West End's Dirty Blonde to Close August 28

The West End run of Claudia Shear's Dirty Blonde is closing prematurely. The show, directed by James Lapine, is now scheduled to close at the Duke of York's Theatre on August 28.

Dirty Blonde is a play about a gal, a guy and Mae West. It tells the story of two single New Yorkers who coincidentally meet at the gravesite of the legendary film star and sex symbol.

The show's original trio of stars, Shear, Kevin Chamberlin and Bob Stillman who appeared both off and on Broadway in it, are starring in the West End production, which opened on June 16 to a positive critical reception. In his review of the play, Michael Billington of The Guardian wrote: "Shear recognises West's iconic power and intriguing two-way relationship with female impersonation without lapsing into gushing idolatry… There may be nothing very surprising about the revelation that West ended up a sad Norma Desmond trapped inside the persona she had created. But the show offers an affectionate tribute to a unique performer for whom every line told a dirty story."

As previously reported, the next tenant at the Duke of York's will be Brian Clark's Whose Life is it Anyway?, starring Kim Cattrall and beginning performances on January 7.