Video: Adrienne Warren, Ephraim Sykes, and Galen Hooks Release Statement Regarding ROOM Postponement

Cast members Adrienne Warren and Ephraim Sykes, and choreographer Galen Hooks have released a statement regarding the postponement of the Broadway production of ROOM in a post on Adrienne Warren's Instagram account.

In the post, Warren thanks audiences for their support and states that the company is "heartbroken" about this news, but hopeful that they will eventually be able to bring this story to audiences in "whatever way it is supposed to." Warren says that the company has "no idea" what happened, but affirms that this is "not a reflection on the beautiful souls in this piece. It is not a reflection on our creatives."

Watch the full statement here:

The previously announced Broadway production of ROOM, which was set to begin previews in just a few weeks, has been postponed indefinitely. The reason for the postponement, according to a press release, is "due to a shortfall in capitalization and following the withdrawal of a Lead Producer."

The production, featuring songs and music by Scottish songwriters Kathryn Joseph and Cora Bissett, and directed by Ms. Bissett, was originally scheduled open on Monday, April 17, 2023 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, with previews beginning on April 3, 2023. Adrienne Warren was cast in the lead role of Ma.

"In the midst of our rehearsals we were informed by one of our Lead Producers that due to personal reasons, they did not intend to fulfill their obligations to the production. Since being notified, the rest of the producing team has exhausted all possible avenues to keep the show on track, but the narrow timeline and economic shortfall created by this series of events has proven to be insurmountable," said producer Hunter Arnold. "We are incredibly disappointed not to be able to open this remarkable production at this time and are especially heartbroken for our incredibly talented cast and creative team who were hard at work in the rehearsal room."

Producers Sam Julyan and James Yeoburn stated, "We have been honored to share the story of ROOM since its world premiere in 2017 in London and its subsequent productions in Dublin, Scotland, and Ontario. We truly believe that today's disappointing news will not be the end of ROOM on stage."

All purchased tickets will be refunded and ticket buyers should return to point of purchase to process those refunds.

ROOM had a critically acclaimed 2017 world premiere at Theatre Royal Stratford East, London, UK, and productions at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland; The National Theatre of Scotland; the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario; and the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Ontario.

The plot follows Ma, who was kidnapped as a teenage girl and locked for seven years inside a purpose-built Room in her captor's garden. Her five-year-old son, Jack, has no concept of the world outside and happily exists inside Room with the help of Ma's games and his vivid imagination where objects like Rug, Lamp and TV are his only friends. But for Ma the time has come to escape and face their biggest challenge to date: the world outside Room.

Irish Canadian author and playwright Emma Donoghue's 2010 novel Room sold close to three million copies and was shortlisted for the UK's prestigious Booker Prize and Orange Prize for Fiction. Donoghue also wrote the screenplay for the critically acclaimed 2015 film adaptation, for which she received Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations for Adapted Screenplay, and for which she won the Evening Standard Award for Best Screenplay.