Carrie original production finances myth

[binau]

Posted: 2/12/18 at 7:58pm

I've heard here and read on wikipedia that the original production was "sold out" every night and they closed the show prematurely because they were spooked by the reviews, but if we look back at the grosses this appears to be a bit of a myth to save face:

Original production stats:

* About 69% attendance throughout short run, only 61% in the final week

* An average ticket price of $18, $17 and $23 for each of the three weeks of the run. In comparison, for the final week of Carrie you can see how it compares to other shows in the same week:
- Carrie $23
- Into the Woods $39
- Phantom $40
- Chess $38
- Anything Goes $39
- Les Mis $40
- A Chorus Line $28 (though of course it had been running for 12 years by now and would close only a couple of years later. Plus was a much smaller/cheaper show).

Perhaps obvious to most, but the original production of Carrie was a colossal financial failure right from the start. The show was not selling out and people weren't buying tickets at terribly high prices. With what was likely to be almost no advance and terrible sales, they made the right decision pulling the plug. 



 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 2/12/18 at 8:01pm

Thank God we cleared up that one of the biggest flops of all time was, in fact, a flop. 

[tourboi]

Posted: 2/12/18 at 8:25pm

That myth began largely because, I think, an actor in one of the videos circulating that was made backstage on closing night says something to the effect that they should have kept previewing because they were 'selling out.'  My bet would be that they were indeed full... but heavily comped houses.  Looking out at packed houses it would be easy to see why they'd think that. 

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Posted: 2/12/18 at 10:53pm

I flew from Chicago to NYC to see a preview performance (something inside me told me that it wasn't long for Broadway), and was completely surprised at the full house and the rousing response from all of the people that were there.  I was completely shocked to read that the producer pulled the money and shut the show down.  It was far from a great musical, but I loved all of the songs sung by Buckley and Hateley...

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/13/18 at 11:00am

I got to meet one of the authors when I saw the truly amazing revival of Carrie in Los Angeles, and what he told me, was that essentially what happened was that the day the reviews came out, the lead producer called the cast and creatives together and told them he would be keeping the show open, then left the theatre, immediately called his business manager and told him to freeze the accounts, and then fled to Europe. So the cast arrived the next day shocked to discover the closing notice posted (for after that performance).

I think the myth was always just that the show was gaining strong word of mouth and that potentially, if they had been allowed to run, it might have found an audience, but that because the producer basically absconded with the funds, the show closed more abruptly than perhaps it could have.