Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd- Page 2
Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#25
Posted: 5/24/05 at 11:51amOut of pure curiosity, what is the average weekly running cost of a Broadway play (not including one man show)?
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#26
Posted: 5/24/05 at 12:21pmIt's interesting to note that after the producers of La Cage fired Daniel Davis to get a "star", attendance has nose dived. Why do you think that is?
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#27
Posted: 5/24/05 at 12:40pm
London seems to be healthier based on my experience last week. It was difficult to get tickets for every show I saw. I had to wait on cancellation lines, beg and also pay full price for:
Guys and Dolls
Blood Wedding
Death of a Salesman
Mary Poppins
Billy Elliot
Theatre of Blood
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#28
Posted: 5/24/05 at 1:04pm
"The tourists want to see musicals and musicals only and that's a shame."
It's a catch-22. If tourists see more plays, then they see less musicals and then we all bitch about the death of musical theatre on Broadway. It's not like most tourists can shell out the bucks to see everything. They're on vacation and they want to have fun and that usually does not include cutthroat real estate sharks or a husband and wife that can't stop screaming at each other. Unless Broadway can figure out a way to reduce prices across the board, then it will be difficult to find audiences for both plays and musicals now that families have to get a second mortgage to go to a show. Either that, or NYC needs to figure out how to get New Yorkers to see more plays. That was what kept plays alive in the golden age. It wasn't tourists, it was the locals. But unlike then, plays are competing against multiplex cinemas, dvds and Playstations. Entertainment technology and media have multiplied exponentailly, yet the theatrical play hasn't done much to try and keep up with the Joneses. Other than stunt-casting and "edgy" material, there is not much to attract an audience that wants their MTV.
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#29
Posted: 5/24/05 at 1:09pmI agree Matt...I think that locals are going to be the ones who shell out the bucks for plays in order for them to stay alive. As a huge fan of musicals, there are definitely some plays that I would like to see in NYC, but when I'm only there for one week of a huge season and spending $100 ticket, I feel like I'm taking my chances on a play when I know I can find a musical that I'll definitely enjoy.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/05
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#30
Posted: 5/24/05 at 1:33pm
Good points, Mr. Matt and ShuQ. I don't live in town either, and when I'm putting out $100 for a ticket, I'm going to be really careful about which shows are on the "must-see" list. If it's a choice between shrieking academics or cut-throat real estate brokers in a play, or music, some guaranteed laughs, and fun, in a musical,(Right now, SPAM and DRS come to mind) I will probably behave like the philistine tourist I am.
Will I go to plays done locally, or touring? You bet! But I'm not dropping $100 per ticket, either.
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#31
Posted: 5/24/05 at 1:44pm
Got this statistic from a friend. The stats is from 2002:
Average cost for a family of four (tickets only):
Broadway show: $236
NFL Game: $214
NBA Game: $204
Music Concert: $184
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#32
Posted: 5/24/05 at 2:15pm
Those numbers you site are league-wide averages, not specific to the New York sports teams which have much more expensive ticket prices than the average.
The average cost of tickets for the Knicks this season was $70.51; $282,04 for a family of four (and let's not forget courtside seats are $1500+ per GAME and premium seeating costs several hundred dollars a ticket).
The average ticket price for the Giants is $67 ($268 for a family of four) and the Jets is $66 ($264).
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#33
Posted: 5/24/05 at 2:17pm
My friend and I were discussing exactly the same point. We only get to New York once or twice a year and musicals give us more bang for the buck.
On another note, how sad that a delightful and thoroughly entertaining musical as "La Cage" is playing to 50% capacity.
Can a Tony for best Musical Revival help it or is it too late?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/23/03
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#34
Posted: 5/24/05 at 2:24pmI think Sweet Charity is going to take the Tony for Revival anyway, so that point may be well and truly moot.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/05
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#36
Posted: 5/24/05 at 2:41pmAlbin, you're right that it is sad that a sweet revival like "La Cage" is playing to 50% capacity, but the producers rather organized this state of affairs themselves. If you go back to the figures that Mamie posted on this board last week, you'll see fairly clearly when the numbers tanked. For whatever reason, Mr. Beach and Mr. Goulet are not drawing the crowds they expected. I haven't seen it since Mr. Goulet joined the cast, so I'll leave the speculation to those who have (and many of them have been vocal!). There are lovely compensations in the supporting cast, and the Cagelles are wonderful, but they are not, in my opinion, enough to justify the ticket prices. Sad, but there it is.
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#37
Posted: 5/24/05 at 2:41pm
Speaking of sports, another catch-22: Granted, athletes get paid astronomical salaries, which is partly to blame for high ticket prices, but pro sports can afford tons of marketing due to corporate sponsorship. It's possible that if Broadway could get the amount of sponsorship found in pro sports, there could be larger audiences, but the professional theatre "community" has a tendency to frown on and discourage corporate involvement of any kind (no counting non-profit which begs for it, yet tries to display it discreetly) because theatre is an art and corporations are bad. But let's face it, theatre will never be as popular as sports, but it wouldn't hurt to target sports fans. In half-time shows, bring out the hot chorus girls from various shows. Bring out the Movin' Out or Mamma Mia cast and band at Bowl football games. If staged well, the audience will eat it up and it will be national coverage wth guaranteed high ratings.
