mywonderwa11 wrote:
"TimesSquareRegular - Do you actually think that stars aren't the reason people go to the theatre? Especially the tourists?
Shows like Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys sell well because of the music. Mamma Mia features music by ABBA, a world famous music group. And Jersey Boys features music by The Four Seasons...another world famous music group. Of COURSE those are going to sell well and have for years.
Shows like Wicked and The Lion King sell well because of their titles. Enough said.
And Billy Elliot ran in London first and received great word of mouth before it ever came to New York and when it did it won several Tonys...including one that made history. And of course, Elton John. He might not be everyone's cup of tea, but he is a household name. ...."
So it's because the music, or the title, or was a hit in London or won several Tonys or..... and maybe this is the big answer ...
great word of mouth.
There are counterpoints to everything you suggested - and yes, in some cases what you said is absolutely true. But if it was simply familiarity with the music,
ALL SHOOK UP would still be playing, Elton John's name didn't keep
LESTAT around very long, and Jane Fonda's return to Broadway didn't even make it to 100 performances.
It's much too glib to say that you must have a star to have a hit, or even suggest that having a star guarantees a hit.
The title as star? You really think
Wicked was on everyone's tongues across the country before it opened? How come
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (a three hour and twenty minute play) with NO NAME STARS ran long enough to make a profit before adding in some known performers?
If there was a sure-fire formula for churning out hits, don't you think that every house would be filled with profitable runs?
The right star in the right vehicle (Nathan Lane in
Producers wins, Nathan Lane in
November loses)but stars can flop like anyone else, and saying you
must have a star (and then redefining "star" to mean music, title, composer, and head usher) is an oversimplification.
2016 These Paper Bullets (1/02) Our Mother's Brief Affair (1/06), Dragon Boat Racing (1/08), Howard - reading (1/28), Shear Madness (2/10), Fun Home (2/17), Women Without Men (2/18), Trip Of Love (2/21), The First Gentleman -reading (2/22), Southern Comfort (2/23), The Robber Bridegroom (2/24), She Loves Me (3/11), Shuffle Along (4/12), Shear Madness (4/14), Dear Evan Hansen (4/16), American Psycho (4/23), Tuck Everlasting (5/10), Indian Summer (5/15), Peer Gynt (5/18), Broadway's Rising Stars (7/11), Trip of Love (7/27), CATS (7/31), The Layover (8/17), An Act Of God (8/31), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (8/24), Heisenberg (10/12), Fiddler On The Roof (11/02), Othello (11/23), Dear Evan Hansen (11/26), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (12/21) 2017 In Transit (2/01), Groundhog Day (4/04), Ring Twice For Miranda (4/07), Church And State (4/10), The Lucky One (4/19), Ernest Shackleton Loves Me (5/16), Building The Wall (5/19), Indecent (6/01), Six Degrees of Separation (6/09), Marvin's Room (6/28), A Doll's House Pt 2 (7/25) Curvy Widow (8/01)