Profile for Jarethan

I am thinking that Best Actor in a Play may be among the MOST COMPETITIVE categories in Tony history.  Forgive the hyperbole, I think I am only slightly exaggerating.  Three have already received incredible reviews for their performances in London, so they would seem like no-brainers.  Add to that Radcliffe, Cheadle, and Lane, and whoever is in the Pacino role in DDA and that is an impressive list. Of course, Radcliffe could be miscast, Lane could be miscast, DDA

I guess we know once and for all just how big a box office attraction Jonathan Groff is.  I have been a big fan since Spring Awakening, so I am really happy for him.  Makes me wonder whether he has ever played to an unfilled theatre since he starred in SA.  SA was not a juggernaut, but he was only in it for the first year, so I imagine there were very few empty seats during his time in that show.  Then Hamilton, Merrily and this.  Good for him. 

I won

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Jarethan said: "I was delighted to read that it returned its investment and a 60% return on investment;
"

I think you misread that. It has not recouped. Per the NYT:

The Broadway run has not recouped its $22 million capitalization — vanishingly few new Broadway musicals have become profitable since the coronavirus pandemic — but Keys said “Hell’s Kitchen” has returned 60

I was delighted to read that it returned its investment and a 60% return on investment; I had not read that, and had no idea where it stood or what its weekly break-even is.  It is clearly past its peak grossing times, demonstrated by its good, but not spectacular Christmas season grosses.

Isn't it possible that the producers decided to take the money and run, not risking the possibility of having enough money losing weeks as to reduce the investor's return.  Since th

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "Kad said: "Interesting that in a season in which a lot of focus is on the lack of new musicals, Broadway as whole seems to be doing very well."

The latter is arguably why this season doesn't have a ton of new musicals coming in. Lack of available venues due to how well a majority of productions are currently doing commerically."

I suspect it is due more to the number of major flops last season, some despite

Azúcar! said: "It surprises me that Death Becomes Her didn't go thru the roof. I was expecting better."

It was their second highest grossing week since they opened.  The show has always relied (sometimes heavily) on discounting to achieve its results.  Luckily, it is in a big theatre, because it has grossed well even with lots of discounted seats. 

a holiday week, it still sold a lot of discounted tickets.  I find it interesting

witchoftheeast2 said: 

Something else is going into the Winter Garden and Mamma Mia! is scheduled to go back out on tour so they can't extend. I don't get why people don't understand that just because a show is doing well, that doesn't mean they'll just keep extending."

With Mamma Mia, I would think it is reasonable to assume that any production is just about the money.  It is a fun musical and a cash cow.  Unless they serious

I have to imagine the best example is still Starlight Express.  It managed to have a decent run on Broadway, but iy lost its investment, while Starlight ran a decade, and more recently had a theatre build just to stage its revival.  Another example of extremes would be Blood Brothers, which als o had a decent run on Broadway, but still lost its investment, while the London version ran forever.

In the ancient past, an incredibly lauded production of Orpheus Descending (st

The only thing that genuinely surprises me on the report is Chess.  I will admit that the current production od Chess is probably my favorite production running.  As much as I loved Hamilton or Wicked or Chicago in their heyday, I was never as thrilled watching them as I was during Chess.  Also, it was about as electric performances as I ever attended, although I will admit to seeing it in previews, so the audience was probably filled with Chess junkies.

I was

Soaring29 said: "Sutton Ross said: "Soaring29 said: "She's insanely overdue for a second Tony win and absolutely is one of the greatest talents of all time.

Did I say she was worthy of an award for this? No, I didn’t see the show and have only listened to some of the music that is available now. But she absolutely deserves a second Tony due to how strong her work has been since 1999.

Other than possibly On The 20th Cent

Soaring29 said: "She's insanely overdue for a second Tony win and absolutely is one of the greatest talents of all time."

Why is she insanely overdue for a second Tony?  For her good performance in The Apple Tree (you had to have seen Barbars Harris to know just how 'just okay' KC was), for her lackluster performance in Promises! Promises!, for her very wrong performance in QOV, in which she tried to make you like JS by playing her a

Someone else may have already said this, in which case I missed it, but I wonder whether -- between this and Titanique -- we are seeing the 'official' start of a new model...the show that opens on Broadway as the first stop in a national tour.  I don't understand the economics, but the fact that they can advertise 'directly from Broadway', as someone has previously proposed -- may make them more appealing on the road and increase grosses.  I don't know w

I actually think Kecia Lewis is a drama queen.  When Lupone asked for the volume to be lowered, she was not being racist.  I have heard of Lupone being accused of a lit of things, but never racism. 

While watching dramas, I have heard music from adjoining theatres in the past, and they were from not musicals that blared like HK.  I actually wore ear plugs during part of Act 2 to muffle the volume a little, since it had given me a headache.  I can imagine t

I only saw 16 shows on Broadway in 2025, but I still have an opinion:

BEST:

CHESS -- I loved it as much as Sarah Holdren, faults and all.  Pure exhilaration.  I can't wait to see it again in the spring

John Proctor is the Villain -- such a brilliant concept, so well executed.

Ragtime -- The best Ragtime cast I have seen, and the VB theatre was perfect for it.  Would I have loved lavish sets?  Yes.   Did it really m

joevitus said: "Matt Rogers said: "
In all seriousness, can someone please explain what is happening here. Now this person is catfish. Yesterday she was fireplace. Before that, all sorts of names. Does she get banned and then immediately create a new name or is she just completely mentally insane and has seventeen million names floating around??"

Yes?

I am thinking that we should probably feel a little sorry for this person, who is e

darquegk said: "I still stand by my theory that the only way to win public approval on Part 2 was not to play, and simply to release Part 1 with a "to be continued" before pausing indefinitely.

But as far as a shortened director's cut of the two films? Despite theatre people's opinions, the current trends in alternate cuts go in the other direction: he's likelier to make a hyper-extended "Wicked: the Epic Experience" cut with both films plus

When I saw the first Wicked movie when it opened, I enjoyed it.  Six months later, I tried to watch it on Amazon, and was bored stiff, turning it off after 45 minutes or so.  When I saw For Good earlier today, much to my surprise I enjoyed it, although I thought both new songs were mediocre.  Interestingly, I was a little restless in the first half, but enjoyed the second half, mediocre Oscar bait or not.  I think the main reason was the evolution of Glinda's character

AKarp2013 said: "I don't think the return ofBeetlejuiceis paying off the way the producers were hoping it would."

Beetlejuice is proof that not every touring production will benefit from a stop on the great while way.  I have to imagine they are really regretting the stop.  Have to be losing a lot of money.  I have to say that I expected this.  Unlike The Wiz and Mamma Mia, this is not an iconic feel-good musical; Beetlejuice, even at