Kelsey Bows Out of 'Macbeth'

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/03/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

William Shakespeare's "Macbeth," which opened on Broadway last Thursday with Kelsey Grammer in the title role, will close this Sunday instead of on its original date of July 31. Bad reviews are to blame. "He's disappointed," the "Frasier" star's publicist told USA Today. "He'll take a few weeks off, deserved since he went right from 'Frasier' to rehearsals for this." The stage production, which cost a reputed $1.5 million to produce and will lose its entire investment, will have played only 13 performances. Its producers had wanted to close the show after it played Boston, but Grammer reportedly dipped into his own deep pockets to move the show to the Great White Way.