Broadway production of Emma Donoghue’s ‘Room’ cancelled after producer pulls out

The stage adaptation of Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue’s novel “Room” won’t show on Broadway next month as planned, after a lead producer pulled out of the project.

The remaining producers of the show say rehearsals shut down on Thursday — less than three weeks before performances were set to begin on April 3.

Producer Hunter Arnold says he and his colleagues “exhausted all possible avenues to keep the show on track,” but found the challenges “insurmountable.”

He says the team is “heartbroken” for the cast and creative team.

The tale of a young boy and his mother held in captivity was first performed on stage in 2017, and came to London, Ont., and Toronto last year.

The play features songs by Kathryn Joseph and Cora Bissett and a script by Donoghue.

The writer also adapted “Room” into an Academy Award-winning movie in 2015.

Producers Sam Julyan and James Yeoburn say they’ve been involved in the stage adaptation since its inception six years ago, and they don’t believe this will be the end of the road.

Broadway is still recovering from the economic ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down all of its theatres for 18 months.

Even after the marquee lights were shining once again, outbreaks among cast and crew caused frequent interruptions, and the spectre of infection kept would-be theatregoers at home.

Late last year, early closing notices were posted for shows like “Almost Famous,” “KPOP,” “A Strange Loop” and “Ain’t No Mo’,” and the longtime hit “Phantom of the Opera” closed after 35 years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2023.