Some movie musicals just aren’t meant to become Broadway shows. Unlike the successful An American In Paris, Gigi starring Vanessa Hudgens is closing after little more than 100 total performances.
The show officially opened on Broadway on April 8 following a pre-Broadway run in Washington D.C. There will be 20 preview performances and just 86 regular performances on Broadway when the show closes on June 21. It was staged at the Neil Simon Theatre.
Although “The Night They Invented Champagne” was performed during the Tony Awards, the production only earned a nomination for Victoria Clark’s performance. Last week, the show earned just 30 percent out of a possible $1.3 million and was playing to half-full crowds.
This new production was supposed to fix some of the errors of the 1973 production, which also had a short run, but this one was still heavily criticized. Heidi Thomas was brought in to re-work Alan Jay Lerner’s 1973 book. Many of the original Lerner and Frederick Lowe’s songs were still featured in the production.
Gigi started life as a Colette novel and was adapted by MGM into the Best Picture Oscar-winning 1958 film. Clearly, film is the best medium for this story of a young girl trained to be a courtesan.
Meanwhile, another classic MGM musical has been much more successful in its transfer to the stage. An American In Paris won critical acclaim this season and even won four Tonys this weekend.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com