The limited engagement Broadway revival of “Hughie” just got a lot more limited.
The production, which stars Oscar winner Forest Whitaker in his Broadway debut, will close on March 27 -- 10 weeks earlier than scheduled. Producers cited “limited advanced ticket sales” as the reason.
According to numbers reported by the Broadway League, “Hughie” was making less than 50% of its potential gross, despite opening to mixed reviews. The numbers aligned with a Broadway trend that’s seen many celebrity-driven productions failing to sell tickets.
The play opened Feb. 25 and was set to run through June 12.
The play, by Eugene O’Neill, tells the story of a small-time gambler Erie (Whitaker), who spends a drunken evening chatting with a Manhattan hotel’s night clerk, reminiscing over the clerk’s now-deceased predecessor named Hughie.
The play premiered on Broadway in 1964, and was last revived 20 years ago, with Al Pacino.
Tony winner Frank Wood (“Clybourne Park”) stars alongside Whitaker in this production. Direction comes from Michael Grandage (“Red”).
Broadway
Whitaker won his Oscar for his role in “The Last King of Scotland,” and has appeared on screen in over 100 credits, including “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and “The Crying Game.”
He will next appear in the highly anticipated “Roots” reboot.
For tickets and more information, visit HugieBroadway.com.
