Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 4/23/23 — Page 3

rubytuesday said: "I never thought KA had a lock on it, so if it doesn't win I wouldn't think of it as an upset."

What do you think could win then?

jkcohen626 said: "Mr. Wormwood said: "DrMonicaDeMoneco said: "It won’t matter if Kim wins the Tony or not. The show isn’t making enough $$$. Plus, it got the kiss of death when the tour was announced.
bway is a business. Put your feelings aside"

It absolutely will matter if it wins the Tony. It always does."

I think there's a fair argument that a niche show 8 months into its run (by the Tonys) that's already been seen by all of the local audience isn't going to be turned into a multi-year mega hit by the Tony, but it is beyond idiotic to say that it won't make ANY difference."

I imagine a win (coupled with a decent Tony performance) will get it to the end of the year. It is too low key to attract the audience segment that has been so good for Wicked and Six, I.e., younger women). The Tony boost would help, but I doubt it would be enough to return its investment.

I also agree that AGGTLAM is a show to appeal to a broader audience, even if it needed the Tony to catch on. When I saw KA in October, I liked it, but remember thinking that I would have felt cheated had I paid $200 for the seat. To me, it was just too slight, despite the subject matter. I also admit that I did not like the Bonnie Milligan character (hated?) even though I thought Milligan was terrific in the role. That sub-plot left a sour taste in my mouth.

As had been demonstrated time and again to me, the theatregoing public that is needed to sustain long-runs is not into the musicals that many on this board have touted repeatedly over the years. Think Fun Home, A Band’s Visit, A Strange Loop, KA and, yes, AGGTLAM, which still only managed less than 2 years in one of the smallest theatres on Broadway. I am actually very surprised that Hadestown has run as long as it has, because I would have placed it in that category as well.

John Q Public wants bigger musicals with big production numbers and, ideally, a star they are familiar with.

Mr.Liir said: "Shucked is actually selling pretty well considering, but the average ticket price is a lot lower than, say, Sweeney Todd.

I don't know what Shucked running costs are, but they don't have a huge set to constantly move or big pieces that fly in and out. Their tech is really minimal, and the cast, while not small, is not the size of a Phantom, Wicked, Sweeney, etc. Also, the show is in the Nederlander, which isn't rented, but owned by Jimmy Nederlander, who is also a producer. Mr. Saturday Night sputtered along for longer than anybody thought it would with much smaller audience attendance than Shucked; rent isn't as high and, frankly, I think shows can be cut a break on rent if they're there and the Nederlander name is behind it.

Most shows, the house is mostly full, and people are very enthusiastic. If ticket prices were higher, I don't think people would be talking about how it's struggling. That said, a lot of people still have zero idea of what it's about or who is in it, etc."

Interesting. Based on interviews with the producers it looks like they need to hit 700s to break even. Houses are mostly full but the advance is terrible with a lot of their sales <24hrs (hence the discount). I agree that audiences seem very enthusiastic but many people have no idea/interest in it beforehand which is tough to overcome. That said I would be surprised if it didn't go well into the summer+ regardless of Tony noms/wins.

Updated On: 4/26/23 at 11:50 AM