Broadway Summer Closings: 9 Shows Exit by Aug. 30
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- Chess is closing June 21, nearly three months ahead of schedule, almost certainly because star Lea Michele exits the same day; producers observed that her occasional absences for illness or vacation sent ticket sales plummeting, and the revival drew a Tony Award shut-out.
- Death Becomes Her will end its open-ended run June 28 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre after dwindling box office in recent months; a multi-year North American tour launches this September.
- The Fear of 13, starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson at the James Earl Jones Theatre, is closing June 28 — two weeks earlier than its planned July 12 end — with producers quietly canceling the final stretch after weak sales and a Tony shut-out.
- Moulin Rouge! The Musical will end a seven-year Broadway run with a final performance August 30, having received a month-long extension from its previously announced July 26 closing date.
- Celebrity Autobiography is closing June 21, cutting short a planned summer-long engagement after weak audience demand and tepid critical response.
- Every Brilliant Thing wraps August 9 once Tracee Ellis Ross completes her run, which begins July 7 following current star Mariska Hargitay; the show originally starred Daniel Radcliffe.
Why it matters: The cluster of Broadway closings between June 21 and August 30 — particularly the premature ends of "Chess," "Death Becomes Her" and "The Fear of 13" — shows even 2024-2025 critical favorites and star-driven revivals are vulnerable when ticket demand softens, forcing producers to cut runs weeks early and signal trouble heading into the fall season.
