Update: AIN'T NO MO extended thru December 23! Yay! — Page 3

troynow said: "Is Broadway super white? Sure.
However, to blame every failure of a show of color on the “whiteness” of Broadway that is just wrong.

There are shows telling stories with Black people in them doing well. Examples:

TopDog/ Under Dog
Death of a Salesman
Piano Lesson

All have Black people in them some from a Black point of view.

Also, to say Ain’t No Mo just didn’t its audience is false. The show was not marketed well because Daniels is a first time producer. A NOVICE! Broadway is HARD. And you can’t force it like a movie. Furthermore the grossest were not moving in the direction of the public.

Speaking of… THE PUBLIC! Where was their support??? They were off too busy becoming producers for Fat Ham leaving their other show, Aint No Mo, out to dry.

Lastly, this is NOT COVID. Unfortunately, Broadway is a business not a not profit doing things for impact.

Walking With Ghost
KPOP
Aint No Mo

All closing/closed early for lack of tickets sales and or interest from the general public.

Do not indict the theatre community because people choose not to see your show.

ITS JUST WRONG. Not Racist. "

I think your statement re Top Dog et al doing well is invalid. Top Dog and Death both have had box office malaise from the beginning, although not as bad as Ain’t NoMo’ or K-POP. Death has grossed a lot more than Top Dog, but there are still plenty of seats that go unsold, and I imagine that it will be a financial failure.   Piano Lesson falls under the ‘it has stars’ category, which has a lot to do with its well-deserved grosses.

Updated On: 12/10/22 at 01:57 PM

Ensemble1665759202 said: "I think that regardless of how great or hard a show markets, post-pandemic Broadway can only sustain musicals with big names or jukebox musicals. Hope that doesn't continue to be true, but it's how things seem at the moment tbh."

And then there's LEOPOLDSTADT...

 

Jordan's message made it sound like the Shuberts were the ones kicking the show out... which leads me to wonder, what incoming shows would warrant such a hasty closing? Is there anyone slated to take that theater after ANM closes?

Even if an another show doesn’t want the theater, do the posted grosses seem like they would cover the salaries (cast, crew, FOH), rent, and utilities? I’m not sure how it works but is it possible Shubert was also losing money by allowing them to stay?

As has been rehearsed multiple times, the stop clause is triggered automatically when a show falls below the magic number for the magic period. It is beyond inconceivable that it has not been triggered here. But it is equally inconceivable that the Shuberts would invoke it for 12/18. Makes zero sense. No show, with no announcement and no preparation, is going to come in during the dog days of January for a <2 month run. It's quite obvious that the production chose to close on the 18th because people, even rich people, don't like bleeding money. 

@Jordan, I tend to agree that nothing can be resolved here because of "noise," but it is very bizarre form of sanctimony that has you throwing around expressions like virtue signalling and pearl clutching. People can have different takes but just as you have firmly held convictions, so do others. Lots of white folk liked this show, lots of black folk did. maybe we should avoid trying to apologize for some lousy producing and marketing by drawing lines. And finally, I am willing to cut Cooper a little slack because he is (a) young and (b) heartbroken, kinda like some of the England players who just got sent home from the World Cup and were banging their fists in the dirt. 

SouthernCakes said: "White people like white people things."

Agreed. And anyone who is somehow triggered or offended by this notion should check their privilege and do some self reflection about why they feel that way. 

you being constantly defensive by facts are actually the reason this can't be a reasonable discussion. you're the only person acting this way on this thread. You did not like this show. Thank you for your opinion.

move on. 

 

One of the reasons so many conversation here (and in other online forums) devolve so quickly is that many people seem compelled to try and "win" every exchange.

Dialogue typically requires people to balance advocating their own perspective with open-minded inquiry into those others hold. 

I'm not a Stephen Covey/Seven Habits fanatic, but he wasn't wrong when he asserted Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood® is a worthy habit.

Quality can be a deciding factor in a show’s success, but it is hardly the only factor in a show’s success. Mediocrity has succeeded on Broadway and will continue to do so. 

Broadway is perceived as an entertainment for tourists or a certain demographic of white audiences (and, frankly, data backs that up). Until it can actually overcome that, shows that try to appeal to more groups as their ticketbuyer base will struggle. And that requires creativity and work from marketing firms and producers. It shouldn’t be on the artists or the fans. 
 

In the case of Aint No Mo, nobody has been showing up. And that failure to translate acclaim into sales is solely on the producers. 

 

Updated On: 12/10/22 at 05:45 PM

But is Piano Lesson selling the same way? Both are, to your  example, standard plays by famous playwrights. 

@Jordan, I tend to agree that nothing can be resolved here because of "noise," but it is very bizarre form of sanctimony that has you throwing around expressions like virtue signalling and pearl clutching.

Great (part) of your comment, HH. A person who pretends not to be offended then spends a paragraph clearly being offended is a funny thing. The play was not written for white people and damn, that pisses some white people off! 

Broadway is a white space and white playwrights dominated (and still do) so I can't expect evolved responses from everyone, especially overly sensitive people who can't stand not being included. "You did not write this with ME in mind?" The audacity!

So the answers no then… it’s not selling better. 

SouthernCakes said: "So the answers no then… it’s not selling better."

You didn't ask if one was selling better than the other. You asked, "is Piano Lesson selling the same way?" The answer was yes, and presented with the evidence of that, you decided to pretend you asked a different question than you had. Unfortunately for you, most of us here are capable of reading comprehension. Nice try, though.