Showbiz Queenstown was to stage an original musical, HMS Showbiz, in just over a month, but the non-profit group announced yesterday it would not be going ahead due to ``unforeseen circumstances''.
It is just the second show of 43 the society has had to postpone. The first time was The Music Man in the 1990s.
Showbiz Queenstown president Ben Roberts said the organising committee and board had this year been trying to overcome a series of problems.
``For every show that we've put on in the past there's always a number of hiccups and road bumps that come along your way and this year, particularly, we seem to have hit all of them,'' he said.
``Short of a plague of locusts, someone's trying to give us the hint that the timing's wrong on this one.''
A couple of months ago Showbiz lost its rehearsal space following a laundry fire in its Isle St home.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council then provided some rehearsal space at the former Wakatipu High School.
However, it ``rained from the ceiling'' there about three weeks ago after pipes burst, Mr Roberts said.
Since then the group had been ``a bit homeless'' and using a variety of different rehearsal spaces ``for a day at a time''.
``It's been a tough road and there's always something unexpected to keep you on your toes with a show and this year there's just been a lot of them.''
Mr Roberts said there had also been a ``flurry of illnesses'' and other personal matters, while putting a show on in August had also caused some problems.
While the cast of 22 were in full swing and the show, directed by Lisa Moore, was ``looking fantastic'', some of the supporting elements had been harder to lock in, primarily because of this year's date.
Traditionally Showbiz Queenstown productions were held in May, a quieter time of year, and having an August date had made it harder to find a ``solid'' support network for other aspects of the show.
``We just struggled to get as much commitment as we need,'' Mr Roberts said.
While preferential bookings, which opened to paid-up members about a fortnight ago, were strong, Mr Roberts said Showbiz decided to postpone the show before tickets opened to the public, which was to have been yesterday.
``It is gutting [but] we're definitely still going to put the show on.
``We're very confident in the product.''
Showbiz would now look to stage the musical in either November or next May.
If it chose the earlier date, another show would probably be staged in May.
