The End of a Fine Romance: Never Gonna Dance to Close on February 15

It has just been announced that Never Gonna Dance, the new musical featuring classic songs by Jerome Kern, will close at the Broadhurst Theatre following the 3pm performance on Sunday, February 15.

The show opened on December 4. At the time of its closing, it will have played 44 previews and 84 regular performances. Directed by Michael Greif, Never Gonna Dance has a book by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers film Swing Time; the production stars Noah Racey, Nancy Lemenager, Karen Ziemba, Deidre Goodwin, and Eugene Fleming. According to a statement from the show’s press office, “Despite standing ovations at every performance and a positive-to-mixed reception from the critics, Never Gonna Dance has not been able to build an audience and survive the devastating industry-wide impact of the current record-breaking cold weather.”

In his review of the show for TheaterMania, David Finkle wrote that “Racey and Lemenager are unarguably proficient as dancers, but their plight as subs for the incomparable Astaire and Rogers partnership suggests a reverse twist on what plot there is in A Chorus Line. In that classic, the down-on-her-luck star Cassie has trouble fitting into a chorus line because she can’t stop herself from standing out. In Never Gonna Dance, Racey and Lemenager — for all their diligent work — look like chorus members handed assignments that are a mite too burdensome for them.”