Broadway musical “Funny Girl” has announced that it will close Labor Day Weekend, after 599 performances and 30 previews. The current stars, Lea Michele, Ramin Karimloo, Jared Grimes, and Tovah Feldshuh, will remain in their roles until closing. 

Producers of “Funny Girl” offered no specific reasons as to why the show is closing. According to Forbes, declining ticket sales are the primary reason for Broadway shows to close. With low Broadway attendance and high production costs, shows are struggling to break even.

It is common for productions led by well-known figures to close after the leads exit the show. The Hugh Jackman-led revival of “The Music Man” played for 13 months, closing with his departure. 

“Funny Girl” had been deemed “unrevivable” for years since theater enthusiasts were convinced nobody could top Barbra Streisand’s iconic performance of lead Fanny Brice.

This run of “Funny Girl” originally starred Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice, but Michele took over the role during Labor Day weekend in 2022. The revival earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, one of the eight nominations that the original 1964 production also earned. 

Sales began to decrease, so producers brought in Michele and hoped for a boost. After taking the stage in September, Michele took part in the recording of a cast album that topped the Billboard Cast Album Charts and performed in her role at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Most recently, when Michele was on vacation, the show was grossing half of what it was making the previous week, a loss of $950,000. The week of March 5, 2023, the show grossed $1,807,392.  Critics have said that Michele “reversed the show’s fortune.” With the announcement of the show’s closing and her taking center stage, the closing announcement could continue to boost sales.

The show will embark on a national tour, beginning in Providence shortly after the curtain closes on Broadway.