Patrons trying to buy tickets for “Fat Ham” at Virginia Repertory Theatre early this week were not able to order them online and, when they called the box office, were informed that the show’s run had been canceled.

The production, which was co-produced with Virginia Stage Company, had just completed a three-week run in Norfolk. On Wednesday, social media erupted in a firestorm of consternation after cast members of “Fat Ham,” expecting to move up to Richmond to work on the show here, spread the news that they were abruptly told not to bother.

The cancellation marks the latest in a series of challenges Virginia Rep, central Virginia’s largest theater company, has faced over the past six months. Last September, the company announced it would have to close unless it raised $600,000 in three weeks.

Though it ultimately raised the necessary funds, the cancellation of “Fat Ham” reflects the company’s ongoing financial challenges.

Responding to questions via email, managing director Klaus Schuller says, “The reasons [for the cancellation] were entirely financial.  Sales this season have been far below projections and cash was becoming a crisis again.”

Virginia Rep has been trying to sell its multimillion dollar arts and education center, the former Scottish Rite Temple on northside, to shore up its financial situation. Schuller says, “A buyer was under contract, and had used up all their extensions. On the last day (last Thursday) we received notice that their offer was withdrawn.

“We woke up realizing that if we brought the ‘Fat Ham’ cast to Virginia, it was virtually certain that we wouldn’t have enough cash to get beyond opening night,” he continues. “After thorough, but necessarily quick deliberation, it was decided to cancel the show before everyone traveled here.”

The early spring slot in Virginia Rep’s schedule has been reserved for more challenging or more experimental shows in previous seasons. The one-man show “Satchmo at the Waldorf” opened in that spot last year and the world premiere of “After December” was staged in 2023. While those productions ultimately received their share of accolades, their unfamiliar titles also made them more risky.

“Fat Ham” certainly fit that bill: the play reimagines Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” with the lead character as a queer, Black man. While the adaptation by James Ijames won the Pulitzer Prize in 2022 and had an acclaimed run on Broadway in 2023, it also comes with an audience warning that the show contains “very strong, racially-loaded language.”

Schuller insists that the nature of the show was not a factor in its cancellation. “The cancellation essentially had nothing to do with this particular show,” he says. “I love this script, and am absolutely gutted we couldn’t bring it here.”

Some online commenters have complained that “Fat Ham” has been cancelled at the same time that the company is holding auditions for its summer musical, “Waitress.” “If ‘Waitress’ had been the next show in this moment, it would have been cancelled,” says Schuller. “Whichever show was next was the one in jeopardy.”

The cancellation did not obviate the adverse financial impacts. “We had already spent a fair amount of money on the show,” says Schuller. “But the alternative was much worse.”

“Fat Ham” is the second production removed from Virginia Rep’s planned 2024-25 schedule: the Family Season show, “Love That Dog,” had been scheduled to open on February 8th but production was halted last year and the show was never cast.

What exactly Virginia Rep will be offering going forward is still in discussion. “We are currently talking to other buyers [for the Virginia Rep Center], as well as to organizations and large donors who could provide us bridge financing until a new buyer is secured,” says Schuller.

“The entire season is in jeopardy, but we are not cancelling anything else until we know whether such financing can be obtained.”