A musical based on the family featured in the “Duck Dynasty” reality TV series is closing in Las Vegas, a little more than a month after it opened.
“The Duck Commander Musical,” based on the book “Duck Commander Family” by Willie and Korie Robertson, will shut down on May 17 after typically selling less than 100 tickets per performance despite heavy discounting, the Las Vegas Sun reports.
The show had opened April 15 at the 680-seat Crown Theater at the Rio hotel and casino. The Rio is also home to the Penn & Teller magic show and a Chippendales male revue.
The musical, which was produced by the team behind Broadway hits such as “Jersey Boys” and “Matilda,” told the story of the Robertson family’s rise, first with the success of the “Duck Commander” line of products and then with the reality TV show.
The Robertson family has come under fire over controversial comments from patriarch Phil Robertson, who compared homosexuality to bestiality and claimed African-Americans were happier before the Civil Rights movement. The show does touch on the uproar, according to a review on the Las Vegas Review-Journal, but without getting into the specifics.
The team behind the show said in statement to Playbill that “The Duck Commander Musical” may still find a life on the stage. Just not in Vegas:
“The production is thrilled to have had the opportunity to develop the Duck Commander Musical at the Rio. Much has been learned from this limited engagement, and from the great support from everyone who has come to see this first staging of this completely new musical. Duck Commander will now consider several possible opportunities for the next stage in the life of the show, including extended sit-down engagements in interested cities, as well as a national tour.”
“Like most new musicals out of town, what we learned will be invaluable as the producers evaluate the many possibilities for our next incarnation,” director Jeff Calhoun told The New York Times.
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