Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 10/22/23- Page 3

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/26/23 at 4:23pm

People are so annoying nowadays. Everyone is playing the I'm a woman and I'm a minority, I'm this and I'm that. The entertainment industry always selects people as they please, and it's a popularity contest. I bet that the sales will go up in any show that let's say Whoopi Golberg joins, because she is famous, she won in this popularity contest called showbiz. 

If Jennifer Lopez is ever in a show with 2 unknown white men, and the show sells a ton of tickets, trust me, it will be because of Jennifer too. Calm down.

I certainly admire Lindsay for getting to where she got, maybe she will be a huge star one day. She is getting a ton of recognition thanks to this hit she is in, but she is not a draw yet. Maybe she will be one day. I dare to say that the shows sells because of Daniel(50%), Jonathan(40%), Sondheim(5%), Merrily fans maybe a (3%), maybe some Maria Friedman fans but I can be wrong (1.5%) and Lindsay (0.5%). Of course, maybe the Daniel/Jon percentages are a bit off, but that's an idea.

[Alex M]

Posted: 10/26/23 at 5:44pm

hearthemsing22 said: "Alex M said: "y'all fight and get personally offended about everything.

"

People also love provoking others as well on here. It's like a game to them"

Agreed.

Anyways I'm happy to see Akimbo doing so well! 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/26/23 at 9:52pm

muscle23ftl said: "People are so annoying nowadays. Everyone is playing the I'm a woman and I'm a minority, I'm this and I'm that. The entertainment industry always selects people as they please, and it's a popularity contest. I bet that the sales will go up in any show that let's say Whoopi Golberg joins, because she is famous, she won in this popularity contest called showbiz.

If Jennifer Lopez is ever in a show with 2 unknown white men, and the show sells a ton of tickets, trust me, it will be because of Jennifer too. Calm down.

I certainly admire Lindsay for getting to where she got, maybe she will be a huge star one day. She is getting a ton of recognition thanks to this hit she is in, but she is not a draw yet. Maybe she will be one day. I dare to say that the shows sells because of Daniel(50%), Jonathan(40%), Sondheim(5%), Merrily fans maybe a (3%), maybe some Maria Friedman fans but I can be wrong (1.5%) and Lindsay (0.5%). Of course, maybe the Daniel/Jon percentages are a bit off, but that's an idea."

I agree with you until last paragraph.  Right now I think the percentages are more: Sondheim 25%, Friedman’s contribution (I.e., ‘this is the production that proves Merrily is finally getting recognition as a major work’ — not because of name recognition) 25%, Radcliffe 35%, Groff 15%.  That 15% is more than respectable for someone who’s only lead role on Broadway was 15ish years ago.  He will be a mega-big reason for ticket sales in his next musical, after this triumph (and Tony??).  Mendez’s name, I.e., ‘I am buying these tickets specifically because she is in it&rsquo would account for less than 1% of ticket sales.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/26/23 at 10:40pm

I think Sondheim had a lot of flops including Merrily more than once if I'm not mistaken, so his name selling a 25% may be a lot, but I am just guessing, maybe it is a 25% and his popularity went up after he died. I honestly saw Groff in Spring Awakening and I didn't think he was so famous now, but a lot of people know him from Looking, Hamilton, Glee and Frozen. So, I think he may be selling more than a 15%. But I can be mistaken.

The opportunity to see Harry Potter on Broadway in a musical, adding the hot up and coming star of Groff and the best score by the most legendary American musical creator combined is a wonderful combination. Also, the fact that the musical is about friendship, is certainly a subject most of us have interest in. It's a HIT!

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 10/26/23 at 10:55pm

"Groff 15%. That 15% is more than respectable for someone who’s only lead role on Broadway was 15ish years ago."

Granted the TV series "Glee" was awhile back but it is the thing that made him famous outside the Broadway community. He also had a voice part in that movie you may have heard of called "Frozen" - ha ha. While his part in "Hamilton" was short, he still got nominated for a Tony in the role of "King George". To people who go to a Broadway show revival, he is probably more of a "draw" to sell tickets than 15%.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 12:01am

It's smart casting in the same way Into The Woods was. You have someone with star power - Daniel - and you partner them with Broadway names. It's something for everyone.

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 2:47am

muscle23ftl said: "People are so annoying nowadays. Everyone is playing the I'm a woman and I'm a minority, I'm this and I'm that. The entertainment industry always selects people as they please, and it's a popularity contest. I bet that the sales will go up in any show that let's say Whoopi Golberg joins, because she is famous, she won in this popularity contest called showbiz.

If Jennifer Lopez is ever in a show with 2 unknown white men, and the show sells a ton of tickets, trust me, it will be because of Jennifer too. Calm down.

I certainly admire Lindsay for getting to where she got, maybe she will be a huge star one day. She is getting a ton of recognition thanks to this hit she is in, but she is not a draw yet. Maybe she will be one day. I dare to say that the shows sells because of Daniel(50%), Jonathan(40%), Sondheim(5%), Merrily fans maybe a (3%), maybe some Maria Friedman fans but I can be wrong (1.5%) and Lindsay (0.5%). Of course, maybe the Daniel/Jon percentages are a bit off, but that's an idea."

I think you’re being quite generous.

Daniel fans 60%, Sondheim fans 20%, Jonathan fans 20%.  Daniel has the biggest draw. Sondheim has the 2nd biggest draw. Jonathan has the 3rd biggest draw…most people have no idea who he is.  Glee was 100 years ago. 

