BoringBoredBoard40 said: "Not that it is exactly the same, but COMPANY won best revival and then announced a closing like 3 weeks after winning.
Kimberly has turned a profit in only a handful of weeks of it running, the nominations did not give them much of a boost, the show had reviews that should have filled the house week after week and the show has never had a 100% full week.
Even if it wins best musical, how much juice will it get honestly? Will it limp along like Strange Loop did before it finally tossed in the towel? Why not announce the closing and grab every dollar for two months and then go out on the road as the best musical winner?
I really think it is not as far-fetched as people think"
As someone who’s been bearish on Kimberly Akimbo’s Broadway outlook but more optimistic about its future financial prospects on the road as part of everyone’s subscription plans, especially as a Best Musical winner, I don’t think your argument is totally far-fetched.
It would still surprise me, just because of the historical precedent and the likelihood of a sales spike if it’s the big winner on Sunday, but the musical has been around since last fall on Broadway and ran off-Broadway before that. It has loyal fans but has never caught on despite the rave reviews, awards, and Tony nominations. Best Musical will help, but I do wonder if it will ever garner premium prices even then.
There’s also the practical matter of how long the cast, including Victoria Clark and other key supporting actors, are going to stay with the show. It’s been a long time. They probably have other opportunities. Will the producers want to bring in replacements for two or three months?
So I guess it is possible that the show closes early even as Best Musical. But I still am concerned about what sort of message that would send. A Strange Loop was more easily explained away as an anomaly. If two Best Musical winners close early, that’s a trend.
There would be another problem. If Kimberly Akimbo wins Best Musical and then announces a closing date soon thereafter, that would become the story, undermining any positivity from its Tony wins.
I am still skeptical it will close August 6 if it wins Best Musical but I don’t pretend to be an expert on this. The New York Times annual survey of Tony voters has Kimberly Akimbo as the clear favorite over divided opposition. I think the producers will see how much of a boost from what could be a night of big wins (Musical, Best Actress, possibly featured actor or actress, possibly book and/or score). That might get the attention of a few people who don’t know much about the show.
Updated On: 6/9/23 at 02:43 AM