‘Louis & Keely’ to close Nov. 8 at Geffen Playhouse

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All good things must come to an end. After a highly successful eight-month run at L.A.’s Geffen Playhouse, the creators of ‘Louis & Keely: Live at the Sahara’ have posted a closing notice.

The musical production, which is directed by Taylor Hackford, will end its run Nov. 8. ‘Louis & Keely’ opened at the Geffen in March and has been extended seven times.

Previous versions of the show had run at L.A.’s Sacred Fools Theater and Matrix Theatre before the production was re-imagined by Hackford for the Geffen.

The show follows the stormy professional and personal relationship between Vegas crooners Louis Prima and Keely Smith, using some of their signature songs to trace their story. Jake Broder and Vanessa Claire Smith wrote the show and also play the main characters.

In August, Culture Monster reported that the people behind ‘Louis & Keely’ were planning to take the show on a short national tour in 2010. They also indicated their desire to take the show to Broadway.

Hackford will not remain with the production beyond the Geffen. ‘All I can say about that is that we have mutually decided to part company,’ Broder told Culture Monster in August. In a statement released today, producer Sarabeth Schedeen said that they are ‘exploring possible directors to help us continue our journey.’

She added that Broder and Smith ‘are currently rewriting the script ... . We’re all excited about the future of this production.’

No cities have been announced yet for the tour, but Broder has hinted that New Orleans could be on the itinerary.

-- David Ng

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