‘Big Fish’ flops on Broadway, closing in late December

Like a beached marine animal, “Big Fish” has flopped on Broadway. The musical, which is based on the 2003 Tim Burton movie of the same name, is set to close at the Neil Simon Theatre in New York on Dec. 29 after 98 regular performances, producers announced on Sunday.

“Big Fish” opened with high hopes on Oct. 6, carrying a reported price tag of $14 million. The production stars Broadway veteran Norbert Leo Butz (in the role originated in the movie by Ewan McGregor), and was directed and choreographed by multiple Tony Award-winner Susan Stroman.

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But reviews of the musical were tepid and ticket sales have fallen steadily since the show opened. The musical lists among its producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen -- the Oscar-winning duo behind “American Beauty” and the Burton movie.

The musical had a tryout run in Chicago earlier this year. The script for the show was written by John August, who adapted his own screenplay as well as the Daniel Wallace novel on which the movie was based.

Stroman already has another Broadway production in the works -- a musical adaptation of Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” that is scheduled to open in April.

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