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[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 10:38am

It's true that stop clauses exist. Still, I cannot remember the last time one was invoked.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 10:47am

Passing Strange ran with these kind of (and worse) percentages and grosses for a couple of months, although I assume some of those was due to hoped-for Tony attention. Xanadu was in the same boat for a while.

I know TOS isn't going to last much longer, but I hope it makes it another month or two.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 10:52am

Smaxie, a question for you: would we necessarily have heard that the stop clause WAS invoked...or just that the closing notice was posted? (Really, I am asking out of curiousity.)

[Nick Plasia]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 11:06am

The show is lousy + They aren't attracting an audience=

this turkey will close and SOON.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 11:14am

I think in the internet age, news of one show being forced out for another show would make its way out somehow.

Since it is bound to come up if this conversation continues, I don't think that was the case with The Pirate Queen and Young Frankenstein. Pirate Queen was clearly heading for a fall off and its producers pulled the plug without being forced out by Young Frankenstein or by the owners of the Hilton.

[englishtoser]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 11:40am

I suspect the Lyceum already have another show lined up.

American Buffalo opens on Halloween at a "yet to be named theatre".

My guess is [tos] will close on the second or third Sunday in September.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 11:53am

"It's true that stop clauses exist. Still, I cannot remember the last time one was invoked."

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The Pirate Queen

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 12:34pm

As I mentioned earlier ... untrue about The Pirate Queen. That's a specious story that gets thrown around here like fact. The Pirate Queen had no advance. The show could have run at the Hilton through Labor Day. But it couldn't even make it to July 4th. They were not forced out by Young Frankenstein. The show was tanking and the writing was on the wall.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee had a profitable almost three year run of 1,136 performances, closing in January after it gradually began to fade at the box office. It was not forced out by a stop clause or least of all, for another show, particularly Glory Days.

Updated On: 8/19/08 at 12:34 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 1:01pm

Stop Clauses still exist, but are rarely put into effect, meaning that a show is actually "kicked out" of its theatre for low grosses. As smaxie says, most of the times when a show reaches a certain profit loss it all but makes senses to close a show.

Remember too that producing teams often have agreements with theatre owners/organizations and 'you do this for me - I'll do this for you' is the way all business (Broadway included) is run. Nobody wants to get into a fight.

The only show I can think of recently that truly went through nasty -stop clause battle was THE WOMAN IN WHITE - which was forced out to make room for DROWSY CHAPERONE. But even then, that was a grey matter because the decision was pushed by one individual who was investing in both productions and wanted CHAPERONE open in time for Tony consideration.

Updated On: 8/19/08 at 01:01 PM

[temms]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 1:06pm

To repeat, a stop clause only gets enacted if there is another show that wants the theatre and the producer of the currently running show doesn't want to close it.

What's interesting is that if the gross EVER drops below the stop clause, the owner can invoke the clause ANYTIME. They don't have to kick the show out right away. And even if it bounces back it can still be kicked out.

My guess is that McCollum and Co. aren't too concerned about the 25K or so they're losing each week at [tos], compared to the profit they're pulling in over at ITH. I can't imagine anyone is surprised at the grosses. Disappointed, I'm sure, but hardly surprised.

I would assume that [tos] has already passed Stop Clause status, and will run as long as no one wants the theatre, or unless the grosses dip to an even more dismal level. At this rate, I presume it will play out another few weeks until something is ready to go that wants the space.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 1:14pm

Its not a question of another show 'wanting' a theatre. Its a question of the owners wanting another tenant. Some of what people are writing here make it sound as if any show with backers behind it can be immediately be booked into any available Broadway house. Not the case at all.

Back to what I said - Broadway is a very "in club." I've absolutely known of theatre owners who have kept theatres empty (and turning away shows with full backing behind them) for six months to keep a space open for a potential dud from an established producing team they have a relationship with.

Given the pedigree of the producing team behind [tos] I wouldnt be at all surprised if they cut a deal with the Shuberts allowing {tos] to run at a loss for a three month run.

As I said in another thread, the real money behind an inexpensive production like [tos] will be when it starts to be licensed regionally. Its abosolutely part of the great charm of the piece that the show actually got to Broadway - but it also helps the marketing of the material in the future.
Updated On: 8/19/08 at 01:14 PM