Room

Room on Broadway Background

World Premiere

The world premiere of Room took place in 2017 at Stratford East in the UK. Room also had a run in Ontario and Toronto in Spring 2022.

Re-development and Rewriting for North American Production

Room went through extensive development and rewriting for its North American premiere production, which after two years of Covid-related delays came to the Grand Theatre in London Ontario and Mirvish (Princess of Wales Theatre) in Toronto in 2022.

All three productions were well received by audiences and critics alike.

2023 Show Abruptly Cancelled During Rehearsals

Nathan Gehan was the general manager on the show and was forced to withdraw his producing company, ShowTown Productions, from being a general partner on “Room” because of a family crisis. He also backed out of being a general partner and almost overnight, the show ran out of operating budget.

Attempt To Find Replacement General Partner Failed

Gehan stated that he had planned to continue to raise funds and do producing work for the show despite announcing his intention to withdraw as a general partner on March 7, 2023. Gehan was then cut out of the process by the other show producers after they learned of the postponement with the rest of the public, which must have not made them happy.

Securities and Exchange Commission Filing

Room had been seeking to raise up to $7 million overall, according to a January 2023 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Room Joins Dubious List Of Other Cancelled Broadway Shows

There are very few shows that make it most of the way to opening on Broadway and then fail at the very last moment. Room joins such other notable shows as 2017's Burn This, Fat Pig, Happy Trails, Robin Hood, Nerds, and Tea At Five.

What's Room Like?

Ma was kidnapped as a teenage girl and raped by her captor. Seven years later she is still locked inside a purpose built room in her captor's garden, but now with a son.

Her five year old son, Jack, has no concept of the world outside and happily exists inside the bunker with the help of Ma's games and his vivid imagination where objects like Rug, Lamp and TV are his only friends.

But for Ma the time has come to escape and face their biggest challenge to date: the world outside.

Is Room Good for Kids?

The show can be upsetting for adults and is not recommended for children as it contains many disturbing scenes.

Room contains sensitive subject matter, including depictions of (and references to) sex, violence, and sexual assault. Recommend for ages 14 and older.