Bucking the trend of the all-conquering pop musical, the show will be replaced by the transfer from the Wyndham's Theatre of Shadowlands, William Nicholson's play about C.S. Lewis that stars Charles Dance and Janie Dee.

The closing statement released by the producers of Desperately Seeking Susan (Susan Q. Gallin; Ron Kastner; Mark Rubinstein; Joseph Smith for Old Vic Productions with Peter Kane, Nordby/Rawley Productions, Mary Lu Roffe in association with MGM On Stage) said, "The producers wish to thank the talented cast, creative team and company for all their hard work and dedication to this production. Despite fantastic performances and enthusiastic audiences, the ticket sales have not been sufficient and the producers have had to make the difficult decision to close the show."

The show has reportedly lost over £3.5 million (over $7 million).

Written and conceived by American actor, director and writer Peter Michael Marino (Hollywood Nurses and the cabaret spoof Lance Jonathan: All About Me!), the show stars Emma Williams and Kelly Price in the roles respectively created by Madonna (as free-spirited Susan) and Rosanna Arquette (as housewife Roberta) in the movie.

Even with Blondie's classic hits — including "Heart of Glass," "Atomic," "One Way or Another," "Dreaming" and "The Tide is High" — Angus Jackson's production failed to attract an audience following bad reviews, many of which made full use of the title with headlines like "Desperately Seeking the Exit." Shadowlands producer Andrew Welch said in a statement, "We are delighted to be able to extend our run in London's West End by moving to the Novello Theatre, so that people, who may not have been able to get tickets at Wyndham's Theatre, will now have the chance to see this production, of which everyone involved is incredibly proud."

Michael Barker-Caven's production begins performances at the Novello Dec. 21 for a nine-week season.

For more information on Shadowlands, call 0870 950 0921.