PARADISE SQUARE - Broadway Previews — Page 7

LucasIvy said: "In a factual back of the envelope look at the weekly gross as reported by Variety and Deadline, the show is losing approximately $250k per week."

That number is way off. The reported gross is $355,401, which nets to roughly $320k. I don't know what the nut is but it is way more than 320+250=$570k

saxpower said: "The show is still in previews. It it common for grosses to be low (potentially not enough to cover expenses) during the preview period? I looked at ticket availabilty before and after opening. During the preview period, its seems to be selling decently. However,afteropening the number of available seats goes way up. Is this because of "papering" by the producers/theatre owners (is that the correct term for giving away tickets or selling them very cheaply so attendance figures are higher)?"

Correct, they are heavily discounting and comping preview performances in the hope that it (a) builds buzz, and (b) gets good reviews so tickets will sell themselves after opening night. But it seems unlikely that the show will receive RAVES on the level that will make ticket sales rise substantially enough for the houses to be filled at a sustainable level...but hey, prove me wrong!

It's not uncommon for a show to lose some money in previews. A smart producer/GM will have a contingency built into their show –– sometimes 1-2 million –– to cover losses as the show develops an audience and to help the show get through its first few months. But this show is budgeted within an inch of its life, so that level of slush money seems unlikely.

Dollypop said: "It's intermission at today's matinee. . Sets are moving well. Choreography is excellent. Music is pretty good. Dialogue is stilted--especially when it leads into a song.

Overall, I'm enjoying the show..



Editing this to include 2nd act comments:



The plot becomes convoluted and it reminded me of CAMELOT, where it's up to the chorus to unfurl the story.

Still, I feel it was a decent show with quite a few bright spots."

Did the matinee start on time(ish)? I arrived around 7:15 (for a 7:30 start) and while the orchestra has filled up considerably in the last ten minutes, the will call line was nearly halfway down the block…I can’t imagine there won’t be a delay.


that aside, I’m very excited to see this.

Saw the show a few days ago and I absolutely loved it and think it deserves to be up there with the greats. It’s truly an amazing show and has a literal show-stopping number nesr the end of the second act.

They really, really are.

Joshua Rosenthal said: "Saw the show a few days ago and I absolutely loved it and think it deserves to be up there with the greats. It’s truly an amazing show and has a literal show-stopping number nesr the end of the second act."



I can't say the show is "great" but it's enjoyable. It reminded me of what we called "Grade B Musicals" in the 70's: nice shows but nothing really exceptional. They included SKYSCRAPER, HOW NOW DOW JONES, BAJOUR, and BAKER STREET.

8:17 and tonight’s show still hasn’t started because of technical difficulties.

I’m having the same issue. If I still haven’t gotten any thing by around 3 or 4 I’ll just call telecharge.

pollster2 said: "I won the lottery for tomorrow's performance. I paid online and got an email confirming payment and a message stating that my ticket would be emailed to me. This has not happened. Is there anyone to contact or should I just hope the box office has a ticket for me?"

You should get the e-mail the day of the show with the tickets. Might be as close as 2 hours before curtain.

A Director said:

I'd add the Jerry Herman shows he wrote after Mame and before La Cage!

"
Now that feels like a curse. All interesting shows but....

Dear World: 132 performances with 45(!) previews

Mack and Mabel: 66 performances with 6 previews

The Grand Tour: 61 performances with 17 previews

If Paradise Square had a star like Angela Lansbury was in 1969 they could do OK, no matter the material. But, I guess what star would be willing to work with Drabinsky?

Saw the show tonight with a full house, attendees admitting at intermission that they were in heavily discounted seats. The vibe: Everyone wants to love this new show. You can feel it in the house. Me included. Hard working company giving unstintingly. The dancing is athletic and often stirring, if repetitive. There's a star making performance that will be widely admired, and deservedly. I’ll just add that the show around her feels adjusted by multiple hands, without a singular vision. You can feel the exposition dumps to clarify, and the presentational style - everything is played to the house - strips the show of needed intimacy, particularly in a non musical house like the Barrymore. I longed for two actors simply talking or singing to one another.

Some clearly find that the preaching to the (NYC) choir tone enhances the piece's relevance to 2022, whereas I’d appreciate drawing contemporary parallels without heavy handed annotation. Trust the sophisticated Broadway audience a little more. That pedantic component -- the show seems determined to teach us -- is not my taste. I prefer discovery. Probably a minority take. The cast is able and stellar and maybe it will catch fire. It’s hard to guess precisely what aspect inspires an advance and therein lies the problem once the heavy papering ebbs. Maybe I’m wrong. The response in the final 15 minutes certainly seemed heartfelt.

Updated On: 3/30/22 at 10:53 PM

Interestingly, I would not call it filler so much as excess. A meaningful moment that calls for a short moment or even intimacy becomes a production number with too much of everything. I think I may have said this right after I saw it but "too much of a good thing" is the most charitable way of describing it. The signature of this show is Garth's, and if you've seen (e.g.) Ragtime, you know what I mean.