A Rough Month Ahead for Broadway

There will be quite a few tears shed on Broadway next month as a number of shows shut down in January, including long-running hits like Hairspray, Gypsy and Spring Awakening, along with shows that barely got off the ground, like 13, which starred a cast of teenagers.

Here's the latest on that closing from Broadway.com:

Jason Robert Brown’s 13 has set a closing date.

The new musical, directed by Jeremy Sams, will play its final performance on January 4, 2009 after 22 preview and 105 regular performances at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

On the up side, that show may return as a touring show, and in the near future it should be available for community theatre groups.

The post-holiday season is always a tough one for Broadway shows, but the economic problems hitting the country seem to be adding to the problem, forcing quite a few shows to close their doors. But there are lots of other shows in the works, so don't expect Broadway to go out of business anytime soon.