As for the plays, well, to boost the audiences, that calls for some major creativity because star casting is obviously not working that well. Good reviews don't carry a show as far as they used to. You have to give people a reason why they should see a play rather than a movie, DVD or American Idol. And not the obvious reasons that theatre-lovers already know. The Golden Age is over and the Golden Age audience is almost gone. What is Broadway doing to replace them when it comes to the plays?
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#38
Posted: 5/24/05 at 2:56pm
Matt, that is a great idea, about corporate sponsorship and targetting sports fan. Many music concerts are now sponsored by major corporations (I think Sting's tour was sponsored by Dell and the Rolling Stones by another company).
Another idea I have is for the cast album. I don't know if it's going to work, but they should look at Phish's model in distribution of their live material. No, I'm not talking about taping and freely distribute the work, but taping the opening night, mastering it in a week or two then offer it on the show's website for download at a cheaper cost. Will it work? I don't have a clue, but it's a viable option than the way cast album is done.
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#39
Posted: 5/24/05 at 2:59pm
Sports and theatre are complete apples and oranges. The NFL and NBA, for example have multi-BILLION dollar contracts with the networks to show their games -- games which are watched by tens of millions of people every week (and in the case of the Superbowl, hundreds of millions). There's a reason they can afford to pay NBA players nearly $10 million a year on average. Massive audiences = massive advertiser dollars.
The most popular show on Broadway can only be seen by a little over 1,800 at a time. Even with road companies, a single show can only be seen by a few thousand people a week nationwide. All the marketing and advertising and corporate involvement in the world can't increase that number -- there are only so many seats to sell. That's why billions will never be spent by networks on theatre -- in addition to their being no product to televise, the potential audience that can be reached is miniscule (tiny compared even to the biggest flop on tv).
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/12/04
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#40
Posted: 5/24/05 at 4:48pmDoesn't look good for La Cage Aux Folles...
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#41
Posted: 5/24/05 at 4:57pm
I agree that it is apples and oranges and I'm not speaking of networks advertising in a Playbill, but merely supporting Broadway in a cost-effective way that could reach out to more viewers. I think it might be cheaper and/or more entertaining to get the company of Mamma Mia to crank out a couple of numbers at a high profile college bowl game than coordinating, choreographing and wrangling 200 kids to dance and twirl streamers to prerecorded pop music or an Americana medley. It's like when the Today Show features musicals every now and then, but instead of the morning show audience, you are now targeting sports fans.
Anyway, it's just an idea. A good one, but it will probably never happen.
Forester - That Phish idea is very similar to what has been happening with London cast recordings. More and more live performances are being recorded live rather than in a studio in order to cut production costs (We Will Rock You, Jerry Springer: The Opera, Tonight's the Night, Woman in White, etc.). They don't sell them cheaper as downloads yet, but it could happen.
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#42
Posted: 5/24/05 at 5:12pmDGrant-I'm not pissed at my mom about that. I understand actually. Reality sucks, but that doesn't stop me from watch 'depressing' shows. We had a lot of arguements when it comes to deciding on what show to see. Since I'm 15, we had a plan. As long as I'm with my brother, I'm allowed to go see a play at night. I'm allowed to go myself at matinees.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/26/04
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#43
Posted: 5/24/05 at 5:36pm
South Fl Marc -
"It's interesting to note that after the producers of La Cage fired Daniel Davis to get a "star", attendance has nose dived. Why do you think that is?"
A. Because it was a stinking thing to do and a REALLY stinking way they did it.
B. Because the "star" they hired isn't half as good as the one they let go.
C. see A.
As long as I'm fired up - I thought Harvey's snide comment at the beginning of the DD awards just added to the stink. He should be offering a public apology, not a joke.
A click for life.
mamie4 5/14/03
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#45
Posted: 5/24/05 at 6:02pm
"As long as I'm fired up - I thought Harvey's snide comment at the beginning of the DD awards just added to the stink. He should be offering a public apology, not a joke."
What did he say?
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/26/04
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#46
Posted: 5/24/05 at 6:38pmTo be honest, I don't remember the details. When I saw where he was going I got disgusted and tuned out. As I recall he was saying something about Danny Davis and John C. Reilly competing for the congeniality award. (Considering who the comment was coming from, it was very much like the pot calling the kettle black. Harvey has no room to throw stones.)
A click for life.
mamie4 5/14/03
Broadway Star Joined: 4/24/05
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#47
Posted: 5/24/05 at 7:02pmMamie, you have GOT to be kidding me!! He took a shot a Daniel Davis? Davis has not said one word against any of them through this whole thing, and Harvey got up an an awards ceremony and took a shot at him? Oh wow. Wow.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/05
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#48
Posted: 5/24/05 at 7:50pmI didn't see the DD Awards, but that is staggering! That he would have the crassness and out-right gall to continue to smear Daniel Davis is just WRONG (not to mention ridiculous, as Daniel Davis was the best thing about "La Cage" and the percentages are proving it). Sadly, Harvey Fierstein is determined to convince us all that his own actions are those of a brute and a bully. Interestingly, Daniel Davis has condemned no one despite being Fierstein's target. It shows which man is the REAL class act.
Understudy Joined: 8/22/04
re: Broadway Grosses May 16th to 22nd#49
Posted: 5/24/05 at 8:37pm
(gives Grizabella standing ovation)
I had no idea that Harvey was such a petty little man.
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