Emotional End For Rosie's Musical
Minutes after the final curtain fell on "Taboo," the $10 million Broadway musical that folded after three months of mediocre ticket sales, producer Rosie O'Donnell stood outside the Plymouth Theatre wiping tears from her eyes.
"Thank you, Rosie!" fans shouted, holding "Taboo" playbills and posters for her to sign.
"You're welcome," the fledgling theater producer said softly. She held a digital camera up to her face and snapped a few photos in front of the marquee before walking with domestic partner Kelli Carpenter to a private party down the street.
Despite her tears, O'Donnell was resolutely positive in a speech before Sunday's sold-out performance, theatergoers said. Receiving a standing ovation as she made her way to her seat in the audience, she thanked the audience for its support, urged people to register to vote in time for November's election and — to wild applause — vowed that the show would return someday.
"Taboo," funded entirely by O'Donnell, told the story of gender-bending pop singer Boy George. It played 16 previews and 100 performances before closing, losing its entire investment.
Boy George, who played performance artist Leigh Bowery in the show and wrote its mostly original score, made a brief speech after curtain call. He thanked O'Donnell and the show's cast and crew for "an amazing job."
"I've learned a lot — much, much more than I thought I would," he said, possibly alluding to the show's turbulent preview period. O'Donnell brought in a consultant to help director Christopher Renshaw and reportedly battled with actor Raul Esparza.
Although "Taboo" received negative reviews and routinely played to half-capacity audiences, it appealed to a devoted cult of fans who turned out in force Sunday. Some sported glittery, "Taboo"-inspired costumes. A handful of people without tickets — mostly in their teens and 20s — huddled outside the theater during the first act.
Braden Chapman, 20, decked out in black leather chaps, heavy mascara and quarter-sized rhinestone earrings, said he had seen the show three times. What kept him coming back, he said, was "the affirmation it gives to people that it's OK to be weird."
O'Donnell first saw the musical in London, where it had a 15-month run. Announcing its Broadway closing last month, she called the show "by far the most fulfilling experience of my career" and said she had no regrets in deciding to produce it.
After her pre-show speech, she remained a presence in the theater. "At Boy George's first entrance, she immediately sprang to her feet for a standing ovation," drawing many of those in the audience to their feet with her, wrote Michael Dale at BroadwayWorld.com.
"It's sad that it's closing, but I know it'll have a life after this," said choreographer Mark Dendy as he stood outside the theater during intermission. "Some things happen before their time."