Another one bites the dust.
The latest stage casualty in the post-COVID lockdown era is the Broadway musical “Ain’t Too Proud.”
The popular show, based on the life and times of music group the Temptations, will close next month, the show’s producers announced on Monday.
The final stage performances will take place on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, at the Imperial Theatre on West 45th Street.
The rise in coronavirus cases across New York has forced shows such as “Jagged Little Pill,” “Waitress” and “Thoughts of a Colored Man” to close their doors.
Broadway reopened on Sept. 14 with 30 shows starting up again after an 18-month shutdown. Several productions, however, canceled performances just a few days out of the gate after a surge in COVID-related cases.
“Aladdin” performances were halted on Sept. 29 after members in the musical’s cast and crew tested positive. The Alanis Morissette-inspired musical “Jagged Little Pill” shut down on Dec. 20.
“In light of the extreme uncertainty ahead of us this winter, and forced to choose between continuing performances and protecting our company, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our doors,” producers Vivek Tiwary, Arvind Ethan David and Eva Price said in a statement.
“The drastic turn of events this week with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant has, once again, changed everything,” the producers added.
Broadway League president Charlotte St. Martin, however, revealed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter earlier this month that the Great White Way has no intention of darkening its marquee lights anytime soon.
The jukebox musical opened on Broadway on March 21, 2019. The show was nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical. “Ain’t Too Proud” featured music from the Motown group including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.”
Bruce Williamson Jr., the lead singer of the Temptations, died from the coronavirus in September 2020.
Williamson joined the Temptations in 2006 and performed with the group until 2015. TMZ reported at the time that Williamson’s son posted a tribute to his late father.
“There’s no words in the world that can express how I feel right now I love you Daddy thank you for being awesome thank you for being loving thank you for being Who You Are I pray to God and we will meet again. I love you Daddy R.I.H KING WILLIAMSON,” he wrote.