What Is The Cheapest Broadway Musical Ever?

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 10/14/20 at 10:22pm

We all know the super expensive shows, like Shrek, Spiderman, and King Kong, but what are the cheapest Broadway musicals ever produced?

Having given it some thought, I think it has to be [title of show]. It's said in the show, the set is just "four chairs and a keyboard". Half the cast was just the writers, who likely accepted Equity Scale, and one person served as MD/Arranger/Accompanist.

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/14/20 at 10:31pm

Probably COME FROM AWAY. Yes it’s is a sizeable cast and a small stage band, but the design is one backdrop and pretty much just all chairs.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 10/14/20 at 10:49pm

The Story of My Life has to be up there

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/14/20 at 10:49pm

There's no earthly way that Come From Away could be cheaper than [Title of Show]

[GrantGrant]

Posted: 10/14/20 at 10:54pm

Probably not be the cheapest broadway musical ever, but Glory Days had a cast of six actors including understudies. And the set was just literally a set of bleachers and a wall of lights.

[blaxx]

Posted: 10/14/20 at 11:19pm

quizking101 said: "Probably COME FROM AWAY. Yes it’s is a sizeable cast and a small stage band, but the design is one backdrop and pretty much just all chairs."

You must be VERY young to think that lol

[blaxx]

Posted: 10/14/20 at 11:23pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "We all know the super expensive shows, likeShrek, Spiderman,andKing Kong, but what are the cheapest Broadway musicals ever produced?

Having given it some thought, I think it has to be[title of show]. It's said in the show, the set is just "four chairs and a keyboard". Half the cast was just the writers, who likely accepted Equity Scale, and one person served as MD/Arranger/Accompanist."

That really depends on how you adjust prices due to inflation. I agree with The Story of My Life with a cast of two, must have had a pretty low nut.

[KKeller6]

Posted: 10/14/20 at 11:57pm

Springsteen on Broadway.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 12:59am

Springsteen’s weekly salary was probably more than Title of Show’s entire weekly nut lol

Btw, that raises the question to the OP: are you talking about capitalization (the cost of building the set, making the costumes, and other pre-production needs)? Or are you asking about weekly running cost (I.e, the paychecks for cast and crew, theatre rental, weekly supplies, etc)? They are two completely separate ways of measuring the cost of a show.

Either way, I don’t think Come From Away even cracks the top 20 cheapest musicals in Broadway history.

The “Story of my Life vs Title of Show” comparison is interesting. Both of them had pretty simplistic sets and costumes. Hard to say which had a lower capitalization. As for weekly running cost, [title of show] might have had a slightly larger cast, but Story of My Life has a significantly larger band (9 pieces, vs. 1 solo keyboard).

Also, I have no idea how to estimate theatre rental costs relative to each other, but I’m guessing that would also be a factor. [title of show] was in a slightly larger theatre, but Story of My Life was in the Booth, which is in a better location. Not sure if location is actually factored into the calculation, but given the old real estate adage (“Location, Location, Location!&rdquo I would guess so.

EDIT: I guess location quality is debatable. I was thinking about how the Booth is clustered with other theatres, and how 45th st. probably has more foot traffic on the West side of TS than on the east side. However, the Lyceum is close enough to Broadway that it's easily visible from Times Square for any pedestrians walking North, whereas you can't see the Booth from Times Square unless you're deliberately looking down 45th, and even then it's competing with other theatres. 

Updated On: 10/15/20 at 12:59 AM

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 1:42am

TOS's capitalization was $1.875M.Glory Days was $2.5M. 

[binau]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 4:04am

next to normal was very cheap...approx 250-280k USD to run per week. Can't remember what the capital was but if I recall around 2-4 million USD?

I personally like to distinguish between 'cheapness' and 'inexpensive' though. Ironically, even though Spider Man was expensive I would say it looked more 'cheap' than next to normal. It was tacky, with a lot of wide open empty stage and didn't even really feel that lavish. Next to normal was tastefully designed, fit the space perfectly and felt avant garde. 

[blaxx]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 6:18am

I really don't remember if TOS got away with not paying the orchestra minimum.

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 7:11am

blaxx said: "quizking101 said: "Probably COME FROM AWAY. Yes it’s is a sizeable cast and a small stage band, but the design is one backdrop and pretty much just all chairs."

