“Little Bear Ridge Road,” an acclaimed drama with Laurie Metcalf that marked Scott Rudin‘s first Broadway production since controversy erupted over his alleged bullying behavior, will close eight weeks early. The curtain will come down on the show for a final time on Dec. 21. It had originally been slated to play until Feb. 15.
The show, which was written by Samuel D. Hunter (“The Whale”) and directed by Joe Mantello (“Take Me Out’), has struggled to sell tickets despite receiving glowing reviews. Last week, for instance, it was playing to less than 70% capacity. It reached a high-water mark of $528,181 the week after it opened in October, but attendance has continued to decline. When it finishes its run, it will have played 7 preview and 62 regular performances.
“Little Bear Ridge Road” had its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2024. Metcalf originated her role as Sarah, a prickly nurse living in rural Idaho, and Micah Stock, who transferred to Broadway with the production, played her estranged nephew, Ethan, who returns home to sell his dead father’s house.
Variety‘s Daniel D’Addario was mixed on the play, writing, “Moments of big emotion in ‘Little Bear Ridge Road’ don’t fall flat, exactly, but they don’t play to Hunter’s strengths as a writer; he’s better in small, askew gestures.” However, other critics, such as The New York Times’ Laura Collins-Hughes were more enthusiastic, praising the “across-the-board excellent cast” and Hunter’s “keen-eyed, compassionate” writing.
Rudin was a legendary producer in film and theater, but he has been hiatus for four years after reports broke that he was allegedly verbally abusive towards staffers who worked for him, and would throw things at employees.
Despite the setback, Rudin, Mantello and Metcalf will reunite in the spring for a revival of “Death of a Salesman” with Nathan Lane tapped to play Willy Loman.
