MAYBE HAPPY ENDING Reviews — Page 2

Large claims from the from the NYtimes! It has probably convinced me to go...

“Maybe Happy Ending” a ravishing addition to the catalog of Broadway nerdicals. The term is high praise, honoring supersmart, usually small-scale shows — like “Fun Home,” “The Band’s Visit” and “Kimberly Akimbo” — that nevertheless have big emotional impact. This one, directed with breathtaking bravura by Michael Arden, gets bonus points for difficulty, too: Under cover of sci-fi whimsy, it sneaks in a totally original human heartbreaker.

Updated On: 11/12/24 at 02:38 PM

GottaGetAGimmick420 said: "Damn those weekly grosses that just got posted..."

As has been said for three weeks now, the show was heavily papered for the entire preview run before the first preview performance even began. The weekly grosses have largely been identical every week because of this. The most important grosses for this show will be next week and the week after that.

TigerBait88 said: "GottaGetAGimmick420 said: "Damn those weekly grosses that just got posted..."

As has been said for three weeks now, the show was heavily papered for the entire preview run before the first preview performance even began. The weekly grosses have largely been identical every week because of this. The most important grosses for this show will be next week and the week after that."

Yes but they likely only paper because they are trying to fill the houses as there is nothing that sucks the air out of a theatre like it being half empty so it's a good strategy to keep the atmosphere and build work of mouth.

Obviously, these reviews are pretty much the best case situation they could have ever hoped for and I'm a little shocked - I don't remember the last time a a show had these kind of unanimous reviews especially when the word of mouth on this board has been pleasant but not passionate. And now the NYTimes has just compared to 3 previous best musical winners?

I'm very curious to see if it's possible for this show to turn it around. It's an uphill battle especially this time of year but this will certainly be an interesting data point I can't wait to see what happens.

Updated On: 11/12/24 at 02:59 PM

I can't recall such a lopsided ratio of just about 100% positive reviews to empty seats in years... Makes me sad as I was completely charmed by it and wish it a better financial fate. Also hoping for a cast recording here.

If they are depending on the reviews to start filling the theater, then they'll have no excuse after this week to explain the dismal numbers MHE has been pulling. Their gross and capacity are up slightly this week (84.16% vs 78.15% and an increase of just over $3K for the week) but ticket prices are at total bottom basement (down to $44.79 this week). We're going to have to see if the positive reviews are going to get an audience. They're still posting discount codes so how much of an increase they're likely to see at the box office remains to be seen. But without a radical shift, MHE will join a lot of other critical darlings that died quick Broadway deaths.

I cannot see a world in which grosses turn around, but this must be a massive encouragement to producers and investors everywhere who consider capitalizing shows not on the basis of financial viability but, simply put, to give poignant and original art a mainstream platform.

These reviews are a massive win for the industry. Makes me so happy to see!

Financially, Kimberly is a bad comparison. This show costs a ton more. David Stone has lots more money than these producers that he was willing to pour into the show; Shubert was also willing to let him continue at a loss for a long long time.

Even if they go on waivers and slash $100K from the running costs to bring it down to 650ish, they’d still have to more than double the weekly gross, consistently.

How Shubert and the producers want to handle this remains to be seen. There’s a ton of shows in the pipeline.

Updated On: 11/12/24 at 04:00 PM

Reading this thread makes me happy I cancelled my Tammy Faye ticket and got one for this instead later this week.

Even though it's chilly, just seeing the sun shining instead of Pacific Northwest gloom has made this trip worth it already.

7 shows on this trip so far (9 to go), and with the possible exception of Ragtime, this has been the clear highlight. So glad to see it getting the love it deserves, and I can only hope it makes a difference. I'm telling everyone I know not to miss it.

altonido said: "The three Tony-winning musicals that Jesse Green compares "MHE" to had one significant advantage: By the time they arrived on Broadway, "The Band's Visit," "Fun Home" and "Kimberly" had all received raves off-Broadway and had become hot tickets at their intimate venues. They came to Broadway virtually guaranteed raves all over again and with NY theater audiences already familiar with the titles. Even with its several previousproductions, "MHE" came toBroadway as pretty much an unknown quantity, hence the low grosses during previews. Let's hope that today's reviews turn it into a genuine "sleeper" hit."

This is an excellent point. You cannot arrive on Broadway these days without some sort of buzz and hype. An out of town 3-4 years ago doesn't provide momentum in a tight market full of known IP, revivals and Hollywood stars. I saw the show and thought it was a work of art. Maybe one too many endings, but worth supporting. I hope they find their audience.

NY Post is a 4-star rave

‘Maybe Happy Ending’ review: Romantic robot musical is glorious on Broadway — really

https://nypost.com/2024/11/12/entertainment/maybe-happy-ending-review-romantic-robot-musical-is-glorious-on-broadway-really/

"Instead of predictable bombast, the tender musical’s many heartbreaking and uplifting moments sneak up on us and provide an increasingly rare sensation for a genre that has become formulaic and derivative: surprise."

How do advance sales look?