Hedwig closing Sept. 13 — Page 5

The closing of any show with the kind of history Hedwig has will inevitably bring out strong emotions, but I think it's best to think about the great things the show accomplished:

--It will have run over 500 performances

--It featured five vastly different performers

--It got the Tony recognition it deserved

--It brought JCM back to the stage

--The show's success and impact led to JCM being awarded a special achievement Tony

--It told a very emotional story at the dawning of a new era for LGTBQ rights and individuals

I never expected it to run for years (or even this long, to be honest), but I think it's had a very positive impact on a very large number of people.

Knew it was coming. Couldn't say anything. Sorry kids.

"Oh, late 2016? Yeah, that can all crumble yet... I thought it was much sooner.

"

I imagine their original plan was to play through the holiday season and then close the show and reuse the set on the road. However due to poor ticket sales they decided to close the show early making the tour seem much farther off.

"When was his original end date, in October?"

October 11th

The show is closing based on three things:

1. Alan Cumming opting not to do the show.

2. Taye Diggs' advance sales for the Fall were very poor.

3. There's a new show knocking on the door of the Belasco.

"I still say that once most people who were going to see it saw it, the show needed someone with a fan base. John has an extremely rabid fanbase. Darren has an extremely rabid fanbase. Taye? Not so much.

IMO, the show isn't built to run like a Wicked or a Phantom. It is built to burn bright and fast."

I'll leave John out of it, but Darren Criss's fanbase, though rabid at its core, isn't that large nor concentrated within easy distance. It didn't translate into huge sales, I believe he registered the weakest weekly gross, and the lowest total prior. Just rabidity isn't enough when the sales have been sliding for quite a while.

I have no clue if Alan was ever a viable option, or there was a better alternative than the gamble on Taye. Doubtful that top tier names would want to be the 6th or 10th replacement. People have declined as we know from Adam Lambert. For the rest I think ACL2006 is right, quite likely as well that the theater wants to bring in a new show with potentially higher profit margin.

"Just rabidity isn't enough when the sales have been sliding for quite a while."

I agree that how rabid/passionate is a fanbase is only one factor. There is the factor of how large is one's fanbase (with NPH having the largest and Michael having a good-sized fanbase, with Andrew and Darren being less known in general, and JCM being less well known than NPH in general, but with a very significant fanbase in the local area, especially among Hedwig fans). There is also the issue of the impact of competition by the new shows of 2015. If you look at Hedwig’s chart for Historical Grosses, there was a significant drop in the weekly gross amounts, gross % potential, and average price of ticket paid in the month of March 2015 (starting with the week ending March 22), when many of the new shows made their first appearance on Broadway. The numbers began to slide downward after many of the new shows of 2015 made their appearance. Then there is the factor of the impact of positive reviews (by theater critics and also other theater blogs) and positive word of mouth (via twitter, etc.) and the impact of negative reviews. There are many variables.

" I believe he [Darren] registered the weakest weekly gross, and the lowest total prior."

After the spring of 2015, when many of the new shows appeared, each succeeding Hedwig actor brought in lower numbers than the preceding actor. John’s numbers were higher than Darren’s, whose numbers were higher than Taye’s. As you said, the sales have been sliding for quite a while, since the spring (since March 2015 specifically, when Hedwig had to compete with the new shows of 2015 ).

Updated On: 8/19/15 at 01:58 AM

Trust absolutbitter to comment on any thread where Darren Criss is mentioned in a remotely positive or even neutral way. Seriously dude, are you even a broadway fan or just a bitter hater cause all your comments have only been on Darren's thread or Taye's thread just to make a negative pass on the guy. Even saw your disparaging comments on a Daily Beast article on Criss's Hedwig run. Is it a coincidence that you joined this board on the day Criss announced his turn as Hedwig? That's what I call a truly dedicated hater.

While Darren may have had lower sales, he was still within John's range. If Taye sold as well as Darren did, the announcement today would have been about the next Hedwig, not a closing.

Love Darren or hate him, he kept it open.

When you break down the grosses it becomes very clear that while sales have not fallen off under Taye Diggs he was inspiring fewer people to buy full price tickets. He is actually selling tickets slightly ahead of the rate JCM did and better than Darren Criss. The problem is the % of potential gross has plummeted which is more indicative of a show that's played out its life than a failure on the part of the star.

% of Seats Sold

• NPH - 101.96%
• Andrew Rannells - 82.04%
• Michael C Hall - 88.04%
• John Cameron Mitchell - 78.14%
• Darren Criss - 74.64%
• Taye Diggs - 78.78%

% of Potential Gross

• NPH - 120.18%
• Andrew Rannells - 72.76%
• Michael C Hall - 84.93%
• John Cameron Mitchell - 73.78%
• Darren Criss - 66.08%
• Taye Diggs - 58.46%

Updated On: 8/19/15 at 09:02 AM

I completely agree that % of Potential Gross is more important than butts in the seats, but the decline in the % of Potential Gross really started with JCM and continued on a downward trajectory to where we are now. Sure a better Hedwig than Taye could have shot things in the arm, but to place the blame on him for not reversing the trend is ridiculous.

So glad the show got a chance, and so happy we got to see 4 different Hedwigs (and twice with JCM!). Never dreamed this would play on Broadway and for over a year!