Despite a last-ditch effort to save his show by performing in it, Sting’s The Last Ship will roll up its sails earlier than anticipated on Broadway. The show will give its last performance on Jan. 24.
The Last Ship was the former Police frontman’s first attempt at a Broadway show and his music was scoring positive reviews when it opened in October. However, the show never became a box office hit. In November, he decided to join the cast, as producers hoped that his fans would want to see him. However, it still didn’t work to bring in audiences.
“We have been bewildered and saddened by our inability to sustain an audience for this musical that we deeply love,” producers Jeffrey Seller and Kathryn Schenker wrote in an email to the New York Times. “There are no easy explanations.”
The Last Ship cost $15 million to produce on Broadway and another $625,000 weekly. Sting and the producers enlisted the help of Broadway vets behind the scenes, including Wicked director Joe Mantello. Seller is also a Tony winner, having produced Rent and Avenue Q.
One obvious sign that the show was failing to catch audiences came during the New Year’s Day holiday week. The show grossed only $953,165, while most other shows were making over $1 million. Investors were losing $75,000 a week on the show.
The Neil Simon Theater will now be available for any show hoping to qualify for the Tonys.
Image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com