CHITTY...BANG at 67.7% sold??

[morosco]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 2:28pm

That was last week's gross. Does anyone else find that surprising?

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 2:30pm

No I saw it last week and bought my ticket at 635 for a 7pm show and was in the middle of the orchestra. It is not selling at all, but after the reviews that it got can you blame anyone from staying away?

The theatre is huge and hard to sell out!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:00pm

It's a huge theatre, so selling out (especially for a show with mixedish reviews) isn't going to be easy. Though, I have to say the reviews really were better than I think a lot of people expected. Even then, I don't know how much that's going to impact it in the long run; it's a family show and a tourist draw, more than a draw for the people who pay attention to the reviews.

Did you rush, umgeoboy? And were you alone? That's probably how you ended up there; single tickets in the orchestra so close to the performance apparently aren't very hard to come by.

As for the 67.7.... hopefully they'll get back up. Not too long ago they were around 80%, which isn't really too shabby.

Updated On: 5/17/05 at 03:00 PM

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:02pm

I bet it'll pick up come summer vacation

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:03pm

When I buy all of the tickets?

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:10pm

Just save one for me

[studiospotter]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:15pm

The curse of the Ford Center.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:35pm

No i was with a friend and the orchestra was empty there was no one else sitting in our row when we student rushed it. It was on a thursday at 7pm.

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:36pm

THis is going to be one of those shows that is empty on the schoolnights and full on the weekends. It is never going to sell out that huge theatre. That was Ragtime's downfall.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:40pm

baddadnpa yes you are probably correct, but can it last only selling out 50% (and that was generous for the day I was there) during the week and better sales on the weekends? Its a huge expensive show, in a huge expensive theatre.

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:42pm

No, I do not believe it will last at these levels.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:43pm

I do not think any show will ever be able to make a profit at that theatre, it is so huge!

[Justin D]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:48pm

I saw Chitty when it first opened in London, right away i started calling it S*itty S*itty Bang Bang (im not sure if i can say that in here)

but i just thought it was dreadful, (although Michael Ball was Fabolous) Im one of those that go for set and lighting, and it just seemed that they spent a HUGE set of money on the car and a few other scenes then RAN OUT. it was very dissapointing, and also in a Huge theatre (i think the biggest one in london actually (outside the National)

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:49pm

That makes sense, unfortunately. I went on a Friday night and it was PACKED. Then I went on a Thursday, and it wasn't too bad, but much less crowded. For obvious reasons, there were far fewer kids, and the entire dynamic of the audience was much quieter. Be that the case, though, they'll pick up quite a bit in the summer.

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:51pm

Any idea what the advance is? I do think it will do better in the summer with schools out and perhaps camp group sales. A Tony win would probably be helpful.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:52pm

Something tells me they've got set design almost in the bag.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 3:53pm

I would hope they get set design otherwise there is not much hope for that show! The car flying around the stage definitely was a pretty cool effect!

[RYANWOODS]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 4:03pm

A Chrous Line revival will grab the theatre for its Summer 06 premiere

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 4:06pm

A Chorus Line should not go into the Hilton. It is way too big for such an intimate show. The Hilton needs shows along the lines of Wicked, Lion King, Spamalot - shows with name recognition that appeal to broad demographics. Chitty is too much of a kid's show, Ragtime, although a favorite of mine, was not a spectacle. A Chorus Line will fail at such a large theatre.

Updated On: 5/17/05 at 04:06 PM

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 4:07pm

Yes Chorus line definitely needs a small intimate space. There is no almost no set and not a huge cast. It would look ridiculous on such a large stage.

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 4:21pm

I'm almost sure that A Chorus Line will play at the Shubert.
I can see Python running a long time...with its' fanbase out there, it could probably run a good while, however, it may pull a Beauty and switch theatres. I mean how great would that look for the show to have the revival come back to the birth place of the Origional?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 5:36pm

Do you think Spam would swtich? Is the Shubert a big theater too or is it much smaller? What would you consider the "big" theaters on b'way?

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 5:43pm

Big= The Hilton, The Palace, The Lunt-Fontanne,The Newamsterdam

Small= The St. James( I was SHOCKED when I saw The Producers) I always thought that the St. James would be this HUGE theatre! Oh Well, good show anyway. I consider the Shubert on the smaller side or at least a medium size theatre....Another middle sized theatre would be the Marriot Marquis.

(In my opinion).

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 6:22pm

the marquis holds 1,566
the st james holds 1,706
the hilton holds 1,807
the new amsterdam holds 1,801
the shubert holds 1,441
the gershwin holds 1,809


just for reference of seat capacity of each theatre.

[RYANWOODS]

Posted: 5/17/05 at 6:30pm

hmm...they could expand A Chorus Line though for the Hilton - or perhaps Tarzan and Poppins could go there they need big space...Marquis for A Chorus Line?