All things must come to an end.
There are a lot of reasons behind a show’s final curtain. Many times, the show was a limited engagement with an ending date that was set way in advance of its first rehearsal. Other shows, like “The Phantom of the Opera” have open-ended runs that span several decades. And then there are those heartbreakers of the business, flops.
This spring, the curtain will fall on several Broadway and Off-Broadway shows for the last time. But rest assured, those stages won’t stay dark for long. As long as there are audiences, there will always be new shows.
Final Curtains
August 10
Illinoise
Broadway: St. James Theater
Friends gather around a campfire, sharing stories of first love, grief and growing up. Based on the landmark Sufjan Stevens album. Conceived by director and choreographer Justin Peck and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury
August 12
Saw the musical: the unauthorized parody
Off-Broadway: AMT Theater
The satirical puppet-infused musical version of the slasher film series is hanging up its saw after a 10 month run Off-Broadway.
August 18
Clowns Like Me
Off-Broadway DR2 Theater
Master storyteller Scott Ehrenpreis tells his humorous story of living with the challenges of autism spectrum disorder, OCD, bipolar disorder, social anxiety, and depression, weaving a tale that is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring.
The Wiz
Broadway: Marquis Theater
Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion ease on down the road one last time in this top-grossing revival of the classic 1970s musical spin on The Wizard of Oz.
August 25
Six Characters
Off-Broadway: LCT 3
Playwright Phillip Howze’s new work about "power, belonging, and the institutions we build," follows a group who storm a renowned cultural center and wreak havoc.
September 1
N/A
Off-Broadway: Mitzi Newhouse Theater
Emmy Award-winner Holland Taylor ("The Practice," "Two and a Half Men," Ann) and Theatre World Award-winner Ana Villafañe (On Your Feet) star as two congresswomen not a lot unlike Nancy P and AOC.
Stalker
Off-Broadway: New World Stages
Street magic, mentalism, and social hacking collide with a climactic plot twist you’ll never see coming in this fast-paced 90 minute magic show featuring the Swedish duo Peter Brynolf and Joas Ljung.
September 8
Cats: "The Jellicle Ball"
Off-Broadway - Perelman Performing Arts Center
Uptown goes all the way downtown to the new Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center in a radical reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical. Inspired by the LGBTQ Ballroom culture that roared out of New York City over 50 years ago and still rages around the world.
September 29
Sleep No More
Off-Broadway: McKittrick Hotel
After 13 years and multiple extensions, this mother of all immersive experiences–loosely based on Shakespeare’s MacBeth–is checking out of Chelsea’s famed McKittrick Hotel.
