Holler If Ya Hear Me to close on 20 Jul 2014

New musical Holler If Ya Hear Me, featuring the music of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, has posted early closing notices and will play its final performance on 20 Jul 2014. When the show closes it will have played 17 previews, and 38 regular performances.

Holler If Ya Hear Me, opened at the Palace Theatre on 19 Jun 2014, following previews from 2 Jun 2014, and was originally selling tickets through to 4 Jan 2015. The show has not been performing well at the box office, achieving only 45% house capacity in the last week.

The show opened on Broadway to mixed reviews: Had a great time (newyorktheatreguide.com); Much about this ambitious show feels heartfelt but heavy-handed (NY Times); Leaves you feeling more exhausted than inspired (Newsday).

Holler If Ya Hear Me is set in the present day on the inner-city streets of a Midwestern industrial city, and tells the story of two childhood friends and their extended families as they struggle to reconcile the challenges and realities of their daily lives with their hopes, dreams and ambitions.

Featuring the music of Tupac Shakur, the non-biographical rap musical features a book by Todd Kreidler (dramaturg for 'Radio Golf' and 'Gem of the Ocean') and choreography by Tony Award Winner Wayne Cilento ('The Who's Tommy'), with musical supervision by Tony-nominee Daryl Waters ('Memphis,' 'Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk').

The cast includes Saul Williams (John), Christopher Jackson (Vertus), Saycon Sengbloh (Corinne), Ben Thompson (Griffy), John Earl Jelks (Street Preacher), Joshua Boone (Darius), Dyllon Burnside (Anthony) and Tonya Pinkins (Mrs. Weston).

The design team includes sets and video by David Gallo, costumes by Reggie Ray and lighting by Mike Baldassari. Holler If Ya Hear Me is produced by Afeni Shakur, Eric L. Gold, Chunsoo Shin, Jessica Green, Marcy Kaplan-Gold and Anita Waxman.

The show is directed by Kenny Leon, who received a Tony nomination for his helming of August Wilson's 'Fences.' Other Broadway credits include 'Stick Fly,' 'The Mountaintop,' 'Radio Golf,' 'Gem of the Ocean' and 'A Raisin in the Sun.'

Tupac Shakur, known by his stage name '2Pac,' was an American rapper. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Most of Shakur's songs are about growing up amid violence and hardship in ghettos, racism, other social problems, and conflicts with other rappers during the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. The artist was murdered in Las Vegas in 1996, aged 25.

- by Bona Ruocco