WAITRESS Will Close Early in Australia, Scrapping Sydney Transfer, as a Second Broadway Title Cuts Its Tour Short

The Australian production of Waitress will serve its last slice at Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre on July 19, with producer Crossroads Live Australia canceling the musical's planned Sydney season and ending the run a month ahead of schedule. It's the second Broadway import in as many weeks to abandon parts of its Australian itinerary, following the abrupt wrap of Beetlejuice The Musical - and the back-to-back closures have set off fresh alarm about the health of large-scale commercial touring across the country.

Waitress, the Sara Bareilles–scored adaptation of Adrienne Shelly's 2007 film, had been expected to move to Sydney's Sydney Lyric Theatre for a season beginning August 1. That transfer is now off. The production, which opened to strong reviews in May, stars Natalie Bassingthwaighte as Jenna and Rob Mills as Dr. Pomatter, alongside John Waters, Gabriyel Thomas, Mackenzie Dunn, Keanu Gonzalez, Gareth Isaac, John Xintavelonis and Annie Aitken.

Crossroads Live Australia Chief Executive John Frost framed the closure as a reluctant response to a punishing economy for ticket buyers. "This decision was not made lightly," Frost said, as reported by Australian Leisure. "While we remain incredibly proud of the production and grateful for the dedication and passion of everyone involved, the challenging economic conditions currently facing audiences have had a significant impact on the live entertainment industry."

He pointed to "cost-of-living pressures and economic uncertainty" producing "softer box office performance across the country, placing considerable pressure on productions of all sizes." He added: "Whilst audience enthusiasm for our work remained strong, attendance levels and box office have not been sufficient to support the cost of the production. I'm disappointed we can't take this production further."

The news lands just days after Michael Cassel Group pulled the plug on the national tour of Beetlejuice The Musical, which played its final Australian performance at Brisbane's Lyric Theatre on July 5 and scrapped announced seasons in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney.

That production starred Broadway's own Andy Karl in the title role opposite Karis Oka as Lydia Deetz. "For a production of this scale, the current logistical realities of touring across vast distances between Australian cities have created increasing cost pressures that ultimately made continuing the run unsustainable," the company said, as reported by Australian Leisure. "While audience enthusiasm for the show has been encouraging, a more cautious consumer environment combined with the economics of moving a production of this magnitude could not be justified. It is a difficult decision, and not one we made lightly." There's an added irony in the Beetlejuice casualty for American readers - that show's score is by Eddie Perfect, an Australian composer who broke through on Broadway, now watching his musical retreat on home soil.

The twin closures spotlight a question the commercial theatre industry has been circling for months: whether the economics of moving big musicals between Australia's far-flung capitals still add up. Producers and industry bodies point to escalating freight, labor and production costs layered on top of thinner discretionary spending.

The fallout reaches beyond the producers - canceled seasons leave major venues with holes in their calendars and cut short work for performers, musicians, crews, front-of-house teams and contractors. The retreats have also renewed calls for an Australian theatre tax incentive modeled on the UK's Theatre Tax Relief, which advocates argue would shore up the viability of large-scale productions and give producers room to commit to full national tours.

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