article about Bway Salaries

[JGC_broadway]

Posted: 8/28/03 at 5:35pm

speaking of the devil:

http://www.sunspot.net/entertainment/stage/bal-to.broadway26aug26,0,4371722.story?coll=bal-artslife-theater

[skingdom]

Posted: 8/28/03 at 6:02pm

too bad it wasn't very informative, but it was interesting. Thanks for the link.

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 8/28/03 at 6:12pm

Thanks, great article. At one point Bernadette held the record for one of the highest paid actors on Bd'w,per yearly contract. But that was prior to "Producers" and other such mega stars in mega roles. Still that's a lot of moola!

So,if $1,300 remains the Equity min. for ensamble, it's safe to presume that the "average" lead 'minimum' might be around $5,000 wk. Wouldn't you say?

Interesting, side thought about Phantom & Les Miz too. It tells me that strength/success of a long running show can indeed be attributed to the show and not the performers, to a great extent. Funny, when TPTB start stunt/ star casting to draw an audience, that show is lacking something and usually closes within 18 -24 months. But then there are exceptions for various reasons. But that's a topic for another time.

[logan30]

Posted: 8/28/03 at 7:20pm

Figures like $30,000-$35,000 weekly salary for Bernadette Peters can be deceiving. Stars with recognized box office draw usually receive a base salary plus a percentage of the box office gross over the weekly nut (weekly operating expenses). That can range from 5%-10%. When Glenn Close was doing SUNSET BLVD she was making over $40,000/wk with her base + points. Very few actors have this arrangement -- the keywords are "recongnized box office draw." The only ones currently receiving salary + points are probably Bernadette Peters, Vanessa Redgrave & Brian Dennehey, and Hugh Jackman. NINE is not-for-profit theater so it is unlikely that Antonio Banderas is getting a huge salary. No doubt Nathan Lane & Matthew Broderick will have salary + points contract when they return to THE PRODUCERS.

[jo]

Posted: 8/28/03 at 8:03pm

The case of Hugh Jackman is quite rare -- he is committing himself to a year on Broadway when his name is being linked to many big movie projects ( "when his commercial value as a movie star has never been higher" - in the words of Vogue editor Anna Wintour). So despite the high Broadway salary/percentage of receipts he is rumoured to make for THE BOY FROM OZ, it will probably still represent a decline in his earning capacity. I don't think it's the same, i.e., an opportunity loss, for other big theatre names nor for some big name movie stars who come to Broadway ( who accept roles for no longer than 6 months) or for those actors who may not have the same current demand opporunities as he has.

jo

[jo]

Posted: 8/28/03 at 8:03pm

Sorry, double post -- how does one delete a duplicate message on this board? Updated On: 8/28/03 at 08:03 PM

[Phantess]

Posted: 8/28/03 at 8:43pm

Can anyone survive on a minimum of $1,354 a week?

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 8/28/03 at 11:44pm

logan30~ This is very true. That's why it's hard to say exactly what a bigger star makes. Even the cast doesn't know what's in their contract.
Speaking of box office % and contracts reminds me of the raw deal J. Mark McVey got over the close of LeMiz. He was interviewd for a paper or magazine so this is no secret.

As many know, J Mark was with LeMiz on Bd'w for about 4 years. Not only was he a top notch ValJean, but a heck of a pleasure to work with. He had an agreement for a percentage of the gate if it reached a certain level. With the announcement of the closing, sales skyrocketed. Prior to the announcement, McVey signed on to concert with Marvin Hamlisch. But asked if he could postpone his concert tour to have the honor of closing the show with his cast.

Twice he went to them and requests were denied. Seems they didn't want to pay him the extra percentage for the remaining weeks of the show. They brought in Ivan Rutherford, the touring Val Jean, who had never played it on Broadway. Just goes to show ya, saving money comes before being decent.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 8/30/03 at 11:16am

LOL PB Entertainment! & this would be different from ANY aspect to the industry? I've seen them fire the craft service people 2 weeks before the end of a show cos they'd have to pay them a $50 bonus! Quick chorus: Money makes the world go round..."

[Benzy92]

Posted: 8/30/03 at 11:28am

I remember reading in Variety a while back that Bernadette Peters got 10% of the weekly gross in Annie Get Your Gun. So the show usually did around 550,000 while she was in it, she was getting around 55,000 a week.

[Scooter]

Posted: 8/30/03 at 11:45am

PB, actually, it was Randal Keith who came in from the road. Ivan had played on Bway w/LM.

[himself]

Posted: 8/30/03 at 11:46am

Let's not forget the numbers here...at the most on any given week, there might be 2,000 tickets sold for a Broadway show compared to the million$ per week in movie tickets sold.

Posted: 8/30/03 at 11:54am

Phantess--
I would LOVE to be living on $1,354 a week. Some of us do not make that much money.

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 8/30/03 at 12:48pm

LeSabre~ I'm surely aware it's business as usual...just not decent. It affected many who were invovled with LM, including his fans/friends.
Yes! I stand corrected, it was Randall Keith brought in from the existing tour. Rutherford toured earlier. Got my 24601's crossed in my mind.
Keeping up with all this is a challange!

[alterego]

Posted: 9/1/03 at 6:55am

I heard somewhere that Nathan Lane and Mathew Broderick recieve percentage points as long as The Producers is running, hmmm another reason for them to return for a brief season?

[bernadette88]

Posted: 9/1/03 at 2:05pm

Phantess,
Boxofficejon is right!!! 1354.00 is really not that bad if you think about it!! If your contract is year and you get 1354/wk that is 5416.00 a month which is 64,992 a year!! No mind you they have to take out taxes and then a percentage of it goes to the agent and some other stuff so they are usually left with out 60-70% of it which is still about 45,500 a year!! So in reality if you are single then it is a prety good salary!! Oh yea, and that is just the MINUMUM...many things come into play when deciding ones salary...role, show, the person....: So techincally even chorus members could be making a bit more than the minimum alotted!!!!

[sheekala]

Posted: 9/2/03 at 12:50pm

bingo!...matthew and nathan have a real stake in The Producers makin some moola...and that's why they are coming back! major investors were NOT happy that the take was falling...I'm happy that they'll be back, can't wait to see them again.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/2/03 at 6:44pm

There was a story that Sammy Davis Jr was to star in " Look To The Lillies" but was asking for the than unheard of $ 10 K a week & the producers balked.

Updated On: 9/2/03 at 06:44 PM

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 9/4/03 at 9:18am

When I first appeared as a dancer in ON YOUR TOES (1936), my weekly salary was $65 per week!!!