The Tupac Shakur musical, "'Holler If Ya Hear Me," is setting up its final bow.
The Broadway musical inspired by the music and lyrics of late rapper Tupac Shakur will be closing its doors on July 20 at the Palace Theatre in New York. After running for less than two months, the show reportedly struggled to find an audience, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"Holler if Ya Hear Me" experienced low ticket sales, mixed with negative reviews from critics, and unspecified financial burdens. The $8 million musical failed to gross more than $175,000 per week. Last week's attendance came in at 45 percent of overall seating capacity, according to Variety.
"We are so proud to be a part of this ground breaking production," Eric L. Gold, one of the production's lead producers, said in a statement Monday. "The cast, musicians, production and creative teams gave more than just their professional excellence but contributed their passion as well. My hope is that a production of this calibre, powerful in its story telling, filled with great performances and exciting contemporary dance and music will eventually receive the recognition it deserves."
He continued: "It saddens me that due to the financial burdens of Broadway, I was unable to sustain this production longer in order to give it time to bloom on Broadway. Tupac's urgent socially important insights and the audiences' nightly rousing standing ovations deserve to be experienced by the world."
The show tells the story of a young man who returned home following a stint in a correctional facility. "Holler if Ya Hear Me" began its previews on June 2 and opened on June 19. It has already played 17 previews and 38 regular performances.
"Holler if Ya Hear Me", was written by Todd Kreidler and directed by Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon, who recently directed the Tony Award-winning revival of "A Raisin in the Sun" starring Denzel Washington. The late actor's mother, Afeni Shakur, was on board as producer of the show.
The show starred Saul Williams, Christopher Jackson, Saycon Sengbloh, Ben Thompson, John Earl Jelks, Joshua Boone, Dyllon Burnside, Jahi Kearse and Tonya Pinkins.
