The Stage

Too Close to the Sun to close after two weeks

Published Monday 27 July 2009 at 11:02 by Alistair Smith

Too Close to the Sun, the new musical about the final days in the life of Ernest Hemingway, has announced it is to close on August 8, only two weeks after opening.

The show is written and produced by John Robinson, whose last effort Behind The Iron Mask, shut in similar circumstances in 2005.

His latest work opened to the press last Friday and received a string of highly critical notices.

“Even literary giant Ernest Hemingway would be hard pressed to summon words damning enough to capture quite how appalling, risible and offensively drab John Robinson’s musical - yes musical - about the great man’s last days on his Idaho ranch actually is,” complained Thelondonpaper.

Meanwhile, The Times wrote: “To have written and self-produced one West End fiasco may be regarded as misfortune; to have written and self-produced two looks like carelessness… if you want something so bad it’s good, stick to We Will Rock You. Too Close to the Sun is pretty dire. But it’s such a muted, muddled experience, such a waste of time and talent, that there’s not really much to snigger about.”

Too Close to the Sun began previews at the Comedy Theatre on July 16, with press night on July 27. It will now close on August 8.