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 12:59pm

Harry Potter gets 60%-valid point!

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 1:16pm

You also have to take into account that most often it's "Name"+"in this show" more than just the name. Ticket sales dropped when Nathan Lane left the Addams Family meaning he was a name draw in that show/role. When he does straight plays like Butley, Angels in America, and Gary the tickets barely move. Radcliffe in a musical is a bigger draw than him doing Irish drama. Add in a very well reviewed revival of a musical by a beloved composer shortly after his death, and Groff with his charming wholesome demeanor I know a lot of musical theatre girls love all contribute to this show being a success. If Radcliffe and Groff were doing Waiting for Godot or The Wild Duck I don't think the prices would be as high.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 2:27pm

Zeppie2022 said: ""Groff 15%. That 15% is more than respectable for someone who’s only lead role on Broadway was 15ish years ago."

Granted the TV series "Glee" was awhile back but it is the thing that made him famous outside the Broadway community. He also had a voice part in that movie you may have heard of called "Frozen" - ha ha. While his part in "Hamilton" was short, he still got nominated for a Tony in the role of "King George". To people who go to a Broadway show revival, he is probably more of a "draw" to sell tickets than 15%."

I proposed Groff at 15% only because there are other serious contributors also playing a significant role in those ticket sales.  I personally purchased the tix because of SS / MF, but was delighted to get Groff and Radcliffe in the process.  I had never seen LM, who is great in the show, so she had zero impact on my decision.  I was actually more excited to see Groff’s name than Radcliffe’s because I have been wanting him to tackle such a complex role for a long time.  I just don’t think that his name played as big a role as the other three, I.e., Sondheim, all the publicity about MF spinning gold and DR, who has been a pretty significant force at selling tickets on Broadway over the past 15 years-ish.  

Sondheim revivals usually start strong and peter out quicker than you expect.  Especially with this cast, I don’t see this petering out like most revivals of Sondheim do after starting strong.  Merrily just isn’t like other Sondheim musicals.  It is the monumental flop from 40 years ago that a British director spun into gold.  So much mileage gotten from that.  

PS — I would say that JG is responsible for 75% of ST ticket sales, but that Sondheim still gets 20% and AA perhaps 5%.  I suspect that Jessica Chastain’s name sold 75% of the tix for ADH, with Ibsen and Lloyd sharing the remaining quarter.  

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 2:32pm

nasty_khakis said: "You also have to take into account that most often it's "Name"+"in this show" more than just the name. Ticket sales dropped when Nathan Lane left the Addams Family meaning he was a name draw in that show/role. When he does straight plays like Butley, Angels in America, and Gary the tickets barely move. Radcliffe in a musical is a bigger draw than him doing Irish drama. Add in a very well reviewed revival of a musical by a beloved composer shortly after his death, and Groff with his charming wholesome demeanor I know a lot of musical theatre girls love all contribute to this show being a success. If Radcliffe and Groff were doing Waiting for Godot or The Wild Duck I don't think the prices would be as high."

But it’d still sell a lot of tickets in advance, and all of them if the reviews for a limited 16 week run were strong.  (Thinking how Macbeth with Daniel Craig sold great in the beginning,  but the bad reviews were a strong deterrent for many who might have purchased tickets for later in the run).

[jagman1062]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 3:11pm

Ken Davenport has been posting a lot about his shows on LinkedIn, a platform that rarely gets Broadway exposure. I noticed this post earlier today about ABN adding the Thursday matinee. I'm not sure of the study's validity and reliability, but there's some interesting data: 

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7123723948151709696?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7123723948151709696%29

[JasonC3]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 3:25pm

I have no idea what % of sales/popularity to assign to Groff, but the guy is popular with audiences that go beyond his time on Glee or Spring Awakening.  He's got Looking, Frozen, Mindhunter, Hamilton (including lots of social media for his bromance with LMM) that afforded him exposure to a mix of fanbases  In addition, he is a frequent and well-received guest on late night talk shows.  His clean cut, polite, and wholesome image has both the boys and girls wanting to take him home to meet their mothers.

Updated On: 10/27/23 at 03:25 PM

[MezzA101]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 4:05pm

Ironically, "Merrily" may now be the most accessible story and score for casual theatergoers of any in Sondheim's canon. I can't think of another I would want to take a newbie to. It's a fun show, with lyrics that are easier to follow. All someone needs to know in advance is that it goes backwards and we watch in reverse the unraveling of a friendship.

[Sammy232]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 5:27pm

MezzA101 said: "Ironically, "Merrily" may now be the most accessible story and score for casual theatergoers of any in Sondheim's canon. I can't think of another I would want to take a newbie to. It's a fun show, with lyrics that are easier to follow. All someone needs to know in advance is that it goes backwards and we watch in reverse the unraveling of a friendship."

Hadn't thought about it this way, but true! Plus most adults I would think have friendships/relationships that have gone astray that they have regrets about, or friends that for a variety of reasons they've lost touch with and can relate to these themes. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 10/27/23 at 5:46pm

MezzA101 said: "Ironically, "Merrily" may now be the most accessible story and score for casual theatergoers of any in Sondheim's canon. I can't think of another I would want to take a newbie to. It's a fun show, with lyrics that are easier to follow. All someone needs to know in advance is that it goes backwards and we watch in reverse the unraveling of a friendship."

 

I would argue that MERRILY is FAR less accessible to general audiences than INTO THE WOODS.  I don't think we're going to see a MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG JR. from MTI anytime soon!