Hadestown to tour under SETA contract- Page 2

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 12/26/19 at 1:26am

Is Hadestown as much of a tourist driven show as Ain't Too Proud or Moulin Rouge? No, it's not. Yes, it's a sold out show in a small theatre. But, regarding tours I am willing to bet that the average Jo would sooner go for Ain't Too Proud or Moulin Rouge. Reason being is that those are known entities. People like and know the music of The Temptations and there are also those who have seen and love the movie Moulin Rouge. But, despite its successes, Hadestown is a tough sell. Specially in the midwest. 

[bear88]

Posted: 12/26/19 at 2:16am

I'll concede the obvious points here. Ain't Too Proud (which was a sold-out hit from its first out-of-town tryout at the Berkeley Rep) and Moulin Rouge! (based on a popular movie musical) are definitely easier to sell than Hadestown in your average city. And yes, it plays at a much smaller Broadway theater. I also think it's a tougher sell than Come From Away.

But is Hadestown really that tough to market outside of New York City and other major metropolitan areas? Because if it is, that doesn't bode all that well for original musicals that aren't Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen and Come From Away. It's a pretty simple story with a small cast. Wouldn't it be packaged with Ain't Too Proud and Moulin Rouge! for a lot of season packages anyway? Miles2Go2 is correct that most smaller cities have large venues that can be tough to fill even with subscribers. The dwindling box office of the Oklahoma! revival suggests the difficulty it will have on the road, where it will face more traditional theatergoers who won't like the darker version. But Hadestown won't face that problem.  As someone who grew up in the Midwest, I don't think Midwesterners have some built-in aversion to Greek myths.

I agree the musical faces challenges in a transition from its small space and set to a road show. But that problem isn't unique to Hadestown. And most people won't know the difference, having not seen it on Broadway in the first place. It won't be a sensation on the road, and may fall flat in some cities, but it seems like a pretty safe bet to turn a profit given the low running costs even without SETA status. It seems like a lot easier sell than Fun Home, a show about gay people and suicide, and that one turned a profit on the road with ease. 

Updated On: 12/26/19 at 02:16 AM

[JESRhody]

Posted: 12/26/19 at 3:25pm

As a 15-year season holder in Providence it will do pretty well. Many season holders here are pretty sophisticated consumers who will greatly prefer this to a retread. You need 1 or 2 of these a year to drive renewals. But it will be lucky to sell 75% of a medium house on weeknights. Similar to band’s visit, which was an extraordinary quality road show. Come from away, on the other hand, sold 100% and could have sold a lot more. Very approachable, extremely popular with people with Canadian connections, known happy ending. Tried for a week to swap my 2 against 3 together which is normally routine (as top subscriber have access to all tix for exchanges)

Cast/Set: For this category, they do a lot of same-week sales. If word on Tuesday is its great, they’ll sell a lot more tickets - at this price range (top tickets are ~$85) not uncommon for season holders to see it again with other family/friends. Weaker cast without lots of Broadway credits people don’t see twice. Non-popular, non-equity can sell less than 60% (or they do kids free or 2:1 promotions to fill)

Theme: Actually should sell better than bands visit. Might get high school groups. They are also going on the road while still hot. A year or two delay makes a big difference.