The Broadway production of Bedroom has been postponed indefinitely.
The production, which was in rehearsals, with Adrienne Warren headlining, will not go ahead due to a “lack of capitalization” and the withdrawal of a lead producer, the production announced Thursday. The production, which was scheduled to begin performances on April 3, 2023 at the James Earl Jones Theater, closed on Thursday.
“In the middle of our rehearsals, we were informed by one of our lead producers that, for personal reasons, they did not intend to fulfill their production obligations. Since being informed, the rest of the production team exhausted every possible avenue to keep the show on track, but the tight schedule and economic shortfall created by this series of events proved insurmountable,” the producer said. Hunter Arnold in the press release. . “We are incredibly disappointed not to be able to open this remarkable production at this time and we are especially sorry for our incredibly talented cast and creative team who worked hard in the rehearsal room.”
A source close to the production confirmed that the closure was due to the withdrawal of a producer and a lack of funding, rather than funding problems related to the Sunday closure of Signature Bank, which works with many productions of Broadway. However, the seizure of the bank by regulators has caused delays in the availability of funds this week, the source said.
The production was to be capitalized up to $7 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The play was adapted for the stage by Emma Donoghue, who wrote the original novel and Oscar-nominated screenplay. The stage production includes songs and music by Scottish songwriters Kathryn Joseph and Cora Bissett, who was also cast as director. The show had its world premiere in 2017 at the Theater Royal Stratford East in London and had subsequent productions in Ireland, Scotland and Ontario.
Ephraim Sykes (hamilton, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of Temptations) was also set to star in the Broadway production, alongside Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomyy), in a cast of 10.
“We were honored to share the story of BEDROOM since its 2017 world premiere in London and subsequent productions in Dublin, Scotland and Ontario. We sincerely believe that today’s disappointing news will not be the end of BEDROOM on stage,” said producers Sam Julyan and James Yeoburn.
All tickets purchased will be refunded.
It is rare, but not unprecedented, for a Broadway production to end before performances have started. In recent history, nerd, a musical about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, closed during rehearsals in 2016, after the production also spoke of the loss of a “major investor”. This then led to a $6 million lawsuit filed by investors against the major producers. The lawsuit was dismissed in October 2020.