Sir Elton John’s ‘$25,000,000’ Broadway play dramatically axed just days after opening show

Sir Elton John’s Broadway philharmonic has been axed little than 1 week aft its launch.

The show, based connected televangelist Tammy Faye Messner’s beingness story, launched connected 14 November but struggled to merchantability tickets aft mediocre aboriginal reviews.

Sir Elton, 77, wrote the euphony for the amusement – and attended the opening nighttime successful New York – portion Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears, 46, penned the lyrics.

Despite a hotly anticipated determination from London’s West End, wherever it had performed solidly, Tammy Faye: A New Musical did not fare arsenic good crossed the pond, and producers announced it volition person its last curtain telephone connected 8 December.

The Hollywood Reporter reports the amusement was capitalised for up to $25,000,000 (£19,790,000)

A root reportedly told the Mail the amusement had failed to link with New York audiences.

‘It was ever going to beryllium difficult, adjacent the writers feared the storyline didn’t construe for the audience,’ the root said.

‘The 1700-capacity venue was lone selling 300 tickets a night. This is not precisely large for Elton.’

The root explained unsupportive aboriginal reviews of the amusement had ‘killed it’ leaving those successful the manufacture anticipating it was ever ‘at hazard of not working’.

‘The first-night reviews were not precisely positive,’ the insider reportedly added. ‘They thought they’d beryllium cancelled earlier the twelvemonth is out.’

The New York Times called the accumulation ‘strangely bland’, portion Variety declared it a ‘misguided West End import’.

Sir Elton antecedently recovered large occurrence connected signifier done his composing for The Lion King and Billy Elliot the musical.

He worked with Scissor Sisters prima Jake and playwright James Graham connected the show, which premiered astatine London’s Almeida Theatre in 2022.

Graham’s past amusement for the Almeida, Ink successful 2017 –  which covered his instrumentality connected Rupert Murdoch’s purchasing of The Sun paper successful 1969 – transferred to the West End and past connected to Broadway.

It was nominated for and won aggregate Olivier and Tony Awards, with Graham besides the brains down fashionable BBC transgression thriller Sherwood.

On its London premiere, the amusement was received good with mostly four-star reviews.

The Guardian described the amusement arsenic ‘infectious successful its music, exuberant successful its performances and gloriously kitsch successful its aesthetic’ and gave it 4 stars.

TimeOut rated it the same, describing it arsenic a ‘terrific portion of entertainment’, portion The Independent dubbed it ‘gloriously OTT’.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a personage story, video oregon pictures get successful interaction with the Metro.co.uk amusement squad by emailing america celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 oregon by visiting our Submit Stuff leafage – we’d emotion to perceive from you.

MORE: Three dormant aft antheral goes connected two-hour stabbing spree successful New York

MORE: Woman who joked she’d discontinue her occupation if she won the lottery scoops $1,000,000

MORE: Sir Elton John, 77, reveals his imagination last repast aft wellness scares