‘How to Succeed,’ ‘Leap of Faith,’ ‘Magic/Bird’ Announce Broadway Closings

In the span of just two days, it was revealed that “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Leap of Faith” and “Magic/Bird” would all be ending their respective Broadway runs.

Though it was nominated for a 2011 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, sales of “How to Succeed” have been struggling recently, and Frank Loesser’s 1961 musical will end after a performance on Sunday, May 20. The revival had been held at the Al Hirschfield Theater, and the current production will have had 473 regular performances and 30 preview performances when it closes.

The revival opened with former “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe playing the starring role of J. Pierrepont Finch. After Radcliffe left in January, “Glee” star Darren Criss took over the role for three weeks, before handing it off to pop singer Nick Jonas, who currently occupies the role. Jonas’ contract was originally set to run through July 1.

While the production was only making about 26 percent of its potential gross as of last week, it did recoup its initial investment in December of last year. The initial investment is reported to be $9 million.

“Leap of Faith” had a much shorter run, and when it closes this Sunday will only have played 24 previews and 20 performances. The musical is based on the 1992 Steve Martin film of the same name, and opened to poor reviews. Producers released the following statement about the production:

Although we love our show and very much appreciate both our many award nominations and the joy of our audiences, we have not been able to achieve a sustainable level of ticket sales to continue. We thank all those who worked so hard over so many years to bring ‘Leap of Faith’ to Broadway.

“Magic/Bird” faired only slightly better on the Great White Way, with 61 performances. The production told the stories of NBA great Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.