Tupac Shakur musical ‘Holler If Ya Hear Me’ closing on Broadway

After struggling to find an audience on Broadway, the musical “Holler If Ya Hear Me” will close Sunday at the Palace Theatre in New York after running for less than two months.

The production, which is based on the songs of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, opened with mixed to negative reviews June 19 following a preview period. The musical tells a fictional story of a man who returns home to his inner-city neighborhood following a stint in a correctional facility.

“Holler” failed to gross more than $175,000 per week during its run, with attendance running at below 50% capacity in the most recent week despite ticket prices that were low compared with other Broadway shows. The rap-themed show presented a marketing challenge for Broadway, where audiences tend to be overwhelmingly white and older.

Producers didn’t say how much the show cost to mount on Broadway, but most musicals cost $10 million to $16 million to produce, according to the Broadway League, a nonprofit industry group.

“Holler” is the first flop of the 2014-15 Broadway season, which has just begun. The musical was directed by Kenny Leon, who recently directed the Tony Award-winning revival of “A Raisin in the Sun” with Denzel Washington.

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT