Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 5/25/25- Page 2

[What The Dickens]

Posted: 5/28/25 at 8:05pm

The #SamMendes revival with #AlanCumming is still the best version for me, but I really enjoyed #CabaretAtTheKitKatClub recently. #OrvillePeck is very good as #Emcee & #EvaNoblezada is my new favourite #SallyBowles.

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 5/28/25 at 8:07pm

It’s a tourist trap.

[bear88]

Posted: 5/28/25 at 9:28pm

I realize this is the time of year when new, Tony-nominated shows should be doing well, but a lot of them are.

With the exception of Dead Outlaw, all the nominated musicals sold out or came really close. And Just in Time has sold out every performance, right?

Isn’t it a good sign for Death Becomes Her that it’s doing so well even with star absences? My impression is that theater aficionados care but that no one else does. That seems like it bodes well for the musical’s long-term health. (I didn’t see the show on my April trip.)

For all the understandable skepticism about Darren Criss’ drawing power, Maybe Happy Ending seems more dependent on his presence than DBH is on Megan Hilty or Jennifer Simard. I think the show is good enough to survive without him, but he feels hard to replace because of his uncanny ability to act as a robot while keeping the audience invested. A quieter show like that relies on the chemistry between its leads.

[What The Dickens]

Posted: 5/28/25 at 10:27pm

I loved Dead Outlaw on Broadway (saw it twice after accidently scoring a lottery ticket). I hope it sells more tickets soon and enjoys a healthy run. It'll be interesting to see how it fares in the Tonys. Maybe featured actor &/or actress nods for Jeb Brown and Julia Knitel are their best chances. 

[bear88]

Posted: 5/28/25 at 11:05pm

My concern for Dead Outlaw is that even an extraordinary good Tony night (book or score, a best featured actress win, a really good performance on the telecast) may not move the needle. The only award that would help is Best Musical and I would be very surprised if that happened.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 5/28/25 at 11:17pm

bear88 said: "My concern forDead Outlawis that even an extraordinary good Tony night (book or score, a best featured actress win, a really good performance on the telecast) may not move the needle. The only award that would help is Best Musical and I would be very surprised if that happened."

 

true but it most likely will only take book! I don't see it lasting past the summer.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/28/25 at 11:26pm

bear88 said: "My concern forDead Outlawis that even an extraordinary good Tony night (book or score, a best featured actress win, a really good performance on the telecast) may not move the needle. The only award that would help is Best Musical and I would be very surprised if that happened."

Yeah I basically see no road to success for DEAD OUTLAW unless pigs fly.

The upside is it probably won't lose quite as much money as BOOP and REAL WOMEN, which just have embarrassing numbers.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 5/28/25 at 11:55pm

What The Dickens said: "I lovedDead Outlaw on Broadway (saw it twice after accidently scoring a lottery ticket). I hope it sells more tickets soon and enjoys a healthy run. It'll be interesting to see how it fares in the Tonys. Maybe featured actor &/or actressnods for Jeb Brown andJulia Knitel are their best chances."

 

Nope, not winning over  - Natalie Venetia Belcon & Jak Malone

[bear88]

Posted: 5/29/25 at 3:24am

OrchardAndRivington said: "Similarly to Wicked.. I'm sure the producers are trying to focus on making Death Becomes Her the star, in the way that Wicked is the star, so they probably aren't as concerned with Hilty/Simard missing shows as a show like Gypsy which is much more star driven.

Yes, Chenoweth and Menzel both received noms (with Menzel winning, obviously), but even after Idina's win they focused on selling the SHOW as the star, notwhoever was playing Glinda and Elphaba. I think Death Becomes Her is going to try and follow that model as closely as possible.. and obviously DBH isn't the same iconic IP as Wicked/Wizard of Oz with broad family appeal, but if they can bring in talented Broadway stars as Helen/Madeline replacements and star cast Viola with Pop Stars and Drag Queens, there should be no reason, IMO, thatthey shouldn't get a 4-5 year Broadway run, and a 5-6 year North American Tour out of it."

While this a very optimistic prediction, I don’t think it is crazy and tracks what seems to be the producers’ strategy. As you point out, this isn’t Wicked with source material that everyone knows and a family audience. But no show has gotten a larger post-nomination boost than Death Becomes Her and I have been puzzling over why.

A reminder: I don’t really know what I’m talking about, haven’t even seen Death Becomes Her yet, and am engaging in fun speculation.

My theory is that the nominations, along with its other promotional gambits, have established the show as a fun night out that’s actually good. Right now, a take-your-mind-off-the-world comedy seems like the sort of show that might thrive, especially with tourists.

The producers would love it, of course, if Death Becomes Her wins the Tony for Best Musical, but they’re planning on a future that doesn’t depend on a win - or a reliance on star performances. They want Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard to show up at every promotional appearance but care a lot less if they miss performances. Few people demand refunds when they’re out anyway. This isn’t Audra McDonald in Gypsy or Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Blvd. or Jonathan Groff in Just in Time. As I wrote in another comment, Maybe Happy Ending might have a tougher transition when Darren Criss leaves.

If the DBH producers can succeed at this, they won’t need to find star replacements because the show itself will be the attraction. They’ll just need capable comic actresses and a pop star. That’s easier said than done, as comedy is hard, but it might work.

I’m not sure how long Death Becomes Her can sustain its momentum, and I guess they’ll have to keep it up for a while to recoup. But the musical should do very well on tour, as has been noted already, and it has a plausible model for a longer Broadway run.

Updated On: 5/29/25 at 03:24 AM

[Huss417]

Posted: 5/29/25 at 6:48pm

itsahopi said: "Huss417 said: "Mr. Wormwood said: "SmokeyLady said: "Do you think DBH would have hit the 100% mark if their leading ladies would be showing up? I do know a few people that exchanged their tickets last week. So I am just wondering. Or does it not matter? Do they not matter?"

Was that the reason it was at 99.61% capacity instead of 100%+? Possibly

Does it matter? No, considering it was still at 99.61% and had its highest grossing week yet"

And they need to continue having weeks like this for that $31.5 million investment. I still think that it will be a hard number to make after the summer months."

Broadway musical investments are for the future of the property, not just the NY production. As I find myself saying every time someone brings this figure up, this show will be huge on road and licensing."

Sorry you had to repeat yourself. I know how the system works. We still have to wait and see how HUGE this is going to be on the road.