Will Six be the cheapest musical on Broadway in the past 25 years?

[barcelona20]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 9:48pm

Given the small cast, small orchestra, and practically non-existent set, can you think of another relatively recent Broadway musical that is so cheap to produce and run?

Even Title of Show had some set pieces if I recall right? What other cheap shows am I forgetting?

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 9:52pm

Do we have a $ amount as to how much it costs to run it?

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 10:10pm

barcelona20 said: "Given the small cast, small orchestra, and practically non-existent set, can you think of another relatively recent Broadway musical that is so cheap to produce and run?

Even Title of Show had some set pieces if I recall right? What other cheap shows am I forgetting?"

Shows that you think have a small budget and shows that actually have small budgets are very different things.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 10:10pm

I would be very surprised to hear that title of show had a higher running cost than Six, or that the capitalization was higher - even if you adjust for inflation.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 10:40pm

Spelling Bee was pretty simple.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 11:29pm

Since it’s been selling like gangbusters in Chicago/Boston I’ll be curious to see how much the show will have already made by the time it gets to broadway.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 11:49pm

Can't just go by what the show looks like. There are SO many other unseen factors that go into budgeting a Broadway musical.

That said, we're probably looking at a capitalization of $6-8 mil, which is about as cheap as a musical can get nowadays, but not considerably less than some other recent shows. The operating costs shouldn't be too far off from where Dear Evan Hansen started.

The good news is, if it's a hit, this should be a relatively quick recoupment schedule.

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 11:54pm

Call_me_jorge said: "Since it’s been selling like gangbusters in Chicago/Boston I’ll be curious to see how much the show will have already made by the time it gets to broadway."

None from those runs –– they're being produced by regional theatres with enhancement money from the commercial producers; they're also minuscule houses. London is a different story, though.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 11:56pm

I think it’ll be a massive hit.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 11:29am

I've enjoyed the clips I've seen of this thing, and I know it is a critic's darling, but it really belongs Off-Broadway. At barely 80 minutes and a cast of well, six, I hope they are charging "straight play Broadway prices" and not asking for $140+ for orchestra seats.

Anyway, if the producers are trying to get rich off of this little show, with such a short run time they might as well use the "alternates" (why not just call them understudies?) for at least one or two extra performances per week. I know some holiday shows on Broadway like How the Grinch Stole Christmas have done up to 10 or 11 shows a week.

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 12:04pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "Anyway, if the producers are trying to get rich off of this little show, with such a short run time they might as welluse the "alternates" (why not just call them understudies?) for at least one or two extra performances per week. I know some holiday shows on Broadway like How the Grinch Stole Christmashave done up to 10 or 11 shows a week."

Because understudies and alternates are two different things. An alternate has a pre-planned schedule of when they are going on (and might or might not also be a cover for other performances.) Also, adding more than 8 shows in a week gets very expensive - you don't pay just the actors for extra shows. So usually you only do that if there is the demand.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 12:12pm

They'd need special permission from Equity to consistently run more than 8 shows a week.

[ggersten]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 12:13pm

There also are 10 performers on stage at all times - the six queens and the four ladies in waiting aka the band.  Each of the band members has a "character name".

[bdn223]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 12:33pm

barcelona20 said: "Given the small cast, small orchestra, and practically non-existent set, can you think of another relatively recent Broadway musical that is so cheap to produce and run?

Even Title of Show had some set pieces if I recall right? What other cheap shows am I forgetting?"

Next to Normal is arguably one of the cheapest hits in recent memory. It had a capitalization of $4 Million and had running costs of about $225K. It was basically a unit set with glass panels, incandescent light bulbs, and IKEA furniture. Hedwig And the Angry Inch had a capitalization of $5 million, but running costs in the $400K range. I would assume Six will be more inline with the running costs of Hedwig. Yes, Six has a larger cast (12 vs 7), but I am going to infer that the star casting of Hedwig alone likely cost a similar amount to the salaries of all the queens combined.  

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 12:58pm

People love to keep bringing up the running time. Quality over quantity.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 1:35pm

I'm curious to know if they plan on beefing up the production values for Broadway.  It would add to the capitalization and potentially the running costs, but it could make seeing the Broadway production more attractive to new audiences as well as established fans.

[jakethesnake]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 1:41pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "I've enjoyed the clips I've seen of this thing, and I know it is a critic's darling, but it really belongs Off-Broadway. At barely 80 minutes and a cast of well, six, I hope they are charging "straight play Broadway prices" and not asking for $140+ for orchestra seats.

Anyway, if the producers are trying to get rich off of this little show, with such a short run time they might as welluse the "alternates" (why not just call them understudies?) for at least one or two extra performances per week. I know some holiday shows on Broadway like How the Grinch Stole Christmashave done up to 10 or 11 shows a week."

I would rather see a brilliant 80 minute show than a 3 hour long snoozer.  I prefer my shows to be shorter, as do a lot of people.  

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 2:02pm

Mister Matt said: "I'm curious to know if they plan on beefing up the production values for Broadway. It would add to the capitalization and potentially the running costs, but it could make seeing the Broadway production more attractive to new audiences as well as established fans."

From what I've heard some minor costume and lighting changes to the set, but otherwise everything else is exactly the same. 

[msmp]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 2:22pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "I've enjoyed the clips I've seen of this thing, and I know it is a critic's darling, but it really belongs Off-Broadway. At barely 80 minutes and a cast of well, six, I hope they are charging "straight play Broadway prices" and not asking for $140+ for orchestra seats.

Anyway, if the producers are trying to get rich off of this little show, with such a short run time they might as welluse the "alternates" (why not just call them understudies?) for at least one or two extra performances per week. I know some holiday shows on Broadway like How the Grinch Stole Christmashave done up to 10 or 11 shows a week."

Based on what I've seen online during the presale, orchestra seats are running ~$149-229, though Mezz seats are looking more like straight play prices with a major star ($79-99). So a mix, but leaning to full musical prices.

Updated On: 9/11/19 at 02:22 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 3:11pm

While I don't "prefer" a shorter show -- I agree with jakethesnake - give me a complete 80 minutes vs overly stuffed 2+ hours.  When you serve your STORY, the time is 'right' regardless of the length.

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 4:08pm

A minimalist with NYC rent still has huge expenses to cover.

[Sethwp2]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 4:15pm

I can’t believe people are still asking about lower prices because the running time is short. Anyone actually in the industry knows that’s not how it works. Also, common sense kind of answers this question.

Come From Away, Band’s Visit, Hedwig... all one-act, roughly 90-minute shows. All arguably had higher prices than Ferryman, Long Day’s Journey and Iceman Cometh (which is just now finishing up its last monologue as we speak). 

Are movie ticket prices based on the length of the film, or how many special effects, how many actors, etc are in them? Do you go to a baseball game and pay per inning? Are concert prices based on how many songs the artist performs?

But since y’all are still asking about Six, has any other Broadway play or musical had dynamic pricing based on running time and cast size? Are there examples of this I’m forgetting?

[Midnight Radio]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 6:17pm

I can't imagine Glory Days cost almost anything to run...

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 9/11/19 at 6:53pm

Midnight Radio said: "I can't imagine Glory Days cost almost anything to run..."

I don't know the running cost, but it was capitalized at $2.5M.