Bob Fosse's Dancin' on Broadway has announced that it will close on Sunday, May 14. This news comes on the heels of today's Tony Award nominations, where the show notably did not pick up any nominations. The show opened on March 19. By the time of its closure at the Music Box Theatre, Dancin' will have played 17 preview performances and 65 regular performances.
Dancin' is a revival of Fosse's 1978 dance revue, which contained no narrative through-line—instead it was an explosive series of dance vignettes. The show's producers say that additional news about the future life for this revival will be announced soon.
The news is unfortunate, considering that Dancin' received overall positive reviews from critics and it was created with the cooperation of Nicole Fosse, Bob Fosse's daughter. But in the weeks since its opening night, the show has steadily seen a decrease in revenue and attendance. It is a sharp contrast to the original Dancin', which ran on Broadway for four years, playing 1,774 performances.
WATCH: The Dancers of Bob Fosse's Dancin' Perform 'Big Noise From Winnetka'
In Dancin', Tony winner and Dancin' original Broadway cast member Wayne Cilento directs and provides musical staging for the production, which re-creates Fosse's original, Tony-winning choreography.
With an eclectic song list ranging from Neil Diamond to George M. Cohan, Dancin' includes such iconic Fosse numbers as "Crunchy Granola Suite," "Sing, Sing, Sing," "From the Edge," "Mr. Bojangles," and "I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man." Christine Colby Jacques is handling reproducing Fosse's choreography with associate direction and additional choreographic reconstruction by Corinne McFadden Herrera and assistant musical staging and additional choreographic reconstruction by Lauren Cannon. The revival also newly includes additional material by playwright and Dancin' original Broadway production cast member Kirsten Childs, who serves as text consultant for the production.
READ: How These Fosse Dancers Have Reconstructed (And Revised) Bob Fosse’s Dancin’
The onstage company includes Ioana Alfonso, Yeman Brown, Peter John Chursin, Dylis Croman, Tony d’Alelio, Jōvan Dansberry, Karli Dinardo, Jacob Guzman, Manuel Herrera, Kolton Krouse, Mattie Love, Yani Marin, Nando Morland, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Ida Saki, and Ron Todorowski, rounded out by understudies Aydin Eyikan, Pedro Garza, Afra Hines, Gabriel Hyman, Krystal Mackie, and Neka Zang.
Cilento leads a creative team that includes scenic designer Robert Brill, costume designers Reid Bartelmeand Harriet Jung, lighting designer David Grill, sound designer Peter Hylenski, video designer Finn Ross, and production stage manager Beverly Jenkins. Music supervision, orchestrations, incidental music, and vocal arrangements are provided by Jim Abbott, with music direction by Justin Hornback, music coordination by Kimberlee Wertz, and dance arrangements and new music by David Dabbon. The production is cast by Tara Rubin Casting's Xavier Rubiano.
Joey Parnes leads the Dancin' producer team with co-producers Hunter Arnold, Kayla Greenspan, Rodger Hess & Michael Seago, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Bob Boyett, The Shubert Organization, James L. Nederlander, Tim Forbes, Carson Gleberman, Park West Productions, McCabe Ventures, Fran Kirmser & Jodi Kaplan, Greg Young, The Fabulous Invalid, Julie Hess & Tommy Hess, and The Old Globe.
READ: Nicole Fosse Knows That Dancin' Was Particularly Special to Her Father
Fosse's original production opened at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre in 1978, transferring to the Ambassador Theatre before closing 1,774 performances later. The cast included such Fosse favorites as Ann Reinking, Robert La Fosse, Dana Moore, Bebe Neuwirth, and Cynthia Onrubia. Cilento received a Tony nomination for his performance.
