Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 2/5/23 — Page 2

amiyagi said: "Hermes is definitely a stunt/star cast role, especially if the actor just oozes charisma. Hades would be a much harder role to cast given the need for a true bass (or bass-baritone at highest). The only people who could take over are probably Norm Lewis and Antwayn Hopper.

Would Brian Stokes Mitchell's voice fit the part (I've yet to see it)? I would pay a lot to see him, or Norm Lewis, onstage."

Listen to "His Kiss, the Riot" - I feel like Stokes' voice is too rich a baritone to keep Hades perpetually threatening, as he would need to be in this song. (I love BSM, don't get me wrong)

Call_me_jorge said: "I wonder if they’ve approached Harry Connick Jr. at all for Hermes. He’d fit the role like a glove."

Like a glove - don't think so at all. Why Harry in your eyes as he's all wrong for Hermes!

RippedMan said: "Robbie2 said: "Alex M said: "Hoping Hadestown can make it to January of 2024, maybe with some creative stunt casting."

That won't be happening as Lempicka is next for the Kerr in the fall.

"

I think it has run its course and made some money for its investors and the director wants the theater for her next show."



Huh? While a small handful of directors might have SOME input on what theatre their shows go into (and Chavkin isn't one of them), no director gets a vote on when their show closes.

This is yet another of those areas where there are no rules. Also, I think a lot of people have this idea that Broadway operates in some super formal fashion when in fact most thing get done collegially and collaboratively. If I am a producer, I know it is my call ultimately but if a director is not going to be happy with a particular theatre, or thinks one theatre would serve the play better than others, that would be something I would want to know and try to do something about. And if I don't care what the director thinks, I shouldn't be producing.

Robbie2 said: "Call_me_jorge said: "I wonder if they’ve approached Harry Connick Jr. at all for Hermes. He’d fit the role like a glove."

Like a glove - don't think so at all. Why Harry in your eyes as he's all wrong for Hermes!"

Levi Kreis originated the role on tour, and by all accounts is very Harry Connick-esque. Though in the wake of Great Comet, I think a Caucasian Hermes on Broadway is a non-starter.

RippedMan said: "He’s so good as Hermes! I actually loved the tour over the Broadway version. No offense to the original, but it was nice to hear the score SUNG like Levi does. And I think the staging works better without the use of the elevator lift. To me turntable felt overused on Broadway. But somehow works on tour. Maybe it’s just because I wasn’t taken with Shields and Reeves performances. Also I just hate the ending of Act 1 and the beginning of Act 2. Both clunker songs and felt like they didn’t know how to stop and start the show which is silky since Wait for Me is the best song in the bunch. Just reprise that."

I'm curious who you saw as Hades and Persephone on Broadway.

There is a certain gravitas that I believe Patrick Page has that makes the terror of Why We Build the Wall come to life.

I sadly ever got to see Amber Grey, but I've seen both Lana Gordon and Jewelle Blackman. I love Jewelle, but she just doesn't know what to do with Our Lady of the Underground. Lana had the whole audience cheering and clapping throughout the song. They were right there with her the whole time and it was electrifying. She did an opt-up on "there's a crack in the wall" and everybody was going CRAZY.

I'd also highly suggest reading Anais' book, Working on a Song, she goes through the whole show, song by song, explaining how they developed it and why they made the choices they did. You're obviously entitled to your opinions, but it's worth checking it out.

I think the answer is yes and no.

It's simple supply and demand that, if supply drops more than demand (as seems to have happened this winter), the remaining supply will be more popular. We've definitely seen this in smaller samples before (Lion King, Aladdin, and Frozen on broadway at the same time)

However, I don't think you can make your statement as confidently when you consider the types of shows on Broadway right now. In December, almost 20 of the shows were what I'd call prestige or at least not super touristy (not exact because some fall in between). Today, that number is around 5. Meanwhile, the number of touristy shows has decreased by just 2 (Music Man and Beetlejuice). While, theoretically, it is a more local audience right now, the touristy shows are still the biggest and most resilient and they represent a much higher share of the market at the moment.

I think you can definitely say that some shows last Fall were hurt by too much competition and some shows are being helped by the lack of it right now, but Walking With Ghosts was never going to be anything close to a hit and Funny Girl isn't performing so well right now just because there's less other stuff to see.

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "All good points. I think my point is more about the midlevel shows. Shows like KIMBERLY and SOME LIKE IT HOT and CHICAGO and JULIET are probably benefiting from lack of other product in the marketplace, since they have inventory to move. That doesn't sustain the sales, but some shows may be doing better now than on May 1.

It's like when you look at hot group-sales shows, which may be applicable to all of the above."

I think you are absolutely right, which means that KA OR SLIH better be hoping that a possible win for Best Musical will save the day or at least provide some solid money earning weeks. Chicago is apparently also being helped by the current stunt casting, which appears to be incredibly successful…not sure that they can get lightening to strike again so soon. Time will tell. Re &J, I have to admit that I thought it would be doing better, i.e., selling out with no need to discount tickets (it is not in a huge theatre, after all).