Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 4/7/24 — Page 4

Plus remember that shows in previews tend to get a number of comps from producers, thus lowering the average ticket price.

For Gatsby, I think the $50 price was any point in previews, and at least when I was there it didn't seem like a lot of people were taking advantage of it--yes, there were a lot of people in line, but compared to the size of the theater capacity on a nightly basis, I doubt it would've made a huge dent in the average price, unlike the Stereophonic deal.

I think the Hadestown topic is an interesting one, and it would be fascinating to do a case study on it. From my own personal experience, it seems to have spread through the inventive staging, impressive singing (in a style that doesn't really sound like anything else in musical theater), and the way it tackles a traditional story in a new way (that also has a very specific vibe and style). I was legitimately surprised at how excited people were for Eva Noblezada on Broadway again, and I'm not sure if it's just the early preview audience, but she seems to really have made a name for herself in Hadestown (in a way that Miss Saigon didn't quite do)

SonofRobbieJ said: "bear88 said: "SonofRobbieJ said: "hearthemsing22 said: "SonofRobbieJ said: "When reading Broadway Flash's posts, does anyone else have the thought 'God, I hope they're wearing their helmet today to prevent further damage'?

Just me?"

Why so rude? Just block them. There's a handy dandy feature on here to do that."

Because it's too much fun reading their inanity. Plus, I think they're pretty much trolling at all times and I think that deserves a little rudeness."

Here’s the problem with that, and I’m not singling you out. A string of posts denouncing someone makes the entire thread unreadable. It becomes as tiresome as the person’s posts."

I mean...you are signaling me out. I don't care, but let's not be disingenuous.

If my bitchy quip derailed this thread, I can take the hit. But there are people on this thread doing yeoman's work setting the record straight on a very successful Broadway producer. It's not too far afield for a thread on grosses capturing current productions of said producer.

But to get this back on topic, it will be interesting to see what kind of hit MERRILY takes when Groff is out. There may be a world where Groff can keep it afloat a bit longer if they pair him with, say, Darren Criss. Radcliffe is terrific in this, but Charley is probably the easiest of the principals to recast. The material is tour de force without the role being overly taxing physically or even vocally. Groff's work as Frank will be the very difficult thing to replace."

And so they won't replace, and their July closing is final. Why so desperate for an extension?

hearthemsing22 said: "SonofRobbieJ said: "bear88 said: "SonofRobbieJ said: "hearthemsing22 said: "SonofRobbieJ said: "When reading Broadway Flash's posts, does anyone else have the thought 'God, I hope they're wearing their helmet today to prevent further damage'?

Just me?"

Why so rude? Just block them. There's a handy dandy feature on here to do that."

Because it's too much fun reading their inanity. Plus, I think they're pretty much trolling at all times and I think that deserves a little rudeness."

Here’s the problem with that, and I’m not singling you out. A string of posts denouncing someone makes the entire thread unreadable. It becomes as tiresome as the person’s posts."

I mean...you are signaling me out. I don't care, but let's not be disingenuous.

If my bitchy quip derailed this thread, I can take the hit. But there are people on this thread doing yeoman's work setting the record straight on a very successful Broadway producer. It's not too far afield for a thread on grosses capturing current productions of said producer.

But to get this back on topic, it will be interesting to see what kind of hit MERRILY takes when Groff is out. There may be a world where Groff can keep it afloat a bit longer if they pair him with, say, Darren Criss. Radcliffe is terrific in this, but Charley is probably the easiest of the principals to recast. The material is tour de force without the role being overly taxing physically or even vocally. Groff's work as Frank will be the very difficult thing to replace."

And so they won't replace, and their July closing is final. Why so desperate for an extension?"

Why are YOU so desperate to egg them on regarding their feelings on a hypothetical extension. Seriously, why do you care? Just so you can be condescending and righteous? Are you a really committed troll and I am falling for your bait? You do this in nearly every thread you are a part of and it is so annoying.

Re: Merrily. Short-term (three mid-week performances), I doubt Groff’s absences will have any larger box office impact than Radcliffe’s. But if the revival tried to carry on without Groff, that would be a challenge. Merrily, after all, has been ‘fixed’ for years, including in identical productions years before both in the U.S. and in England. What made it really work was Groff, placed at its center in what is (almost) a memory play. He has enough boyish charm as an actor to turn Frank into an almost sympathetic figure, and yet he’s able to play a certain hollowness and eagerness for the glamour of material success too. Groff’s Frank comes across less as a cad than a coward, who has a point about his friends’ unrealistic expectations of him. This is a hard trick to pull off.

