Good God! Long-Running Off-Broadway Hit Altar Boyz to End Run January 10

Long-running off-Broadway hit Altar Boyz is ending its heavenly run. Producer Ken Davenport broke the news on his blog December 4, explaining that the show will play its final performance at New World Stages on January 10, 2010. Altar Boyz will have played a total of 2032 performances at the time of final curtain, landing it in the top ten longest-running off-Broadway shows ever.

Directed by Stafford Ariman and choreographed by Chris Gatelli, Altar Boyz first took the stage March 1, 2005, starring Scott Porter, Tyler Maynard, Andy Karl, Ryan Duncan and David Josefsberg (following a NYMF run featuring Cheyenne Jackson) as a hapless, if not earnest, Christian boy band hellbent on saving souls through pop songs. The tongue-in-cheek musical comedy won the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Show, as well as a Lucille Lortel Award for Choreography and a 2009 Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Long-Running Off-Broadway Show. The tuner features music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and a book by Kevin Del Aguila, based on a concept by Marc Kessler and Ken Davenport.

In addition to its numerous accolades, Altar Boyz boasts a devoted cult following, known as the "Altarholics."

The closing company of the show features Michael Kadin Craig (Matthew), Lee Markham (Mark), Travis Nesbitt (Luke), Mauricio Perez (Juan) and Ravi Roth (Abraham).

Altar Boyz is produced by Davenport and Robyn Goodman, as well as Ruth Hendel, Walt Grossman, Sharon Karmazin, Matt Murphy, Mark Shacket, and Stephen Kocis.