Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is “gutted” that the Broadway production of his Cats: The Jellicle Ball is closing tonight at the Broadhurst Theatre, five months earlier than originally planned.
In an emotional message posted on Instagram, Lloyd Webber says he hopes the show’s closing will serve as a warning about “the unsustainable cost” of producing new shows on Broadway.
“I’m gutted that the wonderful Broadway production of Cats: The Jellicle Ball is closing today,” he writes. “I’m immensely proud to have been a part of an incredibly daring production whose cast and creative team broke new ground on Broadway and gave 17 actors their Broadway debut.”
He continues, “Maybe the show’s closing just might be remembered as the moment that caused everyone involved with Broadway to come to their senses and address the unsustainable cost of producing and running any new show now on The Great White Way, let alone saying new work.”
See the message below, along with a note of thanks to fans from the show’s producers who teased “a lot more Jellicle joy to bring to this world” in the days ahead.
Today’s message isn’t the first time Lloyd Webber has expressed his disappointment about the early closing. Last month, when the August 8 closing date was announced, he wrote, in part, “As someone who is still as in love with Broadway as I was when I was a teenager, I beg the theatre owners, unions and producers to come together urgently to address what is a crisis coming to a head. Broadway is in dire danger of rivalling Hollywood’s empty soundstages with increasingly dark theatres.”
That IG post drew both praise and harsh criticism among commenters. While Sunset Blvd. star Nicole Scherzinger commended Lloyd Webber as “exactly the person” to “help drive the change that’s needed,” others rejected his seeming equating of landlords and union members in sharing the responsibility of Broadway’s financial uncertainties. “So have the audacity to call out out Shubert Organization which has a monopoly on almost half the Broadway theaters,” wrote one of Lloyd Webber’s followers. “Call out their greed. They want producers to cover the rent and the entire operating costs. They want to keep the telecharge fees which they own. How is this allowed?”
Wrote a member of a costume crew, “Leave the union workers out of this we deserve to be paid fairly for our work. if you can’t afford to pay us fairly then you can’t afford to produce a show right. Very dangerous to include the unions in this to be honest,” while actor and dancer Neil Haskell wrote, “Most Broadway actors can barely afford to live in the city.”
Tonight’s closing will almost certainly have at least one immediate impact: A bump in final-week ticket sales. While the box office report for the week won’t be out until Tuesday, last week’s figures showed Cats: The Jellicle Ball posting its best box office numbers ever as last-chancers scrambled for seats. The production was at standing room only for the week ending August 2, grossing $1,405,709. That’s an increase of $216,278 over the previous week.
Regarding today’s message from the composer, at least one famous commenter and Broadway devotee had a suggestion.
“Why didn’t alw just fund it himself,” commented Rosie O’Donnell. “he’s a billionaire.” A big fan of the show, O’Donnell did add a “Like” to Lloyd Webber’s message.
