Summer is Closing Time on Broadway

Summer is Closing Time on Broadway

On Sunday, June 8th, Broadway celebrated a very successful season. Attendance was up, grosses were up and a huge number of shows opened. The headlines squawked about "Broadway is Back!" and pre-Covid levels, etc. And analysts talked about grosses being inflated due to certain ticket prices, movie stars, etc. The fact is there are many reasons behind the success of the 2024-2025 season.

Similarly, there are many reasons why there are just as many - if not more - reasons for the inevitable list of failures from the same season. And again, there are many reasons behind them. But it strikes me as interesting that theater fans and pundits alike are lighting up social media with shock and disbelief that there are so many impending closures. After all, this purge happens at the end of every season. For better or worse, that is part and parcel of a Broadway show's life cycle.

Between June 8th and August 31st this year, 15 Broadway shows will have closed, that we know of as of today. Some were never intended to run beyond a set time. Others just couldn't make ends meet long enough:

June 8th Closings:

Othello - Limited engagement

Good Night, and Good Luck - Limited engagement

June 22 Closings:

Floyd Collins - Scheduled closing/economics didn't indicate extension

The Last 5 Years - Limited engagement

SMASH - Economics

June 28 Closing:

Glengarry Glen Ross - Limited engagement

  

June 29 Closings:

Dead Outlaw - Economics

Real Women Have Curves  - Economics

Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends - Limited engagement/extended

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Limited engagement

July 20 Closing:

Sunset Blvd. - Limited engagement/twice extended

  

July 27 Closing:

Pirates! The Penzance Musical - Limited engagement/extended

August 17 Closing:

Call Me Izzy - Limited engagement

August 31 Closing:

John Proctor is the Villain - Limited engagement/extended

Purpose - Limited engagement/extended

So if you look at the list, save for three shows, none of these closures should be a surprise. Six of them were even extended! 

Why all the doomsday talk? Is it short term memory - this happens every season? Is it lack of knowledge about scheduled closures? I think it is a little bit of both, but I also think this year's crop is a bit harder to take because most of these shows got excellent reviews and great word of mouth. And most of these shows have loud and proud fan bases, so it probably feels a bit personal. I get it. Whenever a favorite closes, whatever the reason, it hurts.

I won't go into the other factors that cause shows to close so fast. There are many and it is very complicated. But one thing remains true: sometimes, lousy shows will run and great shows will close fast. It has always been that way.

  

But there is a bright side to it all. There's a little show that was rumored to not even be opening at all - Maybe Happy Ending - which just won 6 Tonys, including the coveted Best Musical. And let's not forget Oh, Mary! which opened last summer for a "limited engagement," continues its sold out run, and is currently scheduled to close on January 4, 2026. You never can tell!