Natalie Bassingthwaighte has shared her devastation after losing her leading-lady job as another major musical in Australia is axed.

Bassingthwaighte, who was cast in the leading role of Jenna in Waitress the musical, said she had struggled to comprehend the abrupt cancellation of the Australian tour she was about to lead.

On Sunday, well ahead of the musical travelling to Sydney, promoters cancelled the entire Australian tour of Waitress, citing cost of living pressures and poor box office performance.

“It’s been hard to comprehend - 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,” Bassingthwaighte said in a video posted on her Instagram Stories.

“My heart is hurting so much for this industry of ours, across the board.

“It’s not just musical theatre: It’s 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.

In a series of posts made on her Instagram account, Bassingthwaighte told her followers the industry needed support.

“The amount of effort, time and love that people have put into these careers. Their passion, dedication, it only spreads to an audience and it gives humanity reasons to live.

“I know right in the current climate it is almost impossible.”

Although Bassingthwaighte said her concern was for others in the industry, she admitted she was struggling.

“I’m kind of numb, at the same time, that such beautiful work is getting shut down,” she added.

“Everything is just... it’s just such a hard time.”

Bassingthwaighte’s co-star, former Australian Idol content turned Australian musical theatre performed Rob Mills was abrupt in his response.

“Oh s**t. You better come see it and I better look for a job!” he wrote on Instagram.

According to the Waitress website, the musical “must close” on July 19.

It’s just the latest musical to suffer an axing in Australia.

In recent months, Back to the Future and Beetlejuice have also been cut short, failing to attract the high ticket sales needed to make the productions financially viable.

Even Titanique, which was a smash hit in Sydney, closed without a tour, despite waitlists for other cities being available before the “must close” announcement was confirmed.

Waitress, Back to the Future, Beetlejuice and Titanique are all hit musicals overseas, so it appears the issue isn’t the shows that producers are selecting.

In Australia, tickets to major musicals usually vary from $50 - $200, with sales often active in an attempt to fill up mid-week shows.

John Frost, the producer of Waitress the musical in Australia, told the SMH it was a challenging time.

“Cost-of-living pressures, interest rate rises and domestic and international economic uncertainty have contributed to softer box office performance across the country placing considerable pressure on productions of all sizes,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we have not been immune to these challenges. Whilst audience enthusiasm for our work remained strong, attendance levels and box office have not been sufficient to support the cost of the production.”