Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 10/22/23 — Page 2

B212323 said: "muscle23ftl said: "B212323 said: "muscle23ftl said: "Whoever said that Lindsay's fans are buying tickets for Merrily is completely delusional. Daniel's fans and Jonathan's fans you mean. Sorry! She is a talented actress who got very lucky with the shows she booked, but she is not a draw."

I know 3 people who bought tickets expressly to see her because they loved her performance in Carousel (they're older and don't really know Groff or Radcliffe)."

You know, you're right. Those 3 fans totally count. Actually, let me rephrase it, the show doesn't even need Daniel or Jonathan or Sondheim, Lindsay is selling out the show and bringing 2 million per week. Just like she did in Carousel, why it was such a huge hit."

that's three that one person knows - I'm not saying she's the sole reason its selling out but to dismiss her as not having any fans is not true. But by all means belittle the female diverse lead of the show."

Oh please, give it a rest. Practically no one is coming to see Merrily because of Lindsay Mendez. She’s not a name, she’s not recognizable outside the theatre community and even some in the theatre community have  no idea who she is.  It’s Daniel and Jonathan. They’re bringing in the crowds. They are names. Daniel is an international super star. 
get over it. Go cry your fake Lindsay tears elsewhere. 

HogansHero said: "Theatrefan2 said: "Dont get me wrong, it's great a Sondheim show is doing so well, but let's be realistic. It's not him or the show that's driving those numbers. The majority are seeing Daniel Radcliffe, no matter what he is in."

It is the coalescence of a number of factors (as is almost always the case). There is a very significant number of pure Sondheim-a-philes (many of whom can't use OMNY to get there). In this case, there are also those who might be deemed less than pure (i.e., they are making the gesture because of the relatively recent death). And there are the not insignificant number of Groff-a-philes. Finally, while DR certainly draws people, the number of no matter whats is not as large as you seem to think, judging by their willingness to stay away from at least 2 of his 5 shows and, iirc, Equus also softened before he left. And that was much closer to Potter. So I would not put all of your eggs in his basket. That said, I think the show will have a rougher time after the original cast splits, unless they find someone compelling who wants to be a replacement. (Something we are saying about a lot of shows right now.)"

I think you are grossly underestimating Radcliffe's ability to sell tickets.  Neither of us can prove anything, but I would propose that Radcliffe's name added hundreds of thousands of dollars to those shows' grosses every week.  To me, the fact the show is commanding the ticket prices it is getting is due less to Sondheim than Radcliffe being in a re-discovered Sondheim musical and, to a much lesser extent, Groff, who a lot of people have loved since Spring Awakening.  

Mendez, who is wonderful in the show, does not sell tickets, beyond maybe 'tens' over the course of a week.

But by all means belittle the female diverse lead of the show.

Which is exactly what he's doing, it's gross. The only reason I'd ever see that show is for Tony Award Winner Lindsay Mendez. You don't get to diminish her, ever, in favor of two white men. Period. 

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 

JasonC3 said: "I seem to recall people saying quite definitively in the past that Radcliffe did not move tickets for previous productions anywhere near expectations. Were they only referring to plays? Or also musicals? I enjoyed him in How to Succeed, but didn't have any problem finding a discounted ticket.

This is rewriting history and I don't know where the sentiment is coming from. All of his Broadway shows have sold exceptionally well. H2$, Equus, and Lifespan of a Fact all turned a profit, and I think Cripple came close to it. He's one of the most consistent ticket-drawing stars we have –– and it helps that he usually gives a great performance. SWEENEY is selling well and yet sometimes there are discounts available, even when JG is on. A range of price points is healthy and expected once a show settles in to its run. It's been running 5 weeks.



I'm most curious about what is moving people to spend such high amounts for this production and Merrily in general. Is it the "in" or buzziest show of the moment? Did the off-Broadway run and all the positive reviews helped set up the Broadway run for these kinds of sales versus opening here directly?"

As discussed above it's a confluence of things. The buzz from Off-Broadway + critics reviews + press attention + the star power of Radcliffe & Groff + nostalgia for Sondheim...etc. We don't know how long these numbers will hang on, but it's very safe to say they would be NOWHERE near this high if the trio was, say, John Behlmann, Will Blum, and Lindsay Mendez.

Updated On: 10/25/23 at 12:47 PM

I'm interested in seeing how the very canny marketing - the selling of these three incredibly likable actors as the best of friends - will burnish Mendez's star. I'm excited to see what opportunities open up for her. 

TalksAboutBruno said: "While this could have been the Daniel Radcliffe or the Jonathan Groff show, marketing has been very clear in that all three have equal billing. The trio of them have done a slew of interviews as a group, all highlighting their chemistry as a trio (note they gave Lindsay Mendez first chair next to Stephen Colbert which I thought was super classy). Initial money and pre-sales might have been for one of the more mainstream "stars", but I'm sensing a shift in buyers wanting to see all three, rather than just one or two stars.



My mom knows very little of broadway and will be seeing it in a few weeks. Over the past few days, she has started asking "Will all three be in the show that night?", not just DR."

I believe all three are above the title. If Daniel Radcliffe is out, I can see a lot of people asking for refunds. If Groff is out, some people will ask for refunds. If Mendez is out, I think only a few will ask for refunds.

i agree that the ideal situation is to watch all three stars together especially when paying such a high price for a ticket.

Sutton Ross said: "But by all means belittle the female diverse lead of the show.

Which is exactly what he's doing, it's gross. The only reason I'd ever see that show is for Tony Award Winner Lindsay Mendez. You don't get to diminish her, ever, in favor of two white men. Period."

If you are referring to me, you are way overreacting.  I said that she is wonderful in the show, but that she doesn’t sell tickets.  Maybe to some people on this board, but not to the general public.  Right now, Sondheim and Friedman and Radcliffe and Groff are why the show is selling tickets.  Audiences are loving the collective work of the three leads, which is undoubtedly spurring on further sales, but it’s a stretch to say she sells many tickets herself.

CRIPPLE was NOT EVENT CLOSE to recouping--if it returned anything at all, actually

While I agree that Cabaret is promoting itself as an event in all caps, the marketing for Merrily is very focused and shrewd in its aw-shucks way. Groff, Radcliffe and Mendez are playing their roles as best friends in all their interviews too. It’s a little corny but has been strikingly successful. I don’t know whether Merrily can sustain these crazy numbers going forward, much less into the winter months, but now they have the glowing reviews and word of mouth and the fantastic quality of the revival.

As we have seen with Sondheim revivals, star power makes all the difference. But there’s an extra something here, a mysterious combination that started even before the musical opened and people saw what a wonderful achievement it’s turned out to be. It’s kind of fascinating.