The musical Beetlejuice has cancelled the remainder of its Australian tour, citing rising transport and logistics costs as a major factor.
The show, written by WAAPA graduate Eddie Perfect and based on the popular film, was set to open at Crown Theatre in mid-August.
Broadway star Andy Karl joined the production in Queensland after a successful Melbourne run that drew positive reviews and featured Perfect in the lead role.
The production will now play its final show on 5 July at Brisbane’s QPAC Theatre, with scheduled seasons in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney cancelled. Perth media outlets had been invited to a presentation about the show scheduled for later today, but the promotional event was cancelled late last week.
A spokesperson for producer Michael Cassell told AAP the national tour was not sustainable and that it had been a difficult decision to cancel the remaining dates.
“For a production of this scale, the current logistical realities of touring across vast distances between Australian cities have created increasing cost pressures that ultimately made continuing the run unsustainable,” the spokesperson said.
“While audience enthusiasm for the show has been encouraging, a more cautious consumer environment, combined with the economics of moving a production of this magnitude, could not be justified.
“It is a difficult decision and not one we made lightly,” they said.
