What Is The Cheapest Broadway Musical Ever?

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.

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.

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

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 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

Title of Show?

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.

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

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”?

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.