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

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.

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.

"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%.

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.

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.

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).

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 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.