Radcliffe is a delight as Charley, and his ability to attract non-theater people to the show should not be underestimated. But it always seems like the actor playing Charley tends to get a lot of plaudits. It’s the other major roles that have been tricky.

Re: Hadestown, Noblezada, Gatsby

I don’t have to look outside my own immediate family to find a big Eva Noblezada fan. Last summer, my daughter went to see Hadestown again on Broadway after loving her performance back in 2019. She has a fan base even if she and Jeremy Jordan won’t be able to draw non-theater folks. But if you combine them with the famous source material and a splashy production, that gives the new musical at least a little breathing room to build an audience.

Hadestown does have a look and sound that makes it feel both classic and unique, as well as adaptable to the replacement actors the producers are hiring to bring in new audiences or attract old ones to see it again. The ongoing success of Moulin Rouge! feels less surprising, given its old-school flashiness and movie predecessor. People come into the theater knowing the songs. Hadestown is an original show that doesn’t have those advantages but seems to have found new life.

hearthemsing22 said: "And so they won't replace, and their July closing is final. Why so desperate for an extension?"

I very much do not care if they extend or not. I've seen it. I enjoyed it. But if there's money to be made, what reasonable producer wouldn't consider it?

Feel free to block me. Unlike Broadway Flash you are not even a tiny bit entertaining.

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "If there's discounts freely available for all dates, a customer says "eh, I'll get to this show if I have time. I really gotta make sure I can see this $250 show somehow instead"."

I feel differently. As long as it's not a limited run, I assume high ticket prices means demand is too high and I would do better waiting for more availability and better deals in the future. Whereas low grosses means you have to rush to see the show before it closes. Of course, there are shows that do not have enough appeal to general audiences regardless of how much you discount or paper, but that's a different matter.

If a show is selling (fairly) well, I won’t be ashamed to admit I was comped if that’s how I got to see it.

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "VintageSnarker said: "MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "If there's discounts freely available for all dates, a customer says "eh, I'll get to this show if I have time. I really gotta make sure I can see this $250 show somehow instead"."

I feel differently. As long as it's not a limited run, I assume high ticket prices means demand is too high and I would do better waiting for more availability and better deals in the future. Whereas low grosses means you have to rush to see the show before it closes. Of course, there are shows that do not have enough appeal to general audiences regardless of how much you discount or paper, but that's a different matter."

But you are approaching the scenario as a local theater fan. Your average ticket buyer is definitely not paying attention to grosses. They are not tapped in to the ebbs and flows of pricing structures. Having a high price makes people associate the product with quality.

An example:I asked my late partner if he wanted to attend The Bands Visit with me because it was in previews and dates popped up on TDF. He was unfamiliar with any details about the show but said "Oh but why is it only $47 dollars? It must not be any good". This was only because cheap tickets were readily available.

I do feel quite confident in what I'm saying, as someone with 18 years of experience in ticketing. Pre-pandemic, Iwould be looking around a week out from a performance date to list with papering services if the house needed a boost. But now, if I list that far in advance on multiple services...full price sales seem to dry up and it feels impossible to move inventory. Yet, if I don't list on papering services, that house that needs a boost often suddenly fills up at full price just 2 days before the show. So for papering we have pivoted to very last minute listings, usually the day or 2 prior. AND we experimented with lowering the sales threshold which activates dynamic pricing. Low and behold, once the ticket prices went up, even just a tiny bit, sales picked up. People see the higher price and think "I've got to jump on this." We are in a totally new world of audience buying habits for theater, and it truly is "adapt now or die." And this means we will see, and already have seen, a markedly different approach to papering and discounts."

Thanks for all of your insight, MayAudraBlessYou2! I do a monthly show here in the city that's been running for over 10 years now and our experience has reflected what you said about last-minute ticket buying. Pre-pandemic, we used to have heavily sold or sold out shows at least a week or two before the performance. Now, we are still hitting are targets consistently but maybe a day or two before. Even the day of. I'm glad what we have felt anecdotally is backed up by your experience. I've learned to relax about it. Others are still a little anxious when we see the numbers two days before the show.

kdogg36 said: "hearthemsing22 said: "People: Come on, bring back "x" show!!

Show comes back

People: No! We want new work!

Show announces it's for a limited run, or implies their stars are there for a limited time

People: why??? extend!!!!!

Make up your friggin minds people"

This is only a validargument if you can find specific individuals who have supported all of these opposing views. You can't make the point byappealing to unspecified "People." We all know there are lots of "people" longing for revivals of the classis and other "people" looking for new work - no contradiction there."

Oh get off your high horse. What qualifies you to tell me whether or not my comment is valid? Back off.