Rap and Broadway did not translate, at least in this case. Holler If Ya Hear Me, a musical using the rap songs by the late Tupac Shakur, has flopped and is set to close early, producers said Monday.
Holler will shutter on June 20, following weeks of disappointing box office numbers. Producers decided that the $8 million musical just could not continue while struggling to gross even $200,000 a week, notes Variety.
Previews of the show began on June 2 and earned weak reviews. Producer Eric L. Gould was going to go on a $5 million spending spree to help promote it, but that idea was quickly abandoned.
According to The Associated Press, there were just 17 preview shows and 38 regular performances. Even with seats as cheap as $38.44, the musical only grossed $155,000, just 17 percent of the total potential gross.
The show was not a biopic of Tupac. It starred Saul Williams as a convict trying to keep out of trouble. Christopher Jackson co-starred. Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s mother, was among the producers.
image of Saul Williams courtesy of INFphoto.com