“Bullets Over Broadway” to Shut Down Next Month

The curtains will close on “Bullets Over Broadway” next month. The show, about the struggles of pulling off a Broadway production whilst casting members of the mob, was the first Woody Allen film to be adapted into a stage musical.

Producers of “Bullets” announced on Tuesday that the final St. James Theatre show will be on Aug. 24.

While the film version was feted with seven Academy Award nominations, the musical adaption failed to impress critics and theatregoers. It was left empty handed at this year’s Tony Awards and audience attendance slumped following the April 10 opening – filling only 67 percent of the house seats.

The $14 million musical’s poor attendance and early exit is likely to cost most or all of its capitalization, reports the New York Times.

Lead producers, Letty Aronson (Woody Allen’s sister) and Julian Schlossberg, said in a statement on Tuesday, “We are tremendously proud of this show and every single person involved with it. It has been a true pleasure, and we know that ‘Bullets Over Broadway’ will have a long life in future productions to come.”

Zach Braff took on the lead role as David Shayne, the playwright who makes a deal with the mob to get his play produced. John Cusack played the on-screen version of the writer in the 1994 film.

[LA Times]