NEW YORK (AP) - The problem-plagued musical celebrating the life and music of John Lennon will close Sept. 24 after a disappointing, 49-performance run.
The show has struggled at the box office since its Aug. 14 opening. Last week, for example, "Lennon" played to less than 40 percent of capacity at the Broadhurst Theatre, grossing only $230,775, out of a potential $600,000.
The reviews were mostly unfavorable with the Associated Press calling the show "a bland stage biography," and the New York Post saying "it suffers from a concept and book ... that is so shaky it can scarcely stagger from one side of the stage to the other."
"Lennon," which had the blessing of Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, pushed back its opening several times as adapter and director Don Scardino attempted to retool the musical. It played almost as many previews - 42 - as regular performances.
One of the show's conceits was to have the entire nine-person cast, at one time or another during the show, impersonate the title character. It was an idea most critics said didn't work. "Instead of making Lennon seem multifaceted and multiform, the device turns him into a one-size-fits-all alter ego to the world," said The New York Times.
