Philip Boroff

HISTORIC BROADWAY SEASON PRODUCES MUSICAL DELUGE

January 20, 2017 by Philip Boroff

EXCLUSIVE: For anyone in need of a diversion, Broadway is presenting its busiest season for musicals in 36 years.

Nineteen new musicals and revivals have opened or are scheduled to open through April 27, the cut-off for Tony Award eligibility. That’s the biggest tally since 1980-81, according to the Broadway League. If all 19 arrive, 2016-17 will have the most musicals since Ronald Reagan was first sworn in as President.

Without an early Hamilton-scale blockbuster, the competition for theatergoers and Tony Awards should be robust. There are constraints on how much demand can rise to meet supply. In recent seasons, about 15 percent of all seats have gone unsold. The average musical customer sees just four a year, according to the Broadway League’s demographic study, regardless of how many are playing. And of the 13 new musicals this season, five at most will be nominated for best musical and guaranteed a performance slot on the Tony telecast in June.

BRYAN CRANSTON ON DECK FOR ‘DAMN YANKEES’ REVIVAL

January 6, 2017 by Philip Boroff

Cranston in ‘All the Way’/Evgenia Eliseeva

EXCLUSIVE: A star of the new heyday of television is taking a swing at a golden age musical.

Bryan Cranston, the Breaking Bad actor who loves baseball and theater, is in talks to headline Damn Yankees, people familiar with the discussions said.

Jeffrey Richards leads a team of producers developing it for 2018. Richards enhanced (or subsidized) an Encores! revival of the show at New York City Center in 2008. Kathleen Marshall is to direct and choreograph Damn Yankees on Broadway.

HELLO MIDLER! ‘DOLLY’ INTRODUCES $525 TICKET

November 29, 2016 by Philip Boroff

The producer of Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler recently raised its top ticket to $525, the most expensive seat on Broadway that isn’t for Hamilton.

Introduced after runaway advance sales, it’s the biggest price ever for a musical revival. As of a few weeks ago, Dolly’s costliest ticket on Telecharge or at the box office was $425. But like Hamilton, it’s exploding on the resale market. Prime Dolly tickets on StubHub exceed $2,000, with seventh row center offered for over $5,000, with fees.

BROADWAY ON TRUMP: RESISTANCE ISN’T FUTILE

November 14, 2016 by Philip Boroff

Broadway’s unofficial post-election strategy: hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Citing Donald Trump’s campaign statements, commercials and recent appointments, many theater artists — including actors, writers and producers — fear that as president he’ll curtail civil liberties, accelerate climate change and undermine the nation’s moral authority and standing in the world.

BROADWAY RECOILS AT TRUMP UPSET

November 9, 2016 by Philip Boroff

Broadway performers and writers, who lampooned Donald Trump and his wife during the presidential campaign and raised millions for Hillary Clinton, expressed despair and defiance as the developer and reality TV performer pulled off what Politico called the biggest upset in United States history. Continue Reading

PATTI LUPONE, JESSE TYLER FERGUSON DERIDE TRUMP AS ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE BLASTS COMMERCIAL

November 5, 2016 by Philip Boroff

UPDATE WITH ADL statement: Patti LuPone and Jesse Tyler Ferguson have taken themselves out of the running for a Presidential Medal of Freedom in a Donald Trump administration.

RUDIN SEEKS TO SILENCE ANGELS

November 3, 2016 by Philip Boroff

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 17: Scott Rudin during the 2016 New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards at 54 Below on May 17, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Walter McBride/Getty Images) — Scott Rudin at the 2016 Drama Critics’ Circle Awards. Walter McBride/Getty

EXCLUSIVE: While expanding Broadway’s boundaries, Scott Rudin is reining in his investors.

The daring and powerful producer is requiring backers to sign away their right to criticize him and the plays and musicals that they’re capitalizing. The unusual provision appears in recent prospectuses obtained by Broadway Journal. It prohibits investors from making “negative remarks orally or in writing in any medium,” including social media, about him, his show or his business practices.

RUDIN PAPERS DEFINE NON-DISPARAGEMENT, NEGATIVE ACT

November 3, 2016 by Philip Boroff

EXCLUSIVE: The first investor non-disparagement clause we found was for the Scott Rudin-produced revival of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. (Click on the text for easier reading.)

CRITICS SHOW LIEV LITTLE LOVE & SPLIT ON ‘LIAISONS’

October 31, 2016 by Philip Boroff

screen-shot-2016-10-30-at-10-00-41-pm — Publicity photo/Joan Marcus

The Associated Press raved, the Hollywood Reporter was mixed and Ben Brantley at the Times panned while questioning whether Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses holds up in a new Broadway revival, particularly with a scene that blends rape and seduction.

‘HAMILTON’ SETS ANOTHER RECORD WITH $998 TICKETS

October 6, 2016 by Philip Boroff

EXCLUSIVE: The producers of Hamilton are selling a new block of $998 tickets for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays that handily sets a Broadway price record.

The $998 seats are up 18 percent over the $849 tickets Hamilton introduced in early June — the previous record holder. When including Ticketmaster’s $18 service fee, the new ticket, at $1,016, is the first on Broadway to run four figures.

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