- By Helen Bushby
- Culture reporter
Image source, Opening Night/Gielgud Theatre
West End musical Opening Night, which stars Sheridan Smith, is to close two months early, with producers blaming “a challenging financial landscape”.
Smith plays a star with mental health problems who unravels on stage.
Director Ivo Van Hove said it was “always sad” when a show is cut short.
It received mixed reviews, with The New York Times calling it a “sludgy travesty”, while The Express praised Smith but said the show is a “catastrophic musical misfire”.
Time Out called Smith “superb” and the Guardian hailed the show as “glittering and extravagantly original”.
In a statement announcing the closure, Van Hove called Smith “exceptional”, saying she “had the bravery to play such a complex role in the West End”.
He added: “I know that Opening Night will live long in the memories of those who saw it and made it.”
Producers Wessex Grove said: “In a challenging financial landscape, Opening Night was always a risk and, while the production may not have had the life we had hoped for, we feel immensely proud of the risk we took and of this extraordinary production.”
It has music and lyrics by singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright and had been scheduled to end on 27 July, but the last performance will now be on 18 May.
Image source, Getty Images
Speaking before its opening last month, Smith told the BBC her role may be her most challenging yet.
Part of the performance takes place outside the Gielgud Theatre, with Smith’s character Myrtle collapsing outside the stage door in a drunken state while the scene is projected onto screens inside the auditorium.
It is based on the 1977 film of the same name by John Cassavetes, and follows a theatre company preparing to stage a show on Broadway.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
