Public Theater off Bway to Bway transfers winning Best Musical Tony 2 years running .. has it happened before this?

[broadwayguy91]

Posted: 6/20/16 at 10:19am

Two musicals that originated from the Public Theatre (a not-for-profit theatre company)- Fun Home and Hamilton have transferred to Broadway in back to back years with resounding success, snagging the Best Musical Tony in 2015 and 2016 respectively. (and also Best Book, Best Score/ Lyrics and Best Direction of a Musical).

Is this the first time this has happened - two off Broadway transfers from the same off Broadway NFP theatre company ending up winning the Best Musical Tony in back to back years?

The last Best Musical winners that were the product of an off Broadway NPF transfer (that I recall) was Spring Awakening which originally played off Broadway via the Atlantic Theatre Company, back in 2007 and Once, in 2012, which originated via the New York Theatre Workshop.

More importantly, is the Public Theatre gaining a reputation as the go-to-place for musicals / plays to have their development process and try out before moving to Bway? will they become New York's version of the Royal Shakespeare Company (who are benefiting from the huge revenue generated by Les Miserables and Matilda)?

 

 

Updated On: 6/20/16 at 10:19 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 6/20/16 at 10:24am

The Public has long had a reputation as an incubator of Broadway-bound work, though this is the first time it's had back-to-back major successes.

ART, in Boston, has also become a launching-off point for Broadway transfers since Paulus took over leadership.

As far as I can tell, though, the Fun Home/Hamilton one-two punch is unprecedented for a non-profit.

[AC126748]

Posted: 6/20/16 at 10:30am

If you count revivals, ART won back-to-back Best Musical Revival awards for Porgy and Bess (2012) and Pippin (2013). But for original musical transfers, I don't think it has ever happened before.

[Dave13]

Posted: 6/20/16 at 10:32am

Does Public share in the profits of Hamilton and Fun Home once they leave? 

Updated On: 6/20/16 at 10:32 AM

[broadwayguy91]

Posted: 6/20/16 at 10:36am

Dave13 said: "Does Public share in the profits of Hamilton and Fun Home once they leave? 

 

"

they do. Quote from this article: "The Public Theater receives a weekly royalty of 1 percent of the adjusted box-office gross"

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7325353/hamilton-money-breakdown

I'm assuming they also did the same with Fun Home

thanks for the info, AC126748, I didn't think of looking into the revivals, so thanks for pointing that out

 
 

Updated On: 6/20/16 at 10:36 AM

[Dave13]

Posted: 6/20/16 at 10:49am

broadwayguy91 said: "Dave13 said: "Does Public share in the profits of Hamilton and Fun Home once they leave? 

 

"

they do. Quote from this article: "The Public Theater receives a weekly royalty of 1 percent of the adjusted box-office gross"

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7325353/hamilton-money-breakdown

I'm assuming they also did the same with Fun Home

thanks for the info, AC126748, I didn't think of looking into the revivals, so thanks for pointing that out

 
 

 

"

Looks like they get 5% after recoupment and 6% after double recoupment.  That's a nice chunk of change for the Public.  Wish I was one of the original investors. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/20/16 at 11:36am

Non-profits have been getting a share ever since The Great White Hope which lost $50,000 on the regional production and received zero from either the Broadway production or the film. 

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 6/20/16 at 1:03pm

The Public made loads of money (and still does), from a Chorus Line.

Glad to see some of the massive profit generated from Hamilton, going to the Public, which ploughs all its money back into theatre projects, such as Shakespeare in the Park, no one deserves it more.