You must be VERY young to think that lol"

I’m 26 and was speculating a possible answer to the OP’s question based on the breadth of musicals I’ve seen. Kindly take your condescension and shove it up your lower orifice

 

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 9:08am

I always heard CHICAGO revival wasn’t expensive or had a lower weekly but compared to other shows.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 9:57am

Title of Show?

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 12:44pm

qolbinau said: "next to normal was very cheap...approx 250-280k USD to run per week. Can't remember what the capital was but if I recall around 2-4 million USD?

I personally like to distinguish between 'cheapness' and 'inexpensive' though. Ironically, even though Spider Man was expensive I would say it looked more 'cheap' than next to normal. It was tacky, with a lot of wide open empty stage and didn't even really feel that lavish. Next to normal was tastefully designed, fit the space perfectly and felt avant garde."

NTN was capitalized at $4M.

[whatdoesntkillme]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 1:59pm

blaxx said: "I really don't remember if TOS got away with not paying the orchestra minimum."

It's not a matter of "got away with"--special situations have been built into the Local 802 collective bargaining agreement with the Broadway League since 1993. They most definitely were granted one, since the show transferred from off-Broadway with fewer musicians than the theater's minimum in the previous production, which is one of the qualifying factors. But the house minimum for the Lyceum is 3 musicians, so even if they weren't granted the special situation (which, again, they were), they would only have had to pay the rates of two more musicians. 

[whatever2]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 7:23pm

surely the original 'Titanic' has to be a contender?? The recent revival at DC's Signature Theatre did full justice to the gorgeous score, but my high school theatre department turned out better sets than that Broadway production -- and i graduated in 1979!!!

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 7:32pm

TOS was my first thought as well. Super bare bones and I’m not convinced that any of the cast commanded a very high salary.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 7:33pm

Andy Warhols Man in the Moon

[AADA81]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 7:55pm

Maybe 'I Do, I  Do' with Mary Martin and Robert Preston.  Two actors, minimal scenery or staging, minimal orchestra.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/15/20 at 8:09pm

AADA81 said: "Maybe 'I Do, I Do' with Mary Martin and Robert Preston. Two actors, minimal scenery or staging, minimal orchestra."

Even when adjusted for inflation, with two superstars and a full orchestra, I can't imagine it would have been that cheap to put on.  Of course, it probably benefitted by opening before trade union insanity exploded, which could have cut costs.  

I have read so many times that the smallest show gets a lot more expensive once the trade unions get through with it.   For example, as discussed on this board many times, the cost to move a show to a different theatre in the 60s and 70s was a small fraction of what it is today, after adjusting for inflation.

[Joshua Rosenthal]

Posted: 10/16/20 at 12:30am

blaxx said: "Alex Kulak2 said: "We all know the super expensive shows, likeShrek, Spiderman,andKing Kong, but what are the cheapest Broadway musicals ever produced?

Having given it some thought, I think it has to be[title of show]. It's said in the show, the set is just "four chairs and a keyboard". Half the cast was just the writers, who likely accepted Equity Scale, and one person served as MD/Arranger/Accompanist."

That really depends on how you adjust prices due to inflation. I agree with The Story of My Life with a cast of two, must have had a pretty low nut."

Sorry for the confusion, but what do you mean by “nut”?

[blaxx]

Posted: 10/16/20 at 12:37am

Joshua Rosenthal said: "blaxx said: "Alex Kulak2 said: "We all know the super expensive shows, likeShrek, Spiderman,andKing Kong, but what are the cheapest Broadway musicals ever produced?

Having given it some thought, I think it has to be[title of show]. It's said in the show, the set is just "four chairs and a keyboard". Half the cast was just the writers, who likely accepted Equity Scale, and one person served as MD/Arranger/Accompanist."

That really depends on how you adjust prices due to inflation. I agree with The Story of My Life with a cast of two, must have had a pretty low nut."

Sorry for the confusion, but what do you mean by “nut”?"

Weekly nut, which is the average cost of running the production every week. The profits are calculated after these costs are covered. 

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 10/16/20 at 2:11am

whatever2 said: "surely the original 'Titanic' has to be a contender?? The recent revival at DC's Signature Theatre did full justice to the gorgeous score, but my high school theatre department turned out better sets than thatBroadway production-- and i graduated in 1979!!!"

Titanic was many things, but cheap it was not. With a cast of 42 (!) and an orchestra of 30 (!) and a high-tech and complicated-for-its-time set that tilted and "sank", Titanic must have had a large weekly operating cost. It was capitalized at $10M, which was substantial in 1997.