Donoghue, Emma

Subterms

    Latest story

    100 Shares169 Views

    Broadway’s ‘Room,’ Starring Adrienne Warren, Postpones Run Indefinitely

    by

    The show, scheduled to open in April at the James Earl Jones Theater, was adapted from Emma Donoghue’s best-selling 2010 novel.In a surprise move, a new Broadway show that had already begun rehearsals announced on Thursday morning that its run this spring has been scuttled because of a money shortfall.“Room,” adapted from an Emma Donoghue novel that had already been turned into an acclaimed film, was to start performances in 18 days, with the Tony winner Adrienne Warren starring. There was already a marquee illuminated outside the James Earl Jones Theater, and tickets were on sale.The collapse, although not unprecedented, was startling, and comes at a time when the capitalization costs for Broadway shows have been rising, and some producers have had a harder time raising those funds. “Room” had been seeking to raise up to $7 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.Hunter Arnold, who was producing “Room” with Sam Julyan and James Yeoburn, blamed fund-raising woes for the production’s shut down, which he described as an indefinite postponement.“In the midst of our rehearsals we were informed by one of our lead producers that due to personal reasons, they did not intend to fulfill their obligations to the production,” he said. “Since being notified, the rest of the producing team has exhausted all possible avenues to keep the show on track, but the narrow timeline and economic shortfall created by this series of events has proven to be insurmountable.”(This has been a rough season for Arnold: The SEC said in September it was investigating whether two of his partners had misled investors, but he said that investigation has since been dropped.)“Room” is the story of a young boy raised in a shed where he and his mother are held captive by a sexual predator; the novel, released in 2010, was a best seller, and the film came in 2015. The show, written by Donoghue with songs by Cora Bissett and Kathryn Joseph, had been staged several times in the British Isles and in Canada starting in 2017; Warren, who won the Tony in 2021 for starring as Tina Turner in the “Tina” biomusical, was to play the boy’s mother on Broadway.The last time a Broadway show imploded this close to opening was in 2016, when “Nerds” collapsed, also citing fund-raising woes. And in 2012, the musical “Rebecca” collapsed, also citing money trouble; that show’s troubles led to litigation. More

    More stories

    • 113 Shares199 Views

      in Movies

      ‘Room’ Will Be Staged on Broadway, Starring Adrienne Warren

      by

      Emma Donoghue adapted the show from her best-selling 2010 novel; she also wrote the screenplay for the 2015 film.“Room,” Emma Donoghue’s harrowing story of a young boy raised in a shed where he and his mother are held captive by a sexual predator, was a best-selling novel in 2010, and then a much-praised film in 2015.Now a stage adaptation of the story is coming to Broadway with Adrienne Warren, a Tony-winning actress, starring as the boy’s mother. Warren, a founder of the antiracism organization Broadway Advocacy Coalition, won the Tony in 2021 for her electrifying performance as Tina Turner in the “Tina” biomusical. She has since appeared in the film “The Woman King” and the television series “Women of the Movement” and signed a development deal with a production company.The stage adaptation of “Room,” which is a drama with songs, has had several productions, starting in 2017 in the British Isles — at Theater Royal Stratford East in London, Abbey Theater in Dublin and National Theater of Scotland in Glasgow — and then last year in Canada, at Grand Theater in London, Ontario, and the Princess of Wales Theater in Toronto.Asked whether the production would be considered a play or a musical for awards purposes, Jim Byk, a spokesman for the show, said, “The producers have previously described ‘Room’ as a play with music, but as there has been considerable work done since the last production, they do not plan on making a definitive call on this until after the show is frozen, as is traditional for productions that could technically qualify for either category.”The Broadway production is scheduled to begin preview performances April 3 and to open April 17 at the James Earl Jones Theater. Donoghue, the Irish Canadian author of both the novel and the screenplay, has also written the stage adaptation; the songs are by two Scotswomen, Kathryn Joseph and Cora Bissett. Bissett is also directing the show.“Room” is being produced by Sam Julyan, James Yeoburn, ShowTown Productions and Hunter Arnold. More