“Chaplin: The Musical,†starring Rob McClure as the Little Tramp, will have its final Broadway performance on Jan. 6, the producers announced on Monday. When the show closes at the Ethel Barrymore Theater it will have played 24 previews and 136 regular performances.
The musical received largely negative reviews when it opened in September despite wide acclaim for Mr. McClure, who created the role at the La Jolla Playhouse in California in 2010. In his review for The New York Times, Ben Brantley praised Mr. McClure's “heartbreaking grace†while blasting the show's clumsy, flashback-heavy narrative structure, “vaporous music,†and “vaguely period dances that go on forever without going anywhere.â€
The producers last week announced plans for a national tour beginning in 2014, but the musical has struggled at the Broadway box office from the outset. According to the Broadway League, ticket sales for the week ending Nov. 25 (the most recent figures a vailable) were $373,040, or 38 percent of the maximum, well below the 55 percent generally required to break even for the week.
The musical is directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle (“Follies,†“Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadwayâ€) and features music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis. Mr. Curtis also wrote the book with Thomas Meehan, who won Tony Awards for “Annie,†“The Producers†and “Hairspray.â€
