The most important element in making a Broadway show successful is simply an audience. With no audience a show must close (yes, shows employ people and the audience's money pays those 'employees', etc.) -- no matter how many Tony Awards it wins or how stellar The New York Times and press reviews are. A good show doesn't merit it to be successful, as the quick closures of numerous gems can attest.
As most mentioned... fabulous word-of-mouth seems to be the key factor these days and what successful shows are successfully running on: MAMMA MIA! and WICKED come to mind as they were not well-received by the critics but are still bringing in audiences. 'Bad' shows don't close -- shows losing money do.
Gone are the days when people used to ask "oh, it closed because it was THAT bad?" Now they say "oh, its sad that show had to close because it wasn't making money".
Good PR and good marketing has turned-out to be a small margin to a show's success as huge expensive campaigns have failed to generate interest in shows audiences aren't talking about. People want to see shows others are gabbing about, not because of a nice logo on a bus or a really huge ad in The New York Times.
GREY GARDENS' tabloid inspired ads didn't help one bit. Only fans of the show 'got' them and the people who it was attempting to attract just didn't care to find out what the ads were about.
He's a faker, and you've been taken in by his con. And in doing so, you are enabling him. He is doing more damage to aspergers than papa's words ever could. -Chane/Liverpool on me having asperger syndrome.