'The Blonde in the Thunderbird' closes after only eight regular performances

The Blonde in the Thunderbird, Suzanne Somer's one-woman musical show, closed last night after only fifteen performances - seven previews and eight regular - at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. The show was originally booking to the 3 Sep 2005.

The show opened to universal poor notices and as a result was struggling at the box office. The show only took $71,173 in it's first week

Charles Isherwood of the New York Times wrote "Somers's singing voice is thin and often toneless, and the clanging piano chords underscoring the more anguished moments in her history are giggle-inducing." whilst Howard Kissell of the New York Daily News printed "I wished that she was really sharing her story with us rather than turning it into hard-sell showbiz." and Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter commented "The show doesn't begin to possess the entertainment value or thematic heft to justify its presence on the Great White Way."

Ms Somer's, reacting to the negative reviews, told the New York Post, "I put my show out there with the cleanest of hearts and the best of intentions and getting reviews like that hurt. Barry Manilow said Broadway would break my heart, and it has."

Suzanne Somers' - actress, comedienne, singer, and New York Times best-selling author - one-woman musical show, is the story of her struggle to make it, tracing her path from a tortured childhood to where she is today. It's a life that has been filled with major highs and deep lows, wrapped in a love affair for the past 37 years.

The Blonde in the Thunderbird is written and directed by the Emmy Award-winning writing/composing team of Ken and Mitzie Welch

Suzanne Somers initially captured the public's attention as the mysterious blonde driving the white Thunderbird in George Lucas' 1973 cult classic, 'American Graffiti'. She has since starred in 21 years of various television series, including 'Three's Company,' 'Step by Step,' 'She's the Sheriff,' and 'The Suzanne Somers Show.'

Ms. Somers is the author of five New York Times bestsellers. They include 'Eat, Cheat, and Melt the Fat Away', 'Eat Great, Lose Weight', ''Get Skinny on Fabulous Food', and her autobiography, 'Keeping Secrets', which remained on that list for 21 weeks.

With 14 Emmys between them, Mitzie and Ken Welch have written, composed, and produced TV specials and series for a broad range of artists: pop music stars Barbra Streisand, Cher, and Barry Manilow; comedians Carol Burnett, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Bea Arthur, and Bob Hope; country personalities Dolly Parton and Barbara Mandrell; operatic artists Beverly Sills and Placido Domingo, and singer/actors Hal Linden, Linda Lavin, Robert Guillaume and Ben Vereen, among many others.