The musical Taboo explores the ups and downs of showbusiness

The show, which tells the story of the star's rise to fame and later descent into heroin addiction, will close in the West End in April.

It is due to open in New York in the autumn, although final negotiations for a venue are still being discussed, The Stage newspaper revealed.

Parts of the show, which recreates the days of the 1980s New Romantic movement, are being rewritten for an American audience.

It is hoped that the US version of the show will then return to London.

Boy George is due to reprise the part of Leigh Bowery in the US, although that is still to be confirmed.

He has shared the role in the UK with comics Matt Lucas and Julian Clary, among others.

Backstabbing

Boy George - real name George O'Dowd - rose to fame during the New Romantic era with his pop group Culture Club.

The group achieved international stardom but Boy George's career was nearly wrecked when he became addicted to heroin.

In the musical, actor Euan Morton plays the cross-dressing pop star, who topped charts around the world and sold 20 million albums as part of Culture Club.

Boy George has since quit drugs and relaunched himself as a successful club DJ.

Taboo aims to show the glamour of showbusiness as well as the dark side, including the backstabbing and vanity which surrounded it at that time.

It features a host of songs written by Boy George as well as Culture Club's number one singles, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me and Karma Chameleon.