Velocity of Autumn to shutter 04 May 2014

The Broadway premiere of Eric Coble's dark comedy The Velocity of Autumn, starring Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons and two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Spinella, with direction by Molly Smith, will shutter at the Booth Theatre on 04 May 2014. The production will have played 22 preview performances and 16 regular performances when it closes on 04 May 2014. The limited engagement was originally booking through to 17 Aug 2014.

The closure notice came just a few hours after the announcement of the 2014 Tony Award nominations, which earned The Velocity of Autumn just a single nomination for Estelle Parsons for Best Actress in a Play. The production received very mixed reviews and ticket sales averaging just under 15% of its potential gross, which ultimately lead to its early closure.

According to Larry Kaye, who, along with Van Dean, is one of the two lead producers of the play: "It has been a real pleasure to bring The Velocity of Autumn to Broadway. After each performance we have been gratified by hearing stories from our audience of how they are touched by the play, and how the universal issues about family and aging are enabling them to have conversations within their own families about the same topics. We're so proud of our entire creative and production team who brought this exquisite play to New York. We're also very grateful to the team at the Arena Stage in Washington who helped launch it, and the Shubert Organization for their support and commitment to new plays."

Lead Co-Producer Van Dean added: "The Velocity of Autumn featured performances by two legendary actors in American theater, Estelle Parsons and Stephen Spinella, directed by the outstanding Molly Smith, Artistic Director of Arena Stage, in her Broadway debut. We are grateful to them for interpreting the play with so much grace, depth, passion and humanity. We couldn't ask for a better cast to introduce Eric Coble's beautiful work to Broadway and we are deeply appreciative of everyone who made this journey possible."

Furthermore, it has been reported that Estelle Parsons has not been appearing in the show since 23 Apr 2014 due to ill health. She is expected to return to the role of Alexandra today, after recovering from influenza.

Synopsis: 'The Velocity of Autumn swirls around Alexandra (Estelle Parsons), a 79-year-old artist in a showdown with her family over where she'll spend her remaining years. In Alexandra's corner are her wit, her volcanic passion and the fact that she's barricaded herself in her Brooklyn brownstone with enough Molotov cocktails to take out the block. But her children have their own secret weapon: estranged son Chris (Stephen Spinella) who returns after 20 years, crawls through Alexandra's second floor window, and becomes the family's unlikely mediator. No sooner are the words "Hi, Mom" uttered than the emotional bombs start detonating.'

Estelle Parsons last appeared on Broadway in 'Nice Work If You Can Get It.' Her many Broadway credits include 'Morning's at Seven,' 'Miss Margarida's Way,' 'And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little' and 'The Seven Descents of Myrtle,' all of which earned her Tony-Award nominations. Parsons won an Academy Award for her role as "Blanche " in the 1967 movie "Bonnie and Clyde," and was nominated for an Academy Award for "Rachel, Rachel." For her TV work she is best known as "Beverly Harris," the mother of "Roseanne Conner," in Roseanne Barr's TV comedy series "Roseanne."

Stephen Spinella won Tony Awards for 'Angels in America: Perestroika,' 'Angels in America: Millennium Approaches,' and was nominated for a Tony Award for "James Joyce's The Dead." He last appeared on Broadway in 'Spring Awakening.' He recently starred as "Russell Berger" in the TV comedy "Royal Pains." Other notable TV credits include "Desperate Housewives," "24" and "The Education of Max Bickford." His film work includes "Lincoln," "Rubber," "Milk" and "The Jackal."

The creative team features scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Rui Rita and sound design by Darron L. West.

The Velocity of Autumn is being produced on Broadway by Larry Kaye & HOP Theatricals; Van Dean & The Broadway Consortium; Joan Raffe & Jhett Tolentino; and Rob Hinderliter & Dominick LaRuffa Jr., in association with KIRN Productions and Jonathan Demar.

The comedy had its world premiere at Boise Contemporary Theatre in Idaho in April 2011, and played to sold-out audiences at Cleveland's Beck Center for the Arts in Ohio in April 2012. The Arena Stage production of The Velocity of Autumn, directed by Arena Stage's Artistic Director Molly Smith, starred Estelle Parsons and Stephen Spinella, and ran from 06 Sep through 20 Oct 2013 in the Kreeger Theater.

- by Tom Millward