Once Upon A One More Time, the jukebox musical with the soundtrack to Britney Spears greatest hits, is now ending on Broadway after just three months.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the play will have its final performance at the Marquis Theater on September 3 – just two months after its official premiere on June 22. Preview performances for the show began in mid-May.
Once Upon A One More Time was approved by Spears, and the musical’s early themes were even suggested by her, according to THR.
Spears signed a basic rights agreement with the show. This was one of the first contracts she signed after her 13-year conservatory career ended.
According to THR, Once Upon A One More Time has been struggling to fill spots of late, with capacity hovering around 50% over the past seven weeks.
Oh no! Once Upon A One More Time, the jukebox musical with the soundtrack to Britney Spears greatest hits, is now ending on Broadway after just three months
In the week of eight performances ended Aug. 13, it grossed just $512,008 — its lowest since opening.
Though Broadway didn’t last, there are now plans to take the show around the world.
The show’s producer, James. L Nederlander and Hunter Arnold announced they are working on a national tour and international productions of the musical.
“We couldn’t be prouder of this beautifully joyful and exciting show – which is not only a love letter to Britney’s iconic artistry and unique effervescence, but also a brilliant demonstration of the boundless talent of our cast and creative team,” they said in a statement.
“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to this dream team of staff, artists, designers, collaborators, crew and investors who continue to share our passion and joy for this project.” As plans for the show’s future performances around the globe take shape , we look forward to sharing more news soon!’
The musical features 23 of Britney’s hit singles, including Toxic, Crazy and Oops!… I Did It Again, and the website has a glowing review by Spears himself.
“I’ve seen the show and it’s so funny, smart and brilliant!” Spears is quoted as saying.
The show is about a book club with legendary fairytale princesses who end up reading Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique.
Britney approved! Once Upon A One More Time was approved by Spears, and the musical’s early themes were even suggested by her, according to THR
When the 1963 book about the Fairy Godmother arrives, it breaks the usual habit of ladies of re-reading the Grimm stories that make up their entire library.
Once Upon A One More Time’s princesses include Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty – all characters who also happened to appear in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s hit 1987 Broadway musical Into The Woods.
The project was originally announced in 2019 when Britney, who is now divorcing Sam Asghari, was still under her father’s controversial guardianship, which she was freed from in 2021.
In early 2019, Jon Hartmere, who wrote the musical’s book, told the New York Times that Britney was at a table reading the show, which was then scheduled to go to Chicago.
The Britney songs featured in the stage show consisted of a number of her famous numbers and what Jon described as “a couple of deep album cuts”.
‘Its so funny!’ The musical features 23 of Britney’s hit singles, including Toxic, Crazy and Oops!… I Did It Again, and the website has a glowing review by Spears himself
The Chicago opening was pushed back to early 2020 and then canceled altogether as coronavirus lockdowns swept the country.
Finally, the show opened in 2021 for a limited engagement with the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington, DC.
Keone and Mari Madrid, who participated in the reality show World Of Dance co-rated by Jennifer Lopez, directed and choreographed the musical.
Describing the plot in 2019, Jon said: “Cinderella is in an existential crisis and she has a cast of famous princesses and her stepmother is the main antagonist, plus there’s Prince Charming and a dwarf we’ve never met – the eighth dwarf.” and a narrator dissatisfied with his system is dismantled before his eyes.’
He explained: “These women were in this hermetically sealed world, and then they begin to delve deeper into modern ideas — second- and third-wave feminism — and also to explore how stories are passed down to us and where we get our norms from. ” . But it’s also super fun and funny.’