Production
RoomThe stage adaptation of the hit novel and 2015 film will not hit Broadway this spring as planned: The producers announced today that the show has been postponed indefinitely “due to a capitalization shortfall” following the withdrawal of a lead producer.
Described as a game with songs, Room it was to have starred Tony winner Adrienne Warren and Tony nominee Ephraim Sykes, with previews beginning April 3 at the James Earl Jones Theatre.
The production was in rehearsal and closed as of today, a remarkable move and highly unusual for a show so far along in its development.
“In the middle of our rehearsals, one of our lead producers informed us that, for personal reasons, they did not intend to fulfill their obligations to the production,” said producer Hunter Arnold. “Since being notified, the rest of the production team have exhausted every possible avenue to keep the show on track, but the tight timeline and financial deficit created by this series of events has proven insurmountable.”
Arnold continued: “We are incredibly disappointed to not be able to open this remarkable production at this time and are especially heartbroken by our incredibly talented cast and creative team who worked so hard in the rehearsal room.”
Producers Sam Julyan and James Yeoburn stated, “We are 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.”
All purchased tickets will be refunded and ticket purchasers must return to the point of purchase to process those refunds.
Full casting for The was announced last month, and a trailer and preview photos were released.
Room is written and adapted for the stage by Emma Donoghue, based on her 2010 best-selling novel, which she also adapted into the award-winning 2015 film. The production features songs and music by Scottish composers Kathryn Joseph and Cora Bissett and is directed by Bissett . The Broadway production was to have begun previews at the Jones on April 3 before opening night on Monday, April 17. The limited engagement was to have lasted until 17 September.
The lead producer who pulled out of the production was not identified. In addition to Arnold, the production team was to include Julyan, Yeoburn, and ShowTown Productions. In today’s announcement, ShowTown was not listed among the producers cited in response to the postponement.
spokespersons for Room declined to provide additional comment beyond the posted postponement announcement.
Room tells the bewildering yet ultimately inspiring story of, as the official synopsis goes, a kidnapped teenager, Ma (Warren), who has been locked for seven years inside a specially designed room in her captor’s garden. Her five-year-old son, Jack, has no concept of the outside world and lives happily inside Room with the help of Ma’s games and her vivid imagination where objects like the rug, lamp, and television are the only friends of hers
The play had its world premiere in 2017 at the Theater Royal Stratford East in Stratford, London, directed by Bissett and starring Witney Wright. The production ran until June 3, 2022, and then transferred to the Abbey Theater in Dublin. Room was scheduled to make its North American premiere at the Grand Theater in London, Ontario on March 13, 2020, but the production was postponed due to Covid-19 shutdowns. The play had its North American premiere in Ontario in 2022 and later transferred to Toronto.
