Rufus Wainwright blames UK’s ‘narrow outlook’ after Brexit for Opening Night’s flop

Rufus Wainwright, pictured with Sheridan Smith, says: ‘I do feel that since Brexit, England has entered into a darker corridor where it is a little more narrow in its outlook.’ Photograph: Craig Sugden

Rufus Wainwright has defended his musical Opening Night, which was forced to close early after mixed reviews, saying West End audiences lack “curiosity” after Brexit and the British press had turned on the project because it was “too European”.

Opening Night was Wainwright’s first musical and is an adaptation of John Cassavetes’ 1977 film about an actor struggling to cope, who is played by Sheridan Smith. Directed by Ivo van Hove, it opened in March at the Gielgud theatre but a month later announced it would be closing two months early.