The revival opened last year at Chicago’s Goodman Theater; the Broadway production began previews March 8 and opened March 28 at the Nederlander Theater. It grossed $1 million a week through April, but ticket sales have since declined; last week, the show grossed $795,000.
By the time it closes, the revival will have had 20 previews and 132 regular performances on Broadway.
Des McAnuff, who directed the original production, returned to direct the revival. Townshend and McAnuff collaborated on the show’s book.
The revival, with Ali Louis Bourzgui in the title role, received mostly positive reviews, but the New York Times, which can be enormously influential, was an outlier: Jesse Green, its chief theater critic, called the show characterized by “relentless noise” and banal imagery.
The production was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, but was not honored for “Merrily We Roll Along.”
