Is Dear World closing early?

[Theatrical Landladies]

I only saw this wonderful show on Saturday. Performances especially from Ms Buckle were exceptional. Sadly I heard a rumour that the cast were given notice of closure on Friday. 2 weeks early.

Can anyone confirm this or is it nonsense?

[FireFingers]

No, it's true. Will be closing two weeks early. Think they priced themselves too high. Tickets prices were v. high for a small theatre.

[Phantom of London]

I was there Saturday as well, I was surprised how easy it was to get tickets for this.

The producer must of thought Jerry Herman and Betty Buckley equal a big fat West End hit, alas this diddn't come to fruition.

Betty Buckley must now rue why she bothered to come over for this dead horse, I only assume it isn't for the money but because of her close friendship with choreographer and director Gillian Lynne who set her on the path to stardom with her genius choreography for Cats which earned her first Tony.

if it is true the show is closing early, this has to be sad as a small theatres don't have much money to put on big productions and a failure such as this could wipe a small theatre out.

[Stewart A]

When the show opened there was talk of it transferring into a west end theatre but sadly not now by the sound of it. I would have like to have seen it but as I don't live in or near London it hasn't been possible. If they wanted to so a Jerry Herman show maybe Hello Dolly or Mame would have been a better bet and Betty could still have probably played either of those roles.

[MusicalBoy]

Buckley would make a great Dolly but is probably too old to play a vibrant, youthful Mame at this point.

This show, unfortunately, never belonged in a West End Theatre, it was a cheap production of a poorly written piece that had very little merit without Buckley (I saw her much younger understudy).

[Theatrical Landladies]

Musical Boy I have to strongly disagree with you. There MUST be space in the West End for charming and engaging shows like DW which can really touch the heart and allow performers to shine without being overpowered by the production.

Great to see a completely different side of Jerry Herman. He isn't only about Dolly and Mame (brilliant as they are)!

[bob8rich]

I thought it was an utterly charming production with a score filled with Herman gems. And it worked beautifully even without Betty - Jo Loxton was on when I saw it too and she was fabulous - & the entire cast turned in fantastic performances, a real ensemble piece, not exclusively a star vehicle IMO.

It is such a shame that audiences have not supported this - it saddens and worries me that all most people seem to want is overproduced productions of old hat rather than venture forth into something fresh and different. I'm really sorry I could not get into London in time again for a repeat viewing of this. But I am at least grateful to the producers for bringing this to a London stage and giving me the chance to see a show I've desperately wanted to see for many many years.

[Tamerlano]

How sad to hear its closing early. Saw it last week and found it charming with lovely performances. I think it has suffered from the fact that most people probably don't realise it's on. The taxi driver couldn't find any listing of the theatre on his sat nav and when he did it was still listed as the Players Theatre. I loved the venue and ended up eating there which was rather good. Made for a great night out. I also saw A Chorus Line which was less than half full.

[ajh]

MusicalBoy -I also disagree with you, at least on the subject of it being a "cheap" production. On the contrary, I would say that the sets, costumes and wigs looked very lavish, and also the casting was pretty de luxe from top to bottom. The piece itself is problematical -I personally found it delightful but I can see it is far from perfect and why it was never as big a hit as some of Jerry Herman's other shows- but I had a great time, especially when Rebecca Lock, Annabel Leventon and the magical Ms Buckley were onstage.

[theatrepaul]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this production but I must say that despite the rather bizarre, barmy plot, the production itself is excellent. The production values are impressive, I like the intimacy of the venue and the performances are excellent, especially Betty Buckley who was just a joy giving a hugely impressive performance. I'm so glad I got to see it before it closes

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Well, it's most unpleasant news. I'm sure her American fans would have loved a Dear World mounting on Broadway (or even off-Broadway). from RC in Austin, Texas USA

[Rockyfan2000]

I was there for the last performance on Saturday evening. I flew in from Germany especially to see this and believe me, I was NOT disappointed. What an amazing cast and production. This should have played to packed houses. Such a pity more people didn't go and see it. They've certain missed something very special! Congrats to all involved and thank you for a beautiful experience.