It’s not easy to put on a Broadway show, especially when it’s a new play with tricky marketing.
And so “Room,” the semi-musical play derived from the original novel but more closely associated with the movie that got Brie Larson an Oscar for Best Actress is suddenly not opening this season. (The movie had three other nominations in 2015 including Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay by Emma Donoghue, who wrote this version as well.)
In this version, the role of the young woman who’s been kidnapped and locked in a room by a maniac was to be played by the great Tony Award winner Adrienne Warren, of “Tina: The Musical” fame. Three time Tony nominee and three time Emmy nominee Kate Burton was also featured.
“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. 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,” said producer Hunter Arnold. “We are incredibly disappointed not to be able to open this remarkable production at this time and are especially heartbroken for our incredibly talented cast and creative team who were hard at work in the rehearsal room.”
Producers Sam Julyan and James Yeoburn stated, “We have been honored to share the story of ROOM since its world premiere in 2017 in London and its subsequent productions in Dublin, Scotland, and Ontario. We truly believe that today’s disappointing news will not be the end of ROOM on stage.”
Adrienne Warren is one of Broadway’s brightest new lights. Burton is a veteran actress of the highest regard. They will each bounce back quickly. But what a shame we won’t get to see them in this production — for now.
