West End musical Opening Night starring Doncaster's Sheridan Smith to close early

Smith plays a star with mental health problems who unravels on stage.

Director Ivo Van Hove said it was "always sad" when a show is cut short.

It received mixed reviews, with The New York Times calling it a "sludgy travesty", while The Express praised Smith but said the show is a "catastrophic musical misfire".

Time Out called Smith "superb" and the Guardian hailed the show as "glittering and extravagantly original".

In a statement announcing the closure, Van Hove called Smith "exceptional", saying she "had the bravery to play such a complex role in the West End".

He added: "I know that Opening Night will live long in the memories of those who saw it and made it."

However, there had been reports of some audience members leaving the theatre before the show ended.

Producers Wessex Grove said: "In a challenging financial landscape, Opening Night was always a risk and, while the production may not have had the life we had hoped for, we feel immensely proud of the risk we took and of this extraordinary production."

It has music and lyrics by singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright and had been scheduled to end on 27 July, but the last performance will now be on 18 May.

Speaking before its opening last month, Smith told the BBC her role may be her most challenging yet.

Part of the performance takes place outside the Gielgud Theatre, with Smith's character Myrtle collapsing outside the stage door in a drunken state while the scene is projected onto screens inside the auditorium.

It is based on the 1977 film of the same name by John Cassavetes, and follows a theatre company preparing to stage a show on Broadway.

Born in June 1981 in Epworth, she has repeatedly described “Donny” as her home in media appearances and still enjoys close ties with the area.

In the 2018 ITV documentary, Sheridan Smith: Coming Home, the 39-year-old described herself as ‘a little girl from Donny’ and revealed how she worked at a burger van in Doncaster while growing up.