It will have played nine months and 331 performances, a respectable sitdown stretch but far shorter than other multi-year smashes such as The Lion King and The Phantom of the Opera in the Canadian city where theatre is a major tourism attraction.

Competition in the Canadian theatre town during the run since fall 2003 included open-ended runs of Hairspray, The Lion King and Mamma Mia! Pundits are now wondering if the subject matter of the show was too New Yorky, if tourists were staying away or if there was simply too much competition.

According to The Star in Toronto, the Canadian company of The Producers has recently been playing to houses of 75 percent capacity. The reviews of the show, which opened Dec. 11, 2003, were mixed but business was reportedly brisk in the first several months of the run.

According to The Star, Toronto producer David Mirvish looked at the advance sales for the coming months, consulted with the New York producers and decided to close the show.

"I'm not disappointed," Mirvish told the Star. "This is the longest run the show has had outside of New York, and I would rather end strongly with three more successful months. It's always better to finish on a good note. We want this to be successful for the investors." Mirvish told the Star if sales are solid this summer, the run could end up making its money back.

Mel Brooks' musical comedy won 12 Tony Awards (a record) when it premiered on Broadway in 2001. It continues at the St. James Theatre on Broadway and in two national tours on the road. A London production opens in late 2004 starring Richard Dreyfuss as Max Bialystock.

For more information on the Toronto Producers, visit www.mirvish.com.