'Wicked' recoups

[magruder]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 7:05pm

Story in tomorrow's NY Times. The article also says advance sales stand at over $30 million, which is pretty staggering.

Link below.
NY Times

[Plum]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 7:06pm

*clapclap*

Good for them. I don't care for the show, but at least it isn't jukebox tripe.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 7:14pm

They must have done something right.

[Corine2]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 7:16pm

It is a tourist show and tourists buy most of the tickets.
I actually enjoyed Wicked, just not as much as Q.
I am always happy when a show does well.
Good for them. Good for Broadway.
And i am still glad Q won that Tony!
PS: If you enjoyed Wicked, you need to see Forbidden Broadway (Defying Chenoweth- it is actually better then Wicked) Updated On: 12/20/04 at 07:16 PM

[DAME]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 7:22pm

It also lends itself to be something more spectacular than Q. Which tourists want to see when they come to broadway. And amen to that comment about jukebox musicals. ( I justcame from a good vibrations run thru.).

[Corine2]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 7:35pm

Dame,
The sets are spectacular but Q is a different league.

[magruder]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 8:59pm

I did enjoy Avenue Q more than Wicked, I'll admit. However, I have to give major points to Wicked for trying something extremely large and ambitious.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:08pm

I'm happy when ANY show with a bit of ambition recoups. It's good for all of Broadway when that happens. It's not my favorite show, but it's not an embarassment to the genre and does feature an original score, a decent book and some fine performances -- good for them.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:16pm

Amen!

[zepka102]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:17pm

yay wicked!

[Iris Chacon]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:18pm

You said it girl.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:19pm

a less than decent book, some horrid laugh out loud lyrics, but the music is nice and bitch looks pretty in green so yay for them. I hope their heads aren't too big at this point (insert bad joke about the dancing heads during "One Short Day"), we'll see what happens when she leaves (I mean look what happened to Millie...) but it's ALWAYS nice to hear that a show has recouped. It's good for the future of Broadway and for that lowly producer wondering if he should invest in a new show...

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:28pm

"I mean look what happened to Millie..."

Yeah, but Millie didn't really have sold-out shows week after week. Wicked has already made a name for itself and will continue to be successful for some time, no matter who plays Elphaba or Glinda.

[Corine2]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:37pm

Wicked is a very entertaining show. The sets are spectacular.
The music also grows on you. When I saw it (only once) I was entertained. Although, after listening to the music on the radio, I am starting to get hooked on "Popular" And "For Good"
but i don't own the cd.
I have however, had to buy three Avenue Q cds. I WARPED two already. One baked in the sun last year when I was in Guana.(It Suck suck suck sucks to be me)
The other was used way to many times.
You could say I listen to Q often.
Updated On: 12/20/04 at 09:37 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:43pm

Exactly. The VAST majority of the tourist audience that's selling out Wicked week after week since previews has never heard of or ever cared about Kristen Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, etc ...... (notice how Chenoweth's leaving had zero effect on its sold out status -- it was soldout in the weeks before she left and equally soldout in the weeks afterwards -- and few people outside the world of BWW and Idina fan sites care enough about Ms. Menzel to shell out $100 JUST to see her).

The enduring popularity of "The Wizard of Oz" buffered by a first rate marketing campaign and good word-of-mouth is what has led to the show being a soldout hit (regardless of the cast).

Updated On: 12/20/04 at 09:43 PM

[Corine2]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:46pm

Thankfully, I won the Wicked Lottery on the first try.
Avenue Q TOOK 17 TIMES.
Welcome to my world.
Updated On: 12/20/04 at 09:46 PM

[PJ]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:48pm

...which is why I believe the show has a healthy run ahead of it. As long as the two leading ladies are cast according to talent and not due to their once-a-star status, ahem...Cabaret, the show should due quite well for quite some time.

[Ellie3]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:49pm

Aw, poor Corine!

So how many shows have actually recouped this year? Is this unususal? And has Wicked done it in a particularly speedy fashion? What the hell, one more - has Avenue Q recouped?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:58pm

Avenue Q recouped SEVERAL months ago (I think it only took like 40 weeks or so -- very fast in this day and age).

[Plum]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:59pm

So how many shows have actually recouped this year?

I'm pretty sure the revivals of A Raisin in the Sun and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof recouped, as did The Boy From Oz, the latter just barely. Updated On: 12/20/04 at 09:59 PM

[Ellie3]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 10:02pm

Thanks. Would I be wrong to wonder if Raisin and TBFO recouped due to star power? And maybe Cat on a Hot Tin Roof?

[Plum]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 10:04pm

I would say yes to all 3. I doubt any of them would even have been produced without their stars, even though the plays are classics. Updated On: 12/20/04 at 10:04 PM

[cturtle]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 10:07pm

i'm one of those "tourists" who saw WICKED and AVE Q on successive days last summer. i loved BOTH shows ... totally different from each other and each very successful for achieving its own goals. long live broadway diversity!

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 10:07pm

I'm not so sure of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.

[Plum]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 10:08pm

Recouping or being produced without stars?