Shrek

Broadway show Shrek The Musical will close early next year because of poor ticket sales, it has been confirmed.

Producer Bill Damaschke said the show would takes its final bow on 3 January, 2010, after 441 performances.

Ticket sales have dwindled since the summer. Last week, the musical made about $580,000 (£350,000), filling less than 60 percent of the theatre’s seats.

The production, which opened in December 2008, was nominated for eight Tony awards earlier this year.

However, it only took home one trophy – for best costume design in a musical.

Shrek, based on the children’s book by William Steig, is one of the most successful animated films of all time and tells the story of an ogre with a heart of gold.

A fourth Shrek film is scheduled to be released in 2010, and a touring production of the musical is to begin next July in Chicago.