It’s hard out there for a Broadway musical based on ultra-familiar songs. While the Fleetwood Mac-inspired Stereophonic and the Sufjan Stevens adaptation Illinoise are apparently thriving and winning Tonys, Broadway shows built on the music of more-established stars are having a rougher time. Last week, we learned that The Heart Of Rock And Roll, the jukebox musical based on Huey Lewis And The News songs, would close after just two months. Now, a similar fate has befallen the recent revival of The Who’s Tommy.

The Who’s Tommy, an adaptation of the band’s 1969 rock opera, first opened on Broadway in 1993, and it was a big hit, running for more than two years. A Tommy revival, which brought back original diretor Des McAnuff, opened in Chicago last year. It moved to Broadway’s Nederlander Theater this spring. The Who’e Pete Townshend, who wrote the store and co-wrote the book, spoke glowingly of the revival, and he performed with the show’s cast on The Tonight Show. That apparently wasn’t enough to keep the show going.

The New York Times reports that The Who’s Tommy will have its final Broadway performance 7/21. According to the Times, the show sold lots of tickets when it first opened, but it’s struggled since then. (Broadway ticket sales are down across the board since the post-pandemic return.) Tommy was Tony-nominated in the Best Musical Revival category, but it lost to Merrily We Roll Along. When it closes, Tommy will have run for 20 previews and 132 regular performances, and it won’t recoup its $15.7 million budget. A touring production is set to open in Providence in fall 2025.