Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 12/15/19- Page 2

[Wick3]

Posted: 12/17/19 at 10:38am

Kad said: "Two part plays are a tough sell, period, and I don't think The Inheritance has successfully made a case for itself as a "event.""

I see your point. Even Harry Potter nowadays is a tough sell, given how its average ticket price is the third lowest this past week (after Lightning Thief and Slave Play.)

[Will3700]

Posted: 12/17/19 at 11:41am

The Inheritance just added a new block of tickets thru June 7. Just bought mine for May!!!

[Wick3]

Posted: 12/17/19 at 11:49am

Will3700 said: "The Inheritance just added a new block of tickets thru June 7. Just bought mine for May!!!"

Awesome! I believe John Benjamin Hickey should be back as Henry Wilcox by then.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/17/19 at 8:34pm

ggersten said: "JSquared2 said: "HAMILTON dropped $290K -- how long until they post a closing notice?"

I have January 5, 2031 in the pool."

Much too soon unless we have a Broadway paradigm shift.  That would be a smaller number of performances in total than Wicked has already performed at the Gershwin.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 12/17/19 at 9:28pm

Wish we could move Hamilton to the Marquis. 

[Wick3]

Posted: 12/17/19 at 10:19pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "Wish we could move Hamilton to the Marquis."

Back in 2016 I think 2 broadway theaters could have had the same production of Hamilton (different cast members of course) and both would still sell out in record prices!

[haterobics]

Posted: 12/17/19 at 11:38pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "Wish we could move Hamilton to the Marquis."

By the time, Hamilton is ready to close, Lin will have a new musical ready to load into the Rogers...

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 12/17/19 at 11:47pm

Is Hamilton doing well in London? Kind of interesting a rap based musical about American history would do well world wide.

[haterobics]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 12:47am

SouthernCakes said: "Is Hamilton doing well in London? Kind of interesting a rap based musical about American history would do well world wide."

I don't think people attend it to learn about (or stoke their love for) American history... plus there is ONE British historical figure in it.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 1:10am

No, I get it. I just mean that historically US themed things tend to do terribly abroad like Rent, Avenue Q, etc

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 7:36am

What am I missing: how are Rent or Ave Q HISTORICAL?   (I don't see it.)

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 8:01am

"The Inheritance" marketing strategy has proven to be a disaster. The play was pushed for months with aerial footage of the Manhattan skyline and generic two-tone photos of LGBTQ+ men and women, and then a superimposed (and meaningless to anyone but audience members who have seen the play) burning cherry blossom. The cast, young, attractive, should've been the focus. Make the play look provocative through its immediacy, even its romantic/erotic vibe, no small part of the drama. Instead, it was sold as intellectual vegetables, eat this, it's good for you. A lecture on history. The play is actually very entertaining, not terribly lecturing at all, and though it has a literary framing device, fully accessible to those unfamiliar with Forster. In recent weeks, we've seen more shots of the cast (highlighting Smith, still not the strongest choice, in my opinion) but it still looks like the audience is being told it's "must see." Give us shots of those young men, and lean into the energy they bring to the piece. They seem stuck on that damned burning flower, and as haunting as it is, hard to hang onto. Especially with a title as thematically generic as "inheritance." 

Updated On: 12/18/19 at 08:01 AM

[Det95]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 8:24am

dramamama611 said: "What am I missing: how are Rent or Ave Q HISTORICAL? (I don't see it.)"

They aren't historical. I'm guessing SouthernCakes meant that in the past shows with American themes like Rent or Avenue Q haven't had as much success in London as they did in New York.

[Princeton2]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 8:31am

Hamilton is doing well in London but it's not the phenomenon it is in america. You can also occasionally get decent priced tickets on the day.

I'd argue Avenue Q actually did well, Its west end run may not have been as long as broadway but it did a few years and also regularly tours the uk, often playing some huge theatres. Rent however, yeah that's never really taken off here.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 9:03am

Yeah I think you misread what I wrote! I said they’ve HISTORICALLY done bad there, not that they’re historic.

And good to know! I thought Avenue Q shuttered rather quickly, but guess I was misinformed!

And Book of Mormon is still going strong

[George in DC]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 10:42am

SouthernCakes said: "No, I get it. I just mean that historically US themed things tend to do terribly abroad like Rent, Avenue Q, etc"

 

The comma is your friend. I think you mean "Historically, US themed things tend to terribly aboroad"

One small punctuation mark changes everything.

 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 10:49am

I don’t think it needs a comma, but if it makes ya feel better sure!

Updated On: 12/18/19 at 10:49 AM

[haterobics]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 10:53am

SouthernCakes said: "I don’t think it needs a coma, but if it makes ya feel better sure!"

No one suggested it needed to go into a coma!

[romain2]

Posted: 12/18/19 at 11:06am

It's great that there's a new block of tickets on sale for The Inheritance. That talented cast and crew deserve as long of a run as possible.

This should probably for an actual Inheritance thread but since this is a thread about box office and thus marketing...

I think people should check this show out, not let reports about its length affect them. 7 hours might seem like a big ask around the holidays, but the show is very funny and moving, and the time goes by quickly.

I do wonder if some Howards End-related casting would have helped fill seats. Having someone from the beloved 1992 film in a key role (like Vanessa Redgrave in London). Someone like James Wilby or Samuel West or, even more pie in the sky, Helena Bonham Carter. (But then again, I wouldn't trade any of the actors in the show out.) 

In terms of the marketing, I think having a tagline that plays around with it being a new epic gay-themed update on the EM Forster classic would help. Heal or Burn doesn't seem to hint at what it's about. They should treat it like a binge-worthy event: Binge This! And in terms of imagery, there's a moment where the cast sits facing a tree that's a lovely tableaux (or why not have them sitting facing the replica of the house). Or perhaps use an image from the play, as others have said on this thread, that emphasizes the physicality of the play--actors squaring off while others watch in an animated fashion. 

Well anyway, as I said in a previous post, some audience members around didn't seem to what they had paid for and that seemed odd to me. But I seriously vet the shows I see--don't go on a whim, so I have a different mindset. I knew what I was getting with The Inheritance and they delivered and I'm glad I went.