Tupac Shakur Broadway musical to close after less than two months

Broadway musical Holler If Ya Hear Me, featuring songs by late rapper Tupac Shakur, is to close after less than two months.

The curtains will fall for the final time on Sunday at the Palace Theatre after just 38 performances.

Producer Eric L. Gold cited “the financial burdens of Broadway” as the reason.

The jukebox show features Tupac Shakur’s hits but does not tell the story of the rapper, who died after being shot in 1996 aged 25.

Last week, it managed to pull in only $155,000 from a possible $917,000, which is less than 17%.

Directed by Kenny Leon, who won a Tony Award for his recent revival of A Raisin In the Sun, Holler If Ya Hear Me is billed as a non-biographical story about friendship, family, revenge, change and hope.

The musical received mixed reviews from critics.

Variety called it a “generic gangland saga” that was “predictable” with “clumsy characterizations”, although praised its “soaring performances”.

Featuring Tupac Shakur tracks such as California Love, Me Against the World and Keep Ya Head Up, the musical is the first time hip hop classics have been performed on the Broadway stage.

Tupac Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur, is a producer of the show.

Rapper Tupac Shakur died following a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, thought to be the result of gangland conflict.