These days it seems there’s little you can’t blame on Brexit. From low ratings to school bullying, Britain’s departure from the European Union has served as a wonderful catch-all, consequence-free excuse for various individuals and institutions to explain their shortcomings. A vintage example of this was offered today by Rufus Wainwright, the Canadian-American singer-songwriter. His latest production ‘Opening Night’ – starring Sheridan Smith – flopped so badly in the West End that it was forced to close its doors two month early.
Both audiences and critics alike were left unimpressed by the musical, adapted from John Cassavetes’ 1977 film about a struggling actor. Audiences were so bored that there were reports of multiple walkouts during the show or at the interval. The New Statesman branded Wainwright’s show ‘chaotic and masochistic while even the right-on New York Times pronounced that the play was ‘algorithmically bland’. Ouch.
Thankfully, Wainwright has discovered the real culprit for why his show failed so badly: Brexit.
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