Broadway’s ‘Shrek the Musical’ to close Jan. 3

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Despite a generally healthy Broadway economy that has seen box-office receipts climb for many shows, ‘Shrek: The Musical’ posted a closing notice today on the heels of rumors that the DreamWorks Theatricals production had been struggling to cover its weekly costs.

‘Shrek’ will play its final performance at the Broadway Theatre on Jan. 3. The show opened Dec. 14, 2008, following a tryout run in Seattle.

The show, which is based on the popular 2001 animated feature ‘Shrek,’ boasts high-profile talent. It features original songs by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire, the latter of whom also wrote the book for the musical. (The show is also partly based on the book ‘Shrek!’ by William Steig.)

Earlier today, the New York Post published a report detailing rumors that the show was in financial trouble and had lost more than $1 million since Labor Day. The show’s recent weekly grosses were about $500,000, which is nearly $300,000 short of its weekly running cost, according to the report.

The Times’ Big Picture columnist Patrick Goldstein also chimed in today, wondering tongue-in-cheek style whether DreamWorks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg could save the production with ‘Shrek: The 3-D Musical.’

‘Shrek’ was nominated for eight Tony Awards, including one for best musical. It won a Tony for costume design.

Despite the closure on Broadway, a national tour of ‘Shrek’ is still set to begin in June in Chicago.

-- David Ng