First Post-Tony Casualties - Four Broadway Shows Close Today

Four Broadway shows will be taking their last bows today. Two of the closures - Exit the King and Joe Turner's Come and Gone - were limited runs and therefore expected. However, two other closings - Reasons To Be Pretty and Guys and Dolls - were only announced days ago and likely due to their failure to earn any Tony Awards this past Sunday. Post-Tony closing announcements are something of a tradition on Broadway. Many struggling shows make the effort to continue running until Tony time, in the hopes that if they snag a win, it will result in an upswing in ticket sales. Unfortunately Reasons To Be Pretty, which has had a hard time selling tickets despite good buzz and positive reviews, lost the Best Play award to God of Carnage, and it didn't get any actor wins either. Although Guys and Dolls did fail to win Best Musical Revival, its closing announcement was far more surprising, considering it has done respectable (if not impressive) box office sales during its run.

Guys Opens and Joey Closes On Broadway

The Roundabout Theatre Company's Pal Joey concludes its limited run on Broadway today. Starring Stockard Channing, Martha Plimpton, and newcomer Matthew Risch in the title role (replacing Jersey Boy Christian Hoff during previews), Pal Joey received mixed reviews.

Meanwhile Guys and Dolls has its official opening on Broadway today at the Nederlander Theatre. The latest Broadway revival of the classic tuner stars Oliver Platt, Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), and Craig Bierko.

Guys And Dolls Returning To Broadway In 2009

The classic musical Guys and Dolls is coming back to Broadway in the spring of 2009. This new production will be directed by Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, The Who's Tommy), who previously helmed the Broadway revival of another Frank Loesser-scored musical, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The last Broadway production of Guys and Dolls opened in 1992 and starred Peter Gallagher, Faith Prince, and Nathan Lane as the colorful New York characters originally created by Damon Runyon and brought to life for the stage by bookwriters Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling.