Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
#0Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:00pmAfter the reviews for Hairspray came out it seemed the show would have major legs. But after a couple of years the show is showing its age a lot sooner than I thought it would. Any thoughts on why other "crowd pleasers" like Mamma Mia still gross close to a million dollars a week and Hairspray is around $600,000. I realize these are slow months, but i just expected more from this show.
BwayLeadman
Broadway Star Joined: 9/29/04
#1re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:02pmI'm not an expert but I always see Mamma Mia commercials on TV, and never seen a commercial for Hairspray. Maybe the public needs to be reminded that Hairspray is still going.
#2re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:04pmI think the fact is that there are many oter shows that are over-shadowing the show, such as MAMMA MIA!, W*CKED, LION KING, PHANTOM, SPAMALOT, etc. and maybe the public is just thinking more of shows like those, and don't consider HAIRSPRAY, or maybe they already saw the show and want to see other things. Who knows?
"I'm not in Bambi and I'm not blonde!" - Idina Menzel
MoonOnAstring
Stand-by Joined: 10/30/05
#3re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:07pmAlso, Hairspray is more "star-dependent." With Mamma Mia, there's always the music, and tourists go see "that show with Abba songs." It doesn' really matter who's in it. Hairspray has always depended on fairly well known names (in the role of Edna)and maybe that's just not working any more. And like BwayLeadman said, Mamma Mia has been markting itself well.
#4re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:07pm
Although I adore it and would see it again....
Maybe since it's been on tour for awhile, alot of people have seen it and also it is coming to Vegas.
Up In Lost
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/05
#5re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:08pmExcuse me, but I need to go cry now.
#6re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:09pm
Well it has NO stars in it right now.
It's not doing THAT bad without a star.
#7re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:12pm
83% is not bad by any realistic standards, so just because they're not making millions doesn't mean they're not making money. Based on profit and audience numbers, it's probably because Mamma Mia's average ticket prices are higher than Hairspray's.
And I saw a commercial for Hairspray last week.
Wanting life but never knowing how
#8re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:13pm
"Also, Hairspray is more "star-dependent."
I couldn't disagree more. While Darlene Love is brilliant - I don't think she's selling thousands of tickets.
The Original cast was terrific but mostly "unknowns" - especially outside the theater community.
The Producers would be a better example of a show that is more "star dependant."
I think the producers and creative team behind Hairspray, personally, did a great job of making the show not only incredibly strong - but also never marketed the show as celebrity - or star driven.
#9re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:14pm
I'm sure Hairspray will be just fine.
A shot in the arm will be coming within the next year, I'd wager (maybe a return to Edna for Harvey) and if it lasts till' the movie, it'll be in great shape.
#10re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:16pm
p.s. for 2005 - capacity has averaged right around 90 percent.
The lower gross has to do with more discounting/tkts sales that didn't occur in the first couple of years. That's quite normal.
(edit) re: producers is also in a bigger house.
#11re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:17pm
Just want to say I don't think the show is doing bad by any means, but based on the reviews and hype I thought it would have held up better. For instance alot of talk was made about how "The Producers" suffered, but it's still doing in the 8's. Just pointing it out.
edit: i guess theater size has something to do with it too, but not sure how they compare.
Updated On: 11/1/05 at 08:17 PM
#12re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:28pmNo, I definitely think HAIRSPRAY is more star dependent. Harvey Firestein may not have been a household name, but he made such a palpable stamp as Edna that ticket sales dropped the minute he left and have never been quite the same. MAMMA MIA! has never had a "name" star. HAIRSPRAY has always made a point of keeping at least one name in the cast. If they could get by without having to pay a star salary they surely would...
#13re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:30pm
BUT Hairspray dosen't really have a star name right now.
John Pinette is FAR from a household name.
#14re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:34pm
And Harvy Fierstein was???...I think not.
Check your logic.
#15re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:36pm
"MAMMA MIA! has never had a "name" star."
Mamma Mia has had the same caliber stars (broadway) as Hairspray a few times over.
The Producers (as example) dipped incredible after Nathan and Matthew left. And I believe that's because the show was marketing more towards them - then the actual show. For better or worse.
If you want an example of a show that doesn't need any name in it right now, it's WICKED. The show sells itself on recognizability, etc. While you need talented performers - I don't think anyone is going to the show to SEE anyone. And that's NO disrespect to the talented performers in the show.
