Everything You Need to Know About Broadway's Summer Closings

By: Jul. 18, 2019
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After bringing delight to countless audiences in the past year, five of Broadway's show-stopping musicals are taking their final bows in the coming weeks: The Prom, The Cher Show, Be More Chill, King Kong, and Pretty Woman. To celebrate each of these shows' amazing runs, we're giving you a look back at the productions, from opening night to their lasting impact, as well as a peek at what's to come for these shows after the final curtain. Check it all out below!

THE PROM

The Tony-nominated musical The Prom is set to take its final dance on August 11th at Broadway's Longacre Theatre after 23 previews and 310 regular performances. The production opened on November 15th, 2018 and garnered seven Tony nominations, including Best Musical. The show's other accolades include a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical. The Prom also made history this past November with the first ever same-sex couple kiss on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The show will live on through a national tour launching in Providence, Rhode Island in February 2121, as well as a Netflix film adaptation courtesy of Ryan Murphy. A young adult novel adaptation is also set to be released this September.

Take a look back at Caitlin Kinnunen, Beth Leavel, and more building a prom on the show's opening night here!


THE CHER SHOW

We wish we could turn back time because The Cher Show is set to play its final performance on August 18th after 34 previews and 296 regular performances. The production opened on December 3rd, 2018 and received two Tony Awards: one for its lavish costume design by Bob Mackie, and the other for Stephanie J. Block's show-stopping performance as Star.

The show will live on through a national tour launching in October 2020 with its first stop in Rochester, New York.

We've got you babe thanks to this look at the show's opening night with Stephanie J. Block, Jarrod Spector, and more!


BE MORE CHILL

C-c-c'mon! Joe Iconis' viral sensation Be More Chill is set to take its final bow on Sunday, August 11th after 30 previews and 177 performances at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre. The production opened on March 10th, 2019 following a sold-out run last summer at Off-Broadway's Pershing Square Signature Center. The show originally debuted at the Two River Theater in May 2015, and after releasing an original cast recording, the musical became a hit all across social media. Joe Iconis' score for the show garnered him his first Tony Award nomination.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, a movie adaptation of Be More Chill is in the works with Shawn Levy's 21 Laps and Greg Berlanti's Berlanti Productions signed on as the producers. No timetable for the film has been set yet.

Grab your Mountain Dew and take a look back at the show's opening night here with Will Roland, George Salazar, and more!


KING KONG

King Kong's reign on Broadway is coming to an end with the show's final bow on August 18th at the Broadway Theatre after 324 performances and 29 previews. The production opened on November 8th, 2018 and received a special Tony Award for the creature design team who created the intricate puppet that brings the world-famous gorilla to life eight shows a week.

The show is set to open a production in Shanghai in 2021, and productions in Japan and Spain, are in development.

Take a look back the Queen of New York, Christiani Pitts, and the cast of King Kong celebrating opening night here!


PRETTY WOMAN

Pretty Woman: The Musical is set to welcome audiences to Hollywood one last time on August 18th at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre after 27 previews and 421 regular performances. The show, based on the classic film starring Julia Roberts, opened on August 16th, 2018 and features music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Bryan Adams.

The production will live on through a national tour launching in Providence, Rhode Island in October 2020. The show is also set to start performances in Germany on September 23rd, as well as in London in February 2020.

Missing this look back at Samantha Barks, Andy Karl, and more on opening night would be a big mistake. Big. Huge.



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