Scandalous to play final performance on 9 Dec 2012

The Broadway premiere of the musical Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson, has posted early closing notices and will play its final performance on 9 Dec 2012, just three weeks after opening. When the show closes it will have played 31 previews and 29 regular performances.

Scandalous, book and lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford, with music by David Pomeranz and David Friedman, opened at the Neil Simon Theatre on 15 Nov 2012, following previews from 13 Oct 2012. The musical had been selling tickets through to 31 Mar 2013.

The musical opened to mostly negative reviews: Generic and dull (NY Times); Talk about a trial (NYDN); Despite its title, is remarkably tame (Record); Unlikely to spark any hosannas (Hollywood Reporter).

Scandalous is set in 1920's Los Angeles, where holiness collides with Hollywood in this extraordinary tale of one remarkable woman's charismatic rise to fame amidst scandalous love affairs and growing controversy, inevitably ending in her much-publicized fall from grace.

The principal cast stars two-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello ('Parade,' 'Mamma Mia!') as 'Aimee Semple McPherson,' two-time Tony Award winner George Hearn ('Sunset Blvd,' 'La Cage aux Folles') as 'James Kennedy/Brother Bob,' Candy Buckley as 'Minnie Kennedy,' Edward Watts as 'Robert Semple/David Hutton,' Roz Ryan as 'Emma Jo Schaeffer' and Andrew Samonsky as 'Harold McPherson/Kenneth Ormiston.'

Directed by David Armstrong, scandalous is based on the life of Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944), the world's first media superstar evangelist - a woman whose passion for saving souls equaled her passion for making sensational headlines and attracting overflow crowds of thousands throughout the world. Time Magazine named Aimee Semple McPherson one the most influential people of the twentieth century.

With choreography by Lorin Latarro and musical direction by Joel Fram, Scandalous features scenic design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Gregory A. Poplyk, lighting design by Natasha Katz and sound design by Ken Travis.

Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson is produced by Dick and Betsy DeVos, Foursquare Foundation and Jeffrey Finn, Executive Producer, in association with The 5th Avenue Theatre (David Armstrong, Executive Producer and Artistic Director; Bernadine Griffin, Managing Director; Bill Berry, Producing Director).