#16re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:36pm
Harvey Firestein was a big enough name in NYC to help propel advance ticket sales. John Pinnette may not be a name, but Darlene Love is to most baby boomers.
Calibre of stars mean nothing. Carolee Carmello and Michelle Pawk are certainly just as talented as Linda Hart and Barbara Walsh but none of them are going to sell tickets to toursits. MAMMA MIA! has just shown good taste in keeping Broadways best leading ladies employed. It's definitely not about trying to sell tickets based on their marquis value. And the proof is that the producers choose pretty routinely not to renew contracts to avoid having to agree to pay increases.
Updated On: 11/1/05 at 08:36 PM
#17re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:38pm
You'd be silly to think that most people outside of Broadway don't know who Harvey is. That is so not true.
And my parents are baby boomers, and though we all loved her in the role. They didn't mention they knew who she was.
Updated On: 11/1/05 at 08:38 PM
PJ
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#18re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:38pm
True, the show isn't filling the Neil Simon the way it did a few years back. But all shows eventually lose a bit of steam in their run. Believe it or not, the Big "W" will after a while as well.
But I really don't like the title of the thread itself. When I first saw it, I thought this was bashing the cast, which just so happens to be incredible.
#19re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 8:41pm
MB - agreed to some degree - but we both know that NYC audiences are only a FRACTION of sales - and certainly not advance/group sales - which is a better indication.
Hairspray sold well in advance based on the incredible amount of attention it got (as that years Producers), the CD mailer that went out to the group leaders and ticket buyers, all the press prior to Seattle and then the outstanding reviews it got there. By the time it got to NY, it was the hot ticket. I think that was cast independent.
#20re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/1/05 at 9:50pmI would think most people know who Harvey is. I saw the show in June, with Bruce. The theatre was PACKED.
Fosse76
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/21/05
#21re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/2/05 at 12:34pmEveryone I talk to about Harvey have no idea who I'm talking about. And almost no one I taked to about Bruce Vilanche had ever heard of him. It took much explaining (though describing him as looking like a muppet seems to ring the bells for most people).
#22re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/2/05 at 12:43pmmamma mia will run longer than hairspray becuase abba was huge in the 70's, reaching millions of people via the radio and selling millions of cd's. hairspray is based on a cult film by john waters, who is not a household name in middle america among forty and fifty year olds, while abba is. also, those people who were fans of abba in the seventies are well established now, and have money to spend. people who are fans of the hairspray movie are more artsy people (yes, it is a generalization, but a true one, and I know there are exceptions.) who don't have that $100 to blow on a ticket all the time. when you compare the numbers, it just makes a lot of sense which will close first.
Fosse76
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/21/05
#23re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/2/05 at 1:08pmI have never paid $100.00 to see Hairspray. I think one of the main reasons a lot of shows don't do as well is because of the cost...plaind and simple. People are going to want to spend their money on something familiar rather than risk spending a lot of money on something they know nothing about. People know ABBA and thier music. Hairspray, though based on a film, is not known to people as much.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#24re: Hairspray dosen't seem to be holding up well.
Posted: 11/2/05 at 2:51pm
Got a Light I have to assume that for some reason you hate Hairspray and want to start crap bashing it. You've drawn a conclusion that is completely, utterly unsuppported by facts:
1) Hairspray still sells about 80% of its tickets each week. That is great for a show that's run over 1300 performances. It's been seen by over 1.8 Million people and has grossed just under $150 MILLION dollars. There is no worry that Hairspray will be shutting down any time soon star or no star. If the movie does indeed get made that will be another shot in the arm. Who knows what a bout of Star Casting could do to ticket sales? Obviously the producers realize that they don't need to resort to drastice measures yet....
2) A new Production in Vegas proves there is no shortage of audience for Hairspray.
3) Your argument that Hairspray isn't "holding up" because it doesn't gross as much as Mamma Mia is ridiculous. You can't compare one show to another. The only real way to evaluate the box office health of a show is to look at it's tickets sales. And Hairspray is doing great. I wish I had a piece of that box office.
4) And yes, kids, all shows close eventually. Hairspray will indeed "Not hold up" in a few years and after a triumpant return by Harvey, a few more rock stars as Link, and, maybe even that Osbourne girl as Tracy, they will have to close the show and take down the marquee. But who knows, that could be 5 years from now....
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