High Fidelity to close after poor notices

The new Broadway musical High Fidelity, which opened to poor notices on 7 Dec 2006, has posted early closing notices for 17 Dec 2006. The show was booking to 25 Mar 2007.

When the show closes it will have played only 18 previews and 14 performances.

The show received poor notices from nearly all the press: the New York Times wrote that the "Show erases itself from your memory even as you watch it."; NewsDay said "Another amiable musical knockoff with tracing-paper for brains." and Variety printed "It lacks charm, sincerity and heart."

High Fidelity opened at the Imperial Theatre on 7 Dec 2006, following previews from 20 Nov.

Based on Nick Hornby's best-selling novel (later a popular film by Touchstone Pictures), High Fidelity has original music by composer Tom Kitt, lyrics by Amanda Green, and book by David Lindsay-Abaire.

High Fidelity is a romantic musical comedy that follows the adventures of Rob, a record store owner who knows almost everything about pop music, but almost nothing about how to hang onto a girl. Rob's love life, already a broken record of heartache, falls off the charts completely when he gets dumped by Laura, but that just sets him up for one of the top 5 romantic comebacks ever.

Directed by Walter Bobbie, High Fidelity features Will Chase (Rob) and Jenn Colella as Laura. They are joined by Christian Anderson (Dick), Jay Klaitz (Barry), Jeb Brown (Ian), Katy Mixon (Liz), Emily Swallow (Marie/Charlie), Jon Patrick Walker (Johnny the Drunk), Kirsten Wyatt (Anna/Alison), ensemble members Justin Brill, Andrew C. Call, Matt Caplan and Anne Warren, and swings Paul Castree, George Merrick, Tom Plotkin, Rachel Stern and J.B. Wing.

High Fidelity is choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, and has set design by Anna Louizos, costume design by Theresa Squire, lighting design by Ken Billington and sound design by Acme Sound Partners.

The musical is being produced by Jeffrey Seller, Robyn Goodman and Kevin McCollum, the trio who produced the Broadway musical comedy Avenue Q, winner of the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical.