Sweeney Todd Recoups, Extends through Dec. 31

Listen to that...
Won't you listen to that...

Dare I say it?

Alright I'll tempt fate and I'll say it out loud...

It's a Hit, it's a hit, it's a hit!- MWRA

It was an open run, they just open up ticket sales in blocks, to reduce the number of people who buy tickets and then need to get refunds because the show closed.

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Congrats to the producers for keeping Sweeney costs reasonable. 3.5 million is really low for any show today. The record shows that very few, if any, Sondheim shows have recouped (excluding West Side and Gypsy). Sondheim shows usually get rave reviews but dont make money or last long. While the Sweeney cast is superb, much credit should go to the producers who made this show happen.

FYI -- Forum, Company, A Little Night Music and Into the Woods all recouped.

And more than a decade after the fact, according to Hal Prince, the original Sweeney Todd finally broke even and turned a small profit (I think that was due to CD and DVD sales).

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Updated On: 3/21/06 at 11:07 AM

Well, let's put an addendum to say that, "proof that smart producers can offer up a SMART PRODUCTION and turn a profit in less than two years."

For someone who likes Sondheim, but is not totally smitten, I may have to reassess my thinking----I adored this show!
I'm very pleased that it is doing well!

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Updated On: 3/21/06 at 11:29 AM

Did the recent ITW and Forum (OK, so 10 years ago is not so recent) revivals recoup as well?

ITW Revival most certianly did not recoup.

I was just reminded that SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM also recouped.

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Assassins was produced by the not-for-profit Roundabout Theatre Company and thus was not a hit or flop or in anybody's loss column -- that only applies to commercial shows. It fulfilled its limited engagement and even extended, so it likely repaid the company's budget expenditure and that's all that Roundabout could have hoped for it to do. That it didn't transfer to a commercial venue is neither here nor there -- no one, including Roundabout or Sondheim himself expected a show about presidential assassins to have widespread appeal or run more than a few months.

What's Saturday? If you're referring to Saturday Night, that played OFF-Broadway and also was under the auspices of a not-for profit theatre, Second Stage. Just like Assassins, it fulfilled it's scheduled limited engagement, and not being a commercial venture it cannot be called a hit or flop.

It's well-known that A Little Night Music (601 performances -- 17 month run) and Company (705 performances -- 20 month run) recouped and turned a profit. The vast majority of shows that ran well over a year in those days -- with a few exceptions -- recouped.

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Nowadays I would be a little scared to mount a commercial production of a Sondheim show, but again, kudos to Richard Frankel

I hate to be selfish but what does this do to Patti's plans to tackle Madame Rose this summer at Ravinia?