Why is Priscilla not doing better business?

[DAME]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:07pm

Lots of shows had a near sell out week. But not Priscilla. Why?

Updated On: 6/2/11 at 04:07 PM

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:10pm

For one thing, the Palace is huge. But, even then, it's doing VERY good business for that theatre.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:12pm

Word is out that it's not great? Families find the gay content harder to take than La Cage? I would imagine it's one or both of those reasons...

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:15pm

Harder to take than La Cage? This week it doubled La Cage's numbers last week it was 3.5 times as much as La Cage. Priscilla's doing fine.

[theaternut]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:16pm

I think it might be more the subject matter. La Cage never quite achieved a SRO run either. And it has been playing for a year. Most people I know that have seen it do love it and say they had a great time. So I don't think it is the word of mouth theory. And the theater being huge is not a factor. Their grosses should still be higher. Sad.
Updated On: 4/25/11 at 04:16 PM

[greensgreens]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:17pm

I gotta say I was REALLY disappointed with Priscilla. I loved the movie, loved the actors (in the stage version) and loved the songs - so what went wrong? Well, I felt the whole thing had been sterilized terribly. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't cut the whole vandalism on the side of the bus - but if they did, they wouldn't have had an excuse to parade around in paintbrush costumes. The show doesn't need to be offensive or even significantly provocative (although it could be) but one thing Priscilla should NEVER be is something akin to a Disney show at the theme park.

Honestly, if someone had told me what I just wrote before I bought tickets, I would have gladly gone to see something else. I think word of mouth is not as unanimously positive as many believe...

[greensgreens]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:20pm

Funny... In reading some of your comments, it seems like the show was sterilized in hopes of being family friendly, but then ended up turning off the gay fan base it so was counting on.

I guess Priscilla just wants to be loved by everyone and that's not possible on B'way.

[DAME]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:27pm

I did not mean for this thread to turn into another review of the show thread. I think the reviews and word of mouth have been good or if not better than some other shows that have opened this year. And tons of people I talk to and tourists venturing to Ny say they want to see it. So why is it not doing better?

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:37pm

"Funny... In reading some of your comments, it seems like the show was sterilized in hopes of being family friendly, but then ended up turning off the gay fan base it so was counting on."

Priscilla only needs to target the pink dollar to do just fine, which it is doing.

[theaternut]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:40pm

No one said it isn't doing fine. But it should be doing better. Might be a combination of Drag and disco which is hard sell for some.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:45pm

Were you really expecting it to be a Broadway juggernaut?

[theaternut]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:48pm

Not really. But I am surprised that on what was a great week it didn't manage to crack the 90% cap and that so early in its run it has become a tkts regular.

[Rudy2]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:49pm

Maybe people realize their money is better off in their own pockets than in Bette Midler's.

[theaternut]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:50pm

"Maybe people realize their money is better off in their own pockets than in Bette Midler's.

That is such a idiotic comment on so many levels.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:53pm

It's still making over $900k a week after breaking $1mil last week. That's fantastic for a new show at the Palace without a celebrity or a big name. Also, it's not like the movie version was a smash hit either. It was a smaller scale movie, almost an art film. I doubt the producers are worried.

[maxximumvolume]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:55pm

It's doing far better than I would have expected. But what do I know?

[DAME]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 4:58pm

The numbers are good but no.. they are not fantastic. Its crowd should be bigger for a show they hope to run a few years. This past weekend you couldn't get a ticket for any of the big shows in NY except for Priscilla. And great seats at that. I do like the show so I am not poo pooing on it.

[theaternut]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 5:07pm

I think the Sunday Eve and Monday night schedule is not helping.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 5:10pm

You have to remember that most tourists are coming to see the big shows that have been around a while (Phantom/Wicked/Lion King), the new show with the rave reviews (Mormon/War Horse), the show based on incredibly well-known smash-hit movies (Sister Act/Catch Me If You Can), or the show with the big celebrity (How to Succeed). Priscilla doesn't fall into any of those categories (and sold more tickets than some shows that do). For Priscilla to be a smash success, it needs to do well during award season. The other shows out there have other things to fall back on. For a show that has really NO incentive other than glittery costumes, it's doing quite well.

[theaternut]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 5:14pm

"You have to remember that most tourists are coming to see the big shows that have been around a while (Phantom/Wicked/Lion King), the new show with the rave reviews (Mormon/War Horse), the show based on incredibly well-known smash-hit movies (Sister Act/Catch Me If You Can), or the show with the big celebrity (How to Succeed). Priscilla doesn't fall into any of those categories (and sold more tickets than some shows that do). For Priscilla to be a smash success, it needs to do well during award season. The other shows out there have other things to fall back on. For a show that has really NO incentive other than glittery costumes, it's doing quite well."

Finally.. someone with a intelligent thought provoking response. I get your point. The producers have a small uphill battle in their hands.. and hopefully it will follow the success of everywhere else it has played. Not a big sell out success anywhere else it has played either .. but doing ok. I guess I was hoping for better.

[DAME]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 5:19pm

True. In London it was never a total box office smash.. but it is still playing. I guess the day of the hot ticket is pretty rare anymore. Even Mormon was a easy ticket for me to get ( full price but easy)

[DAME]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 5:19pm

True. In London it was never a total box office smash.. but it is still playing. I guess the day of the hot ticket is pretty rare anymore. Even Mormon was a easy ticket for me to get ( full price but easy)

[Rudy2]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 5:52pm

In case anyone missed it, which it seems is the case, I was half-kidding.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 5:57pm

Word of mouth isn't that strong. Among the people I know, very few would recommend it and even family down south has heard from people in person and online that the show just isn't very good.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 5:59pm

I think people were expecting this show to be another Mamma Mia!

Not realistic. Mamma Mia! has a hetero love story. Actually TWO of them at its core. One for the middle-aged audiences, and one for the younger crowds. It had ABBA songs, which have aged REALLY well, and are popular around the world. Not just with certain crowds or a niche audience. They work well for everybody. And they're popular almost on the scale of the Beatles catalog.

The bottom line is Mamma Mia is clever enough, the book is stronger than most people give it credit for, and the songs are introduced in entertaining enough ways to make people laugh, enjoy themselves, and stay with the story to the end.

It ain't Hamlet. It ain't even Cats. But it works well on its own level. People leave the theatre smiling and very relaxed, almost as if they just spent the past week on a Greek Island cruise. That's saying a LOT. And so many people on these boards have underestimated its universal appeal.

Pricilla (although I haven't seen it) apparently does none of these things, according to the majority of the people who have seen it, audiences and critics alike. (Not me, since I don't count.)

I will say this ... I remember seeing all the clips from Mamma Mia! before it opened. They made me want to see the show, so I went.

I saw the clips from Pricilla, and I thought they were terrible. They made me want to stay away from it. So I did.