Hanging 'Em Up: "Lombardi" Ending Its Run On Broadway After Eight Months

Producers of "LOMBARDI" said that the play will end its run on Broadway May 22 "after a total of 30 preview performances and 244 regular performances," according to Patrick Healy of the N.Y. TIMES. Previously scheduled to run through June 19, the play about late Pro Football HOF coach VINCE LOMBARDI is "leaving the field after receiving only one 2011 Tony Award nomination." Despite "mixed reviews from critics in October, 'Lombardi' survived the relatively fallow winter months on Broadway as the only brand-new drama of the fall season to keep running." A spokesperson for the show said that the producers "had no comment on whether it would earn back its capitalization, believed to be in the $2 million range, before closing." Healy noted "few Broadway plays turn a profit" (NYTIMES.com, 5/4). "Lombardi" Producers TONY PONTURO and FRAN KIRMSER in a statement said, "We are so proud that we were able to do this on Broadway and are thrilled to announce that the show will continue to be seen across the country in licensed productions through The Dramatists Play Service." Ponturo and Kirmser are teaming on another sports play, "MAGIC/BIRD," based on the lives of MAGIC JOHNSON and LARRY BIRD (PLAYBILL.com, 5/3).