The musical Pretty Woman, which was adapted from the 1990 hit film, will close on Broadway this August after a considerable decline in box office sales.
While the show originally held its own when it first hit the stage in March 2018, it has been heading downhill. For the week ending June 30th, the musical only grossed $538,552, which is 39 percent of its potential. Additionally, the show was up against some big hits this season including Beetlejuice and Tootsie, and didn’t manage to score any Tony Award nominations this year. By the time of its closing, the show would have played 27 previews and 421 regular performances.
The musical revolves around Vivian, a Los Angeles hooker who is develops a relationship with a rich businessman, Edward, after he asks her to escort him to various business meetings over the course of a week. It proved to be starkly similar to the film – despite Julia Roberts’ presence, of course – with Ben Brantley of The New York Times describing it as “suffocatingly close to the film’s story, gags and dialogue.” Samantha Barks made her Broadway debut, playing the role of Vivian, while Tony Award nominee Andy Karl took on Edward.
Pretty Woman isn’t alone, however; a handful of shows have fallen off the radar after the Tony’s and will be closing this fall. Although The Cher Show picked up a couple of Tony Awards, the show is closing after failing to pull in more than 58 percent of its potential, along with King Kong, which is only reaching 53 percent of its potential. Additionally, The Prom, Be More Chill, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, and Hillary and Clinton failed to bring in successes this year and will close early.
Grab tickets to see Pretty Woman before it closes at the Nederlander Theatre via Ticket Club.
