Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 11/10/24- Page 2

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/12/24 at 6:16pm

kdogg36 said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "When a Broadway show is selling that badly, royalty participants and service providers are asked to waive weekly fees (sometimes even actors) to get their salaries down to the weekly minimum."

Does this mean that professional composers, lyricists, and bookwriters are asked for the unpaid use of the fruitsof their hard work? I have trouble wrapping my mind around that. I can't imagine anyone who's not independently wealthy saying "yes" to that request."

Yes. But it’s not intended to be a longterm thing. The rationale is “if we don’t reduce running costs, we close. If we can get the number closer to the break even, that leaves more money for advertising or reduces losses, allows it to run longer, and hopefully bounce back.” That doesn’t always happen.

Remember the weeklies aren’t the only way authors are paid. They get up front fees and option payments too.

A longer Broadway run can also help a show’s chances later on in licensing, touring, etc.

It’s also their choice. They could be asked to reduce and say no. 

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 11/12/24 at 7:06pm

HappiLy… does not have much time left on this earth

tammy Faye. May close on opening night

im actually shocked.  
 

I hope swept away will make it to May. But it’s looking doubtful 

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 11/12/24 at 7:58pm

OhHiii said: "I never really thought of Veterans' Day as a key holiday week, but several shows really did well. "

I don't think it is every year but when it creates a three day weekend like it did this year, it's a little more potent.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 11/12/24 at 8:10pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Remember the weeklies aren’t the only way authors are paid. They get up front fees and option payments too."

Thank you for your explanation! But I really can't remember anything, because I'm totally ignorant of the ways authors are paid. I guess it makes sense that they'd get something up front, but I haven't really heard about that before.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/12/24 at 10:58pm

kdogg36 said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Remember the weeklies aren’t the only way authors are paid. They get up front fees and option payments too."

Thank you for your explanation! But I really can't remember anything, because I'm totally ignorant of the ways authors are paid.I guess it makes sense that they'd get something up front, but I haven't really heard about that before."
 

Waiving a weekly fee is an easier pill to swallow for a service provider like Telsey or PRG or Hudson Scenic (for example) where they have the means to keep the lights on thanks to a bunch of other hit shows. They also know how to play the game and it can help continue relationships. It's not an ideal situation to be in and it's never a good sign, but it's not uncommon.

(See also: Bernadette Peters' GYPSY was poised to close, but she dropped her weekly salary to AEA minimum to keep it running a little longer, and in Arthur Laurents' words that is when she fully came into her own as Rose)

[dan94]

Posted: 11/12/24 at 11:35pm

Mr. Wormwood said: "OhHiii said: "I never really thought of Veterans' Day as a key holiday week, but several shows really did well."

I don't think it is every year but when it creates a three day weekend like it did this year, it's a little more potent."

Also add in that most shows did a Monday the 4th performance and took Election Day off. It would appear a decent number of people ran out to see shows the day before or in the immediate aftermath, presumably to ward off fears and give themselves something else to focus on.

[TellZ]

Posted: 11/12/24 at 11:41pm

Wicked's grosses are insane and are going to stay that way. Platt/Stone should pull a 1996 Weissler move and bring the tour into City Center for a couple weeks to make some easy extra money!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/12/24 at 11:46pm

Yeah, I bet this was a MUCH better (sales) week than some on Broadway were expecting. Despite the national chaos, most people bounced back to real life activities more quickly than in 2016 when the vile orange man was so new (and 2020 was its own can of worms).

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 11/13/24 at 5:44am

TellZ said: "Wicked's grosses are insane and are going to stay that way. Platt/Stone should pull a 1996 Weissler move and bring the tour into City Center for a couple weeks to make some easy extra money!"

Can someone explain this?

[binau]

Posted: 11/13/24 at 7:14am

I think they are likely referring to when a Grease tour played city centre while the broadway production was still playing in late 1996. Duelling productions!

Something similarish happened when the Japanese Chicago played at Lincoln Center festival while the Broadway Chicago was still running.

I can't see them mounting Wicked at City Center unless something crazy happens such as the movie is such a success that it causes the Broadway production to be sold out months in advance. 

Updated On: 11/13/24 at 07:14 AM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 11/13/24 at 7:43am

Not based off of really anything, but I think Wicked is just seeing an increase amount of return visits from people preparing for the movie. It’s typically the 2nd or 3rd top grossing show and it doesn’t normally reach 100% capacity like it is.

[Wick3]

Posted: 11/13/24 at 8:52am

That makes sense. Wicked and Lion King are the two musicals tourists prefer to watch as their first Broadway show. They're family friendly and both have well-known IP. When they go back home and tell their friends they watched a show on Broadway, their friends will likely know Wicked and Lion King.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/13/24 at 9:15am

Wicked is in the enviable position of having a ton of free press/advertising from the movie that it doesn’t have to pay a dime for. I wouldn’t be surprised if the show itself has reduced its ad spend while the movie is in the marketplace. 

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 11/17/24 at 1:13pm

binau said: "I think they are likely referring to when a Grease tour played city centre while the broadway production was still playing in late 1996. Duelling productions!"

This sounds fascinating - was the tour the same version/creative team as the Broadway production? Was the B'way Grease that big of a hit that the city could support both productions? I'm mostly wondering why someone would go see a touring version when the full (probably superior quality) B'way production was a few blocks away. 

 

Updated On: 11/17/24 at 01:13 PM

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/17/24 at 2:20pm

Went looking for more info, and naturally it brought me to this very site.

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/thread/Grease-1996-National-Tour/2

https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/15/theater/on-stage-and-off.html