Top 10 Broadway Shows That Bombed So Hard They Cancelled Them Immediately

Natalie Babbitt’s 1975 children’s book has proven timeless, which is appropriate given the theme of immortality. “Tuck Everlasting” inspired two film adaptations, one of which starred Alexis Bledel. While the source material showed potential for a musical, the show’s run was far from everlasting. Following a solid Atlanta premiere and 28 previews, the production hit Broadway on April 26, 2016. 39 performances later, a closing notice was released. Costing $11 million, the show sold just over $325,000 in tickets. The Tonys did little to shine a light on the production, only nominating its costumes. The New York Times blamed the lack of big stars and the preconceived notion that it was a children’s show, a hard sell for Broadway audiences unless Disney’s involved.

Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel about music, relationships, and list-making has inspired multiple adaptations, although they’ve all faced struggles. The 2000 film adaptation is now a cult classic, but it initially fell short financially. The more recent Hulu series starring Zoë Kravitz only lasted a season. Then there’s the 2006 Broadway show, which garnered mixed reviews and only put on 13 performances. Like the film, though, the musical’s life didn’t end at the box office, finding a second life regionally and internationally. The team behind the original show also came into their own. Lyricist Amanda Green went on to “Hands on a Hardbody” and “Mr. Saturday Night” while Tom Kitt, who wrote the music, is known for “Next to Normal,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “Jagged Little Pill.”

Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial literary classic was successfully adapted by Stanley Kubrick in 1962. “Lolita” has seen less luck on stage. The 1971 musical, “Lolita, My Love,” was so reviled that it never even made it to Broadway. A decade later, “Lolita” would reach Broadway as a play, but it didn’t perform much better than the misguided musical. The material was seemingly in the capable hands of Edward Albee, best known for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “The Zoo Story.” According to Albee, though, his script went unused and he lost creative control, calling it his “one really truly ugly theater experience.” A talented cast featuring Donald Sutherland couldn’t save “Lolita.” Deemed boring by critics, “Lolita” shut down after 31 previews and 12 performances.

Even Broadway royalty like Stephen Sondheim can have a few bombs. In 1964, Sondheim was fresh off three future classics: “West Side Story,” “Gypsy,” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Reteaming with writer Arthur Laurents, all eyes were on “Anyone Can Whistle” to be Sondheim’s next hit. With outlets like The New York Times trashing it, though, the musical about a fake miracle closed following 12 previews and 9 performances. Three good things came from it, however: The choreography, which scored a Tony nomination, a few of Sondheim’s songs, and Angela Lansbury, who made her stage musical debut. This wouldn’t be Lansbury’s last collaboration with Sondheim, most notably winning a Tony for playing Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd.”

Trauma, telekinesis, and buckets of pig blood… sounds like a Broadway musical to us! To be fair, a lot of great musicals seem bizarre on paper. A hip-hop musical about Alexander Hamilton? Sure, Lin! “Carrie,” however, was as ill-fated as the titular character’s prom night. Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford of “Fame” wrote the music for this adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel. The pre-Broadway tryouts faced numerous issues, including Linzi Hateley’s mic malfunctioning due to the fake blood. Once “Carrie” hit Broadway with an $8 million price tag, it was met with claps and boos, lasting five performances. While it spawned a cult following, revivals, and a “Riverdale” episode, the musical inspired the name of Ken Mandelbaum’s book about Broadway flops: “Not Since Carrie.”

Movie sequels are usually safe bets, but the same logic rarely applies to stage shows. “The Phantom of the Opera” sequel, “Love Never Dies,” and “Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge” couldn’t achieve Broadway status. “Bring Back Birdie” did, but it wasn’t long until the sequel waved bye-bye to Broadway. Debuting over 20 years after its 1960 predecessor, the follow-up brought back many talents with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams, and a book by Michael Stewart. Chita Rivera even returned to play Rose. Despite this promising reunion, “Birdie” failed to soar, crash-landing after 31 previews and four performances. In 2006, Marcel Forestieri, who played Birdie, reflected, “It was three months out of my life and I’ve carried it with me for 26 years.”

Believe it or not, “Bring Back Birdie” isn’t the shortest-running Broadway show of Charles Strouse and Lee Adams’ careers. Three years before that flop, they wrote the songs for a Broadway musical called… “A Broadway Musical.” The semi-autobiographical story derived from the duo’s experiences on 1964’s “Golden Boy,” which starred ​​Sammy Davis, Jr. The book was by William F. Brown, who made his claim to fame with “The Wiz.” The plot revolves around a shameless white producer trying to reshape an African-American writer’s play into a musical. Ironically, this was supposed to be a satire of how not to produce a Broadway show. Instead, it ended up being a textbook example of the very thing it parodies, shutting down after 14 previews and one performance.

On July 23, 1886, Steve Brodie supposedly jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge and lived to tell the tale. While many debated whether Brodie was lying, the story persisted well beyond his lifetime. It also lasted longer than this Broadway musical, which drew inspiration from the alleged incident. Like Brodie, the titular Hop Kelly seeks to survive a Brooklyn Bridge jump, which gamblers try to sabotage. As costs rose to $650,000, the producers insisted on making changes, much to the annoyance of songwriters Moose Charlap and Eddie Lawrence. They’d even take their case to the New York Supreme Court in an attempt to prevent the show’s debut. While “Kelly” would open, it closed that same night, living up to the song, “Never Go There Anymore.”

Some Broadway shows have more previews than actual performances. “A Teaspoon Every Four Hours” was unprecedented when it opened in 1969. Starring and co-written by comedian Jackie Mason, this comedy endured 97 previews, a record later broken by “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” The story revolves around a Jewish father who falls for a Black woman, who happens to be the mother of the girl his son is sweet on. The title doesn’t really tie into the plot, but it’s fitting considering that the show lasted mere hours. It’s a shame that so much time was invested in a show that turned out to be a one-night engagement. The lengthy previews reflected the play’s problems, though, with one critic calling it “an overdose of vulgarity.”

Everyone wants their show to be a hit (except maybe Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom). But hey, if you’re going to flop, flop hard! At least that way you’ll never be forgotten. “Moose Murders” opened on February 22, 1983 after 13 previews. 13 proved to be an omen, as this mystery farce closed that same night. While not the first Broadway show to last one performance, the content made “Moose Murders” a fascinating flop. With a plot involving an Oedipus complex and a reported scene where a man dressed as a moose gets kicked below the belt, “Moose Murders” was DOA. Star June Gable recalled, “I don’t think there ever was a show in the history of Broadway where you took a bow to silence.”