How much do the main leads of the top 2 shows in Broadway get?

At the moement the top to shows in Broadway are: Wicked and Rent. I was wondering does anyone know or want to estimate how much Eden Espinosa , Megan Hilty and Ben Vereen make in Wicked and Matt Caplan from Rent might make? I heard the ensemble gets on average alittle bit over 1k each week.

Who says that Rent is a top show?

My estimate is that Eden, Megan and Matt make about $2500 per week. My estimate for Ben Vereen is $6500 per week.

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I would put Eden and Megan SLIGHTLY higher than that(2.5K), but not much.

sounds realistic for Rent.

Some ensemble members are able to negotiate, or rather, have their agents negotiate, a nice deal if they have a lot of prior credits and are understudying some choice roles. A few even make about 2.5K a week.

Eden should be grateful they pay her that much. She has no name, and I wouldn't even mention Brooklyn if I were her. She probably makes a little more than that.

I doubt if Tony = raise, but it'd definitely help on the game field if he (Norbert in this example) or his agent went asking for one.

i know a lot of no names who make and have made more than $2500 for much smaller roles. i can't imagine ANY elphaba or glinda is making that or less than that.
its a little tough talking about salary though..and yet..we do! LOL!

Updated On: 2/24/06 at 11:50 PM

Jarrod Emmick makes $2500/week for Ring of Fire and I know for sure that the ladies in Oz make quite a bit more than that.

The rehearsal process is typically the same amount of money. THe weekly salary is for weeks worked, not performances.

The only list on which RENT is currently at #1 would be the list of theatre locations, with the Southernmost being at number 1.

Yes, you get paid the same for rehearsals. Pay is by week - so even if there is a day they don't need to at rehearsals (for example, if the whole day is devoted to a big dance number you are not in), you get full pay. There is overtime pay if rehearsals go beyond 48 hours a week (6 days a week, 8 hrs. a day)

I remember reading that the original Witches made somewhere around $25K a week....Idina was upped to $50 after she won the Tony.

Why do I feel so uncomfortable with this discussion of other peoples' salaries?

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I heard one place the Shoshana got paid 7k+ as the lead.

Well, I know for a fact that neither Menzel nor Chenoweth were making $25,000+ per week. That was an inaccurate rumor spread by some of their rabid fans. The only people who have EVER made that kind of salary on Broadway are very established stars well-known nationally (usually due to film and tv work) -- Lane, Broderick, Jackman, Peters, Glenn Close, Neuwirth and a couple of others. That's it.

Menzel and Chenoweth are far from household names and are only famous to their obsessive teen fan base and to folks who read message boards. Mention either name to a random person on the street (somewhere other than in the Broadway district) and you'll get a lot of blank stares. And according to the show's lead producer, while he appreciates all the teen fan enthusiasm for the show and is glad they're enjoying it, teenagers only make up maybe 10% of the audience for the show. Teens are not purchasing $1.3 million worth of tickets every week (most are going for the discount lottery tickets). The vast majority of ticket buyers are adults who neither know nor care who's playing the leads (which is why Menzel and Chenoweth leaving the show had zero effect on the box office) and wanted to go because of they heard it was a big spectacle show about the Wizard of Oz.

The producers know that their show is the star, not whoever is playing the leads, and that they can cast whoever they want and pay them as little as they want and the show will still sell out. There's just no reason to pay some unknown (to 99.999% of the world) $10K when performers would line up for a third of that just for the exposure.

Without going into detail, it is my understanding that the leads are making in the $5K to 7K range. The originals made a bit more than that -- but nowhere near $25K or $50K.

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