Natalie Bassingthwaighte has spoken out about her heartbreak after the Broadway musical she was starring in was abruptly cancelled, leaving her without a job.The veteran Australian actress, 50, was starring in the lead role of the popular musical Waitress, which was officially axed on Sunday evening midway through its Australian run.The Wollongong-born performer shared a statement to social media on Tuesday in which she revealed she was saddened the musical would not be heading to Sydney as planned, and instead would end after its Melbourne run in coming weeks.’It’s taken me a few days to process our show will not be coming to Sydney. Three weeks left and then we will be done and dusted… it is hard to comprehend!’ Natalie began.’The amount of effort that every person in this cast and crew and company have put into this show… It’s devastating that it comes to an end so abruptly.’ Natalie added that the axing particularly hurt given it came shortly after the cancellation of the Australian run of Beetlejuice, noting that the performing arts sector in Australia was significantly struggling. Natalie Bassingthwaighte has spoken out about her heartbreak after the Broadway musical she was starring in was abruptly cancelled, leaving her without a job’My heart is hurting so much for this industry, across the board. It’s not just musical theatre: It’s festivals. It’s shows of any kind. The arts is dying in this country, and that hurts my heart beyond anything,’ she said. The show also featured Australian Idol veteran Rob Mills, who posted his own sad statement to social media on Sunday night.’Oh s**t. You better come see it and I better look for a job!’ Rob wrote, after it was announced the theatre production would end its run on July 19.Show producer John Frost told The Sydney Morning Herald that the decision to axe the remainder of the run was necessary due to the ‘challenging economic conditions currently facing audiences’.The shock axing comes just months after theatre fans called out Natalie for potentially ‘stealing’ a role from up-and-coming Aussie actresses.In February, Natalie was cast in the lead role in the Australian production of the popular Broadway musical Waitress.The 50-year-old singer starred in the lead role of Jenna – a gifted baker trapped in a cycle of domestic abuse, and is often described in casting notes as being in her 20s or 30s. News of the former Neighbours star’s casting has received a lukewarm reception from theatregoers, with some claiming the role should have gone to a younger actress. The veteran Australian actress was starring in the lead role of the popular musical Waitress, which was officially axed on Sunday evening midway through its Australian run The Wollongong-born performer shared a statement to social media on Tuesday in which she revealed she was saddened the musical would not be heading to Sydney as plannedTikToker Matinee Musings shared a clip in which he questioned Natalie’s casting in the popular musical.’So there’s been a bit of commentary about ageism and my thought that a younger, lesser known person should’ve been cast as Jenna in Waitress instead of Nat Bass,’ the social media user said.While he admitted that it can be difficult for older actresses to secure such prominent roles, the theatre fan added that casting someone much older than intended can change the nature of the role.The post was met with a flurry of chatter from theatregoers, with many agreeing with the assessment.’I was so excited for Waitress… but casting Nat Bass has almost completely killed my desire to see the show,’ one wrote.’Might as well just cast Marina Prior in everything and call it a day cause that’s how uninspired Australian theatre is.’Another chimed in with a similar sentiment: ‘It’s not ageism, it’s about regeneration. Why not give younger actors the opportunity to play roles that better match the characters’ traits?’A third agreed, adding: ‘I HAVE seen it. Multiple times. This will not work. It is ridiculous.’