After just six weeks of performances at London’s West End, I Can’t Sing! The X Factor Musical will be closing. The parody show was approved by Simon Cowell, the creator of the X Factor singing competition series.
I Can’t Sing! opened at the London Palladium with a star-studded crowd in attendance, but the critics had a mixed response, notes The Independent. Some praised its humor, but others found it in bad taste.
The production featured Nigel Harman (EastEnders) as Cowell. It was produced by Stage Entertainment and Cowell's Syco Entertainment and written by Henry Hill and Steve Brown. Olivier Award winner Sean Foley directed.
“We are sad to be bringing I Can’t Sing! to a close but are immensely proud to have co-produced the show,” Rebecca Quigley, CEO of Stage Entertainment U.K., said in a statement. “The West End can be an unpredictable place as the closure of a number of high-profile productions recently has shown. I Can’t Sing! has had audiences on their feet night after night, four and five star reviews from the critics and an amazing company and creative team, but it seems that isn’t always enough.”
The final performance of I Can’t Sing! is set for May 10.
The West End has seen its fair share of big-budget flops in recent months. The Spice Girls musical Viva Forever! lasted just seven months. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Stephen Ward closed after four months.
In February, Fox cancelled the U.S. version of The X Factor.