Theater Britney Spears musical Once Upon a One More Time just didn't work, bitch — will close on Broadway Sometimes you run, sometimes you hide, sometimes there are just too many shows prominently featuring the music of Max Martin. By Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where he covers breaking news, all things Real Housewives, and a rich cornucopia of popular culture. Formerly a senior editor at Out magazine, his work has appeared on NewNowNext, Queerty, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker. He was also the first author signed to Phoebe Robinson's Tiny Reparations imprint. He met Oprah once. EW's editorial guidelines Published on August 21, 2023 06:13PM EDT Audiences for the Britney Spears musical Once Upon a One More Time have not been left chanting, "Gimme, gimme more" — at least not often enough to stave off the show's closing. After 123 performances on Broadway, the production incorporating the songs of Spears amid a fairy-tale backdrop will hit you (baby) one last time on Sept. 3. Once Upon a One More Time opened at the Marquis Theatre on June 22 and was notable for being fully authorized and licensed by a post-conservatorship Spears. The production retells classic fairy tales through a modern-day feminist lens. 'Once Upon a One More Time'. Matthew Murphy Unfortunately for Once, the similar jukebox musical & Juliet — featuring the music of Max Martin, who penned some of Spears' greatest hits — opened on Broadway months earlier. That production retells Shakespeare's classic romantic tragedy… through a modern-day feminist lens. By the time Once Upon a One More Time premiered, & Juliet had already played with many hearts and got lost in all kinds of games, to the tune of nine Tony nominations, including Best Musical. The two musicals even shared a few Britney songs in common, namely "…Baby, One More Time," "Stronger," and "Oops!… I Did It Again." The similarities to & Juliet, and a rather ungainly title, probably didn't do Once Upon a One More Time any favors, with The Hollywood Reporter noting that capacity has been about 50 percent for the past seven weeks. Britney Spears. Matt Baron/Shutterstock Producers James L. Nederlander and Hunter Arnold said in a statement Monday, "We could not be prouder of this beautifully joyous and exhilarating show — which is not only a love letter to Britney's iconic artistry and singular effervescence, but also a brilliant display of the boundless talent of our cast and creative team." Of course, news of the Britney Spears musical closing comes days after news of the pop star's other post-conservatorship venture coming to an end, her marriage to Sam Asghari. But at least there's still hope on one of those fronts: Plans are currently underway for a national tour and multiple international productions of Once Upon a One More Time, to be announced at a later date. Related content: Once Upon a One More Time review: Justin Guarini and Briga Heelan charm in Britney Spears musical Britney Spears speaks out about her divorce for the first time: 'It's honestly nobody's business' & Juliet review: Hit me Shakespeare one more time