What is with this Theater Season -- Will it Have Any Hit Show?

Yes, it has been a strange season, with a lot of shows crashing and burning, but the news is not all dire out there.

Though not successful with the critics, and not a Hairspray-sized juggernaut, both The Boy from Oz and Wicked seem to be performing well at the box office. Avenue Q is also bringing in respectable numbers in its small theatre with no apparent public discounting, and that show certainly can qualify as a critical success. And Golda's Balcony is chugging along at the Helen Hayes quite nicely and received mostly positive reviews (though not from the Times) but is still bringing in lots of group business. As for previewing shows, Never Gonna Dance and Wonderful Town seem to be generating mostly positive word-of-mouth.

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Updated On: 11/19/03 at 12:02 PM

Avenue Q all the way!
Caroline Or Change should get some nominations for Drama Desk awards.

Updated On: 11/19/03 at 12:07 PM

Avenue Q
Iron
The Beard of Avon
The Long Christmas Ride Home
I am my Own Wife
Matt & Ben
Golda's Balcony (if ever there was a shoo-in for a best actress tony)
Omnium Gatherum

Hank, as I said in my original post here,

a show that is both a critical and commercial success.

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Caroline or Change is a dud.

It's hard to imagine how anything could be a *critical* success when the critics seem to hate everything. But don't you think "Wicked" will clearly be a hit, in terms of box office if not reviews?

Wicked will be a hit

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It means absolutely nothing.