Struggling Sister Act set to close on Broadway

Whoopi Goldberg co-produced the musical, and also starred in the London run.

Whoopi Goldberg's Sister Act is to end its Broadway run at the end of August, following 16-months on the New York stage.

The Tony-award nominated musical is an adaptation of the original 1992 film, starring Whoopi Goldberg as a singer who goes into hiding in a convent.

It premiered at the Broadway Theatre in March 2011 after two years in London.

Producers said it will close on 26 August after 561 performances, before going on tour across the US.

Sister Act, which cost $10m to produce, stars former Cosby Show star Raven-Symone as the nightclub-singer-turned-nun Deloris Van Cartier. The actress took over the part from Patina Miller, who earned a Tony Award nomination.

The show took $665,744 over its eight performances last week - less than half of its $1.5 million potential.

Musical bosses hope the North American tour, due to begin in October, will help recoup some of the losses.

The show also has three other productions playing in Hamburg, Vienna and on tour in the United Kingdom.

<bold>Struggling shows</bold>

Sister Act is the latest religious-themed show to struggle on Broadway. It joins Leap of Faith, a show about a crooked preacher, which closed last month after just 20 regular performances.

Producers of the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar have warned that it too will close on 1 July unless business improves.

Meanwhile, Godspell will close on 24 June after more than 200 regular shows.

One show that has bucked the trend is The Book of Mormon, which has proven to be among the hottest tickets on Broadway since it opened in March last year, grossing an average of $1.5m a week.