Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 9/7- Page 4

[WestVillage]

Posted: 9/8/08 at 9:03pm

"To the naysayers for [tos], the show is fine. Don't panic yet, believe me. This week is awful for every show, and TOS didn't fall nearly as far as others did, compare the percentages people."

Well, it didn't have very far to fall, considering how poorly it did the week before. Even shows that dropped over 40% did better than [tos]. And if [tos] dropped 40%, it would be doing next to zero. If [tos] only did 32% including TDF, with them not being on TDF, they're going go drop incredibly. No one is buying tickets to this show, especially at full price. They have at most 300 people at each performance (probably all bought at discount). And the Xanadu argument doesn't hold water ... it NEVER did as poorly as [tos] is doing. [tos] is comping like crazy, and can't even give comps away. Everyone who wants to see it has seen it already. And what makes you think it is so cheap to run? Theatre rent, salary for 4 actors, 1 musician, 2 understudies, probably a musician standby, plus all the backstage people, advertising, utilities, etc etc etc. I don't think $106K per week is covering everything. It will be gone very soon. No show can survive on 32% capacity, and its only going to get worse in the coming weeks.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 9/8/08 at 9:10pm

"then why was it a full house minus the back of the upper mezzanine twice this weekend?"

Because comps were in abundance last week, and those don't count toward the grosses. Most of the people in those "full houses" got in for free.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/8/08 at 9:12pm

Exactly. I'm not wishing doom on the show, but the amount of times I've been offered comps is remarkable already.

The press people really need to dig a new market...perhaps contacting college newspapers like Spring Awakening.

[Ole Chum]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 1:25am

TOS will be next. You can have four degrees in theater management, but the show isn't selling- period. Why argue that point?

And since WSS is taking over the Palace in February, Legally Blonde will ride out the holidays and close after New Years. This is sorta obvious at this point. My bet is they will announce a closing date fairly early, so they can max out on the "omigod i have to see it again" crew.

I, for one, am kinda bummed that WSS will be in the Palace- its such a HUGE theater. i'd prefer a more intimate setting.

[metropolis10111]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 9:00am

"That's when you know which show is supported by tourists and which one isn't...or rather what kind of tourists. Same with MARY POPPINS, a 40-odd percent drop is insane. "

yea so it's good that Mamma Mia! is ALLLLL New Yorkers lol...

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 10:02am

wow. Sept is usually a bad month but this is bad. Look at In The Heights. I mean here is a show that just won the Tony and is supposed to be the new "it" thing, is only a few months old and just already down in the 78% area. That's not good. I think the show is showing that it was a fad and I am not sure it will have the staying power so many on these boards think it does. Look at South Pacific, the other big Tony winner. It has kept strong.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 10:42am

I think what people seem to be missing is that it's not just about percentage. In the Heights actually sold more seats than South Pacific, but since In the Heights is in a larger theater, it sold a smaller percentage of its total possible seats.

also, the average ticket for In the Heights is still pretty high: $89.42. so I'd say the show isn't really in any mortal peril.

and I actually think Gypsy is in a similar situation: it's in the 3rd largest house, so its percentages don't look very high. but it's selling almost the same number of seats as both South Pacific and In the Heights and still has a fairly decent average ticket price ($65.56) so, it's about way more than just percentage of seats sold.

Updated On: 9/9/08 at 10:42 AM

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 11:17am

Except South Pacific is selling out. No matter how small yor house. There is something to be said for selling out. and South Pacific has an average ticket price that is its top ticket price so its a much much bigger hit than any of the musicals from this past season. ITH and Gypsy are not doing anything close to SP.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 9:38pm

I remember seeing South Pacific this summer....People were standing outside the theatre asking all the audience members, myself included, to sell away tickets to them. There was chatter in the lobby while waiting to go in with statements such as: "A revival of a 60-year-old musical is the biggest hit of the season...who would have thought?"

[skb2010]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 11:19pm

Ugly. Ugly.

Ugly.