"It's always disappointing when there is a postponement like this but it's a very complicated business," Australian producer Louise Withers said. The musical based on the Academy Award-winning 1991 film of the same title was scheduled to materialize in Melbourne in August 2013. Critics did not take to the technology-driven Broadway production, which closed at a loss of $15 million, the Herald Sun reports.
Withers added, "Initially we thought we would be able to use the U.K. set but it will take too long to transport it in Australia where the market has to be reduced, based on the shorter seasons the show has had in the U.K. and the U.S."
Tony Award-winning director Matthew Warchus (God of Carnage, The Norman Conquests, Boeing-Boeing, La Bête) staged the production that is studded with a series of supernatural effects created by Paul Kieve. The LED scenic design, which gives a fast-paced view of New York City and takes audiences onto a moving subway car, was created by Jon Driscoll.
The London production will close Oct. 6 at the Piccadilly Theatre. A U.S. national tour is planned to launch in fall 2013, with productions also in the works for Korea, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Japan and China.
Revised dates for Ghost's Australian debut have not been announced.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin adapted his original screenplay for the musical, which has music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard. Rubin also contributed lyrics. The score also includes "Unchained Melody," which prominently figures into the film.