“Six” Is Losing Its Head: Broadway’s Reigning Pop Hit Sets a Closing Date

Producers of “Six,” the pop-concert musical retelling the stories of Henry VIII’s six wives, announced on Thursday, August 27, 2026, that the Tony Award-winning show will close on Broadway on January 3, 2027, after nearly six years and 2,178 performances. The announcement was made by producers Kenny Wax, Wendy & Andy Barnes, George Stiles, and Kevin McCollum [1, 2]. The show, which opened in October 2021 as the first new musical to debut on Broadway following the pandemic shutdown, will finish its run as the 40th longest-running production in Broadway history [1].

The closure comes amid a steep box office decline: “Six” grossed $463,638 for the week ending August 23, well below the $600,000–$700,000-plus range it commanded at its peak last year, with attendance falling to roughly 60% of the venue’s capacity [3]. Industry data shows the weekly operating cost of a major Broadway musical now runs between $650,000 and $800,000 before rent, and only three post-pandemic new musicals — “MJ the Musical,” “& Juliet,” and “Six” itself — have recouped their initial investment and turned a profit [3]. The London production and touring companies in the U.S., U.K., and Australia will continue to run [2].

Why It Sucks:

Six Fans

• A modern classic is getting dethroned early. “Six” reimagined Broadway history by giving Henry VIII’s wives a Spice Girls-style pop concert, and devoted fans who built repeat-viewing rituals around the show now have a hard deadline before it’s gone from Broadway for good [1].
• Ticket prices will spike on the way out. Broadway closing announcements reliably trigger a rush of last-chance buyers, meaning the fans who loved the show early and made it a hit now face inflated prices just to say goodbye [2].
• The queens’ Broadway “mothership” is disappearing. As the first post-pandemic new musical, “Six” carried symbolic weight for the industry’s recovery, and its exit feels like the closing of a chapter fans didn’t expect to end this soon [1].

Broadway Producers & Investors

• Even a hit can’t outrun the math anymore. “Six” is one of only three post-pandemic musicals to have recouped and turned a profit, and if a proven success still can’t sustain a $650,000-to-$800,000 weekly nut, producers see almost no margin for error on any new production [3].
• Falling attendance despite a Tony pedigree spooks investors. Attendance at 60% capacity for an award-winning, previously sold-out show signals to backers that even strong reviews and awards can’t guarantee long-term ticket sales in the current cost environment [3].
• Another closing narrows the field for future financing. Coming on the heels of other high-profile Broadway closures this year, “Six” going dark adds to a pattern investors will use to justify smaller, more risk-averse bets on new shows [3].

Cast, Crew & Theater Workers

• Steady jobs are ending on a fixed date. Nearly six years of consistent employment for performers, musicians, stagehands, and theater staff comes to a hard stop in January, forcing the entire company to hunt for its next gig in an already competitive market [1, 2].
• A long-running show’s ensemble culture gets dismantled. Productions that run for years build deep institutional knowledge and camaraderie among swings, understudies, and crew, all of which disperses the moment the show closes [2].
• The closing adds to a rough year for Broadway labor. With operating costs squeezing even profitable shows, workers across the industry are watching another marquee title shut down and wondering how many stable, long-term contracts remain available to them [3].

Sources & Citations:

[1] The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Six’ Will End Five-Year Broadway Run In January
[2] Deadline: Broadway Musical ‘Six’ To Close In January
[3] Forbes: ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ Closing Adds To Broadway’s Financial Crunch