Tyler Perry‘s latest theatrical tour for his play “Madea’s Big Happy Family” has hit a snag. After completing a month of his fall performance calendar, the prolific actor/director/writer announced he would be cancelling the remainder of the tour due to exhaustion.
The axed portion of the tour would have featured more than 30 shows in 28 cities. Canned dates run from today, October 19, which would have featured a show at Amway Center in Orlando, FL, through a nixed November 27-28 stand at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, TX.
Full refunds will be offered for the cancelled performances, according to a statement from Perry. A full list of affected dates is provided below.
“After 125 performances in 126 days last spring, and doing two movies back-to-back this summer, then coming right back on tour and doing another 30 performances in as many days it’s all become too much,” Perry wrote on his official Web site. “I’m truly so exhausted.”
The performer, who plays the title character of Madea in many of his on-stage and on-screen productions, apologized to his fans for the cancellations and thanked them for their continued support of his work.
According to Perry’s statement, nearly 750,000 tickets were sold this year for all legs of “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” which began touring in early 2010. From the first week of January through the beginning of May, the production staged single- and multiple-night stands in about 50 cities across the nation.
His 750,000 estimate for the year is only slightly higher than the estimate he gave at the end of that winter-to-spring run. Upon completion of the first tour leg in May, Perry wrote on his Web site that nearly 700,000 people had been in attendance.
Before cancelling the late 2010 outing, Perry visited (or revisited, in some cases) 17 U.S. markets. The trek’s “encore leg” launched September 15 at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, LA, and concluded this past weekend with an October 15-17 stand at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.
Besides concentrating on his theatrical productions, Perry also spent much of his summer filming works for the silver screen. His movie adaptation of the play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf,” titled simply “For Colored Girls,” will be released November 5. He also began production on the “Madea’s Big Happy Family” movie, slated for a 2011 release.
CANCELLED – Madea’s Big Happy Family itinerary:
(Listed event dates have been cancelled. Refunds available at point of purchase.)
| October 19 | Orlando, FL | Amway Center |
| October 20 | Augusta, GA | James Brown Arena |
| October 21 | Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Coliseum Complex |
| October 22 – 23 | Richmond, VA | Richmond Coliseum |
| October 24 | Norfolk, VA | Constant Convocation Center |
| October 26 | Saginaw, MI | Arena at Dow Event Center |
| October 27 | Dayton, OH | Nutter Center |
| October 28 | Grand Rapids, MI | Van Andel Arena |
| October 29 | Peoria, IL | Peoria Civic Center Arena |
| October 30 | Milwaukee, WI | U.S. Cellular Arena |
| October 31 | Indianapolis, IN | Conseco Fieldhouse |
| November 2 | Bossier City, LA | CenturyTel Center |
| November 3 | Austin, TX | Frank Erwin Center |
| November 4 | Baton Rouge, LA | Baton Rouge River Center |
| November 6 | Mobile, AL | Mobile Civic Center Arena |
| November 7 | Jackson, MS | Mississippi Coliseum |
| November 9 | Huntsville, AL | Von Braun Arena |
| November 10 – 11 | North Little Rock, AR | Verizon Arena |
| November 13 | Southaven, MS | Desoto Civic Center |
| November 14 | Birmingham, AL | BJJC Arena |
| November 16 | Moline, IL | iWireless Center |
| November 17 | Fort Wayne, IN | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum |
| November 18 | Louisville, KY | KCF Yum! Center |
| November 20 | Detroit, MI | Joe Louis Arena |
| November 21 | Cleveland, OH | Quicken Loans Arena |
| November 24 | Tulsa, OK | BOK Center |
| November 26 | Oklahoma City, OK | Ford Center |
| November 27 – 28 | Grand Prairie, TX | Verizon Theatre |
Last Updated on October 20, 2010