jimmycurry01 said: "Don't most shows have this clause? It enables the theatre owners to pull the plug on a show if that show is barely hanging on, in which case they can make way for another show that might bring in more money. Such a clause likely exists, but such a clause will not likely be acted upon for a show that is selling like gangbusters."
The Stop Clause exists so the theatre owners can "kick out" a show if it falls below a certain gross –– otherwise, wealthy producers could keep a show running for decades in a space that they don't own, while it sells 100 tickets a week. In theatre, business deals begin over the phone, over lunch, and with handshakes, and most theatre owners and producers have long-term, symbiotic relationships. A theatre owner rarely has to invoke the Stop Clause: a warning or a nudge will be enough, and that nudge will not be a surprise to any realistic producer.
DEH is the Shuberts' second-biggest grosser after Mockingbird, so that theory is kind of ridiculous.