By Andrew Gans
20 Jul 2005

Suzanne Somers in The Blonde in the Thunderbird
photo by Paul Parks

It will have been a quick ride in the Thunderbird for actress Suzanne Somers, whose Broadway debut in her one-woman show will end on Saturday, July 23.

A spokesperson confirmed that Somers' The Blonde in the Thunderbird will close (barring an upsurge in sales) on Saturday, after receiving mostly negative reviews. Thunderbird began its run at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre July 8 and officially opened July 17. The limited engagement had been scheduled to run through Sept. 3.

About the reviews her show received, Somers told the Post, "I put my show out there with the cleanest of hearts and the best of intentions and getting reviews like that hurt. . . Barry Manilow said Broadway would break my heart, and it has."

Somers, however, added, "The fighter in me is back today. Even though I only have [seven] performances left, they're going to be great performances."

In The Blonde, written and directed by Ken and Mitzie Welch, Somers talks "intimately and honestly about her journey to become the successful and well-known performer and entrepreneur she is today, just as she did in her best-selling autobiography, 'Keeping Secrets.'" She also sings; her repertoire includes well-known songs and tunes created especially for this production.

The title refers to the role that first brought Somers attention: a mysterious blonde pursued by a young Richard Dreyfuss in the film "American Graffiti." She went on to much greater fame in the sitcom "Three's Company," in which she played the ditzy sexpot Chrissy Snow, one of two women sharing quarters with John Ritter.

The Blonde in the Thunderbird plays the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 256 West 47th Street. Call (212) 307-4100 for tickets.