week at the box office. In fact attendance was at 82% last week. Wonder why the producers decided to pull the plug so quickly? I'm sure there are lots of big names out there who'd kill to play these roles when the current casts' contracts are up. I don't get it.

[Barihunk]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 4:05pm

This is very odd considering when I went to the box office in April the manager told me they were booking through October. I thought this show would have a longer run than "Doubt". I guess they just didn't want to risk cast changes.

[greatdct]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 4:06pm

I must go buy tickets and see this show as soon as possible.

[mabel]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 4:07pm

What a pisser! I'll definitely try to catch it at least once more. I really enjoyed this show (as much as you can "enjoy" a show w/ it's subject matter) and thought it was much more effective than Doubt. It's a shame that it couldn't have had a longer run and made an attempt at sticking out w/ a new cast.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 4:18pm

Alas, another straight play bites the dust. This really sux.

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 4:20pm

This is unfortunate. I thought the show was fantastic.

[TobyRagg]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 4:20pm

does anyone now when they got there closing notices? bc i was at bway barks on saturday and it seemed that jeff and billy were a little down. who knows? maybe they were just conserving energy for the night performance. just a thought.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 4:23pm

Well, Goldblum and Crudup were both leaving on the 18th anyway -- they have movies lined up, so if they seemed down it wasn't because of that.

[twogaab2]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 4:32pm

I loved this show. Perhaps they couldn't find suitable replacements for the leads.

[gustof777]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 4:34pm

This is definitley sad this show is amazing! wow well best of luck for the rest of the run

[gymman]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 5:00pm

I saw the show Sunday, and spoke with one of the Booth's house ushers, who had expected it to run until next year! Is is simply too expensive to recast?

[bythesword84]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 5:01pm

I'm surprised they don't want to try and get other people to be in this show. I, for one, have seen it 4 times now (will be 5 on Saturday) and think it is fantastic. Its incredibly well written and every time I've been there its been full and the crowd has loved it.

[Madame X]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 5:22pm

I was in shock when I read that. My favorite play on Broadway right now. I can't believe that this show can't succeed w/ another cast. It's been doing ~80% pretty regularly, minus a dip a few weeks ago.

[TonyInATL]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 10:55pm

I saw The Pillowman last weekend, and I'm glad I had the chance to experience it. It was probably one of the most impressive productions I've seen on Broadway. The acting performances were just phenomenal, as were the direction and staging. I've been analyzing the play since Saturday, and that's part of the beauty of it. The fact that it gets you thinking, discussing, interpreting. It's really a shame that it's closing so early. It's for productions like this that I love the theater. And what's sad is that they're so rare.

P.S. Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon were sitting a few rows in front of me, and I think they liked it, too.

Updated On: 8/3/05 at 10:55 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 10:58pm

I don't get this at all- do they really think the original cast is completely irreplacable? Even The Boy From Oz flailed around looking for a replacement for a while before announcing its closing, and that show was a lot more star-driven than The Pillowman.

[broadway betty]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 11:02pm

*closing notice slaps betty in the face so she'll see it already*

I will see Pillowman either tomorrow night or Saturday night. I MUST!

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 8/3/05 at 11:20pm

AHHH, I REALLY want to see this!!!

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 6:52am

Mabel took the words right out of my mouth: What a pisser!

I'm really surprised and disappointed at the news and I, for one, was hoping for a longer run, even though Crudup and Goldblum leave in September. Makes me wonder why the producers pull the plug so quickly, considering that lots of people would kill to play these parts (as Margo mentioned).

Very disappointing news....

QM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 9:24am

Perhaps there was little advance after the summer rush moving into the fall. Add that to having trouble finding replacements and possibly the producers would rather pull the plug while they are on top.

Plum - It's not so much that the cast is irreplaceable, but perhaps the producers were afraid they could not keep the show going with a new non-star cast. Quite often, original casts will not have HUGE names, but they still sell simply for being the heralded "original cast". Once replacements set in, unless the new actors are reviewed, the general public loses interest knowing they will miss the "original cast".

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:42am

I nearly fell off of my chair when I read this. So sad.The play is brilliant; if you haven't seen it already, GO!

[mabel]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 10:48am

I'm trying to scheme two more visits. Maybe one this month, and I'd really like to rush for the last show. I just wish it could have hung on a bit longer after I went back to school and would be in the city full time.