Broadway Journal

PUBLIC’S ‘HAMILTON’ RICHES COULD TOP $10 MILLION A YEAR

November 3, 2017 by Philip Boroff

EXCLUSIVE: The Public Theater could earn upwards of $10 million a year for helping to develop Hamilton: An American Musical. But don’t expect it to do anything flashy with the cash.

The plan for now is to plow money back into the institution — rather than bankrolling new shows on Broadway or making Public Theater tickets free year-round a la Shakespeare in the Park.

First up, according to two people familiar with the situation: an ambitious renovation to consolidate rehearsal space across the street, at 440 Lafayette, which will primarily replace facilities it rents around the city. And it’s setting aside reserves for capital expenses, operations and programming.

‘BAND’S VISIT’ IS BIG SELLER IN WEEK ONE

October 16, 2017 by Philip Boroff

Katrina Lenk & Tony Shalhoub/Ahron Foster

The $8 million-plus to bring The Band’s Visit to Broadway looks like money well spent, based on its first full week of previews.

The David Yazbek and Itamar Moses musical set in a sleepy Israeli town grossed $769,000 — 84 percent of its potential. Attendance was 100 percent of capacity. The average ticket, at $105, was just 12 percent below the average of Dear Evan Hansen in its first week a year earlier, according to Broadway League data.

TICKETS AVERAGE $497 FOR SPRINGSTEEN’S TRIP DOWN THUNDER ROAD

October 10, 2017 by Philip Boroff

Only Bruce Springsteen can overshadow Hamilton and Hello, Dolly!

After just five performances, Springsteen’s mostly solo show at the Walter Kerr Theatre grossed $2.3 million, with an average ticket of $496.72 — surely a Broadway record. Hamilton has long sported the highest average, which was $272 last week, according to the Broadway League, and has been as dear as $310.

BMI WORKSHOP ACCEPTS APPLICATIONS FOR NEW CLASS

July 12, 2017 by Philip Boroff

PRESS RELEASE: THE BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, whose alumni include Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Frozen) and Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal), is accepting applications through the end of day on Friday, August 4, for its first-year composer and lyricist class.

‘EVAN HANSEN’ SOARS, MIDLER-FREE ‘DOLLY’ PLUNGES AMID JULY 4 BOX OFFICE MUDDLE

July 10, 2017 by Philip Boroff

It was a tough seven days on Broadway — except for Dear Evan Hansen and a few perennial tourist draws.

With July 4 falling on a Tuesday and many locals away, Hello, Dolly!, A Bronx Tale, War Paint and Beautiful all had their worst sales of the year, according to data from the Broadway League.

Groundhog Day and Waitress, now starring Betsy Wolfe, were near their post-opening lows, and Indecent, which was scheduled to close June 25 and instead extended to August 6, was at just over a third of its gross potential, at $334,000.Continue Reading

‘INDECENT’ & ‘SWEAT’ SURGE ON CLOSING NOTICES

June 26, 2017 by Philip Boroff

Adina Verson and Katrina Lenk in Indecent/Carol Rosegg

There’s nothing like a closing notice to get playgoers’ attention. Sustaining that isn’t easy.

Indecent grosses soared 60 percent to $606,000 last week, according to data from the Broadway League. It was by far the best week for Paula Vogel’s historical drama — about the controversial 1923 Broadway production of God of Vengeance — since it began previews in April.

Indecent had announced a Sunday, June 25, closing, but late on Thursday, June 22, lead producer Daryl Roth said she was inspired by the sales surge to rescind her decision and run it until August 6. Restarting a box office, with no advance sales, is challenging. A quick check of Telecharge suggests wide availability for this week.Continue Reading

FROM ‘OSLO’ TO ‘COME FROM AWAY,’ TONYS PROVIDE BOUNCE

June 19, 2017 by Philip Boroff

The Tony Awards delivered at the box office.

Many winners at Radio City Music Hall on June 11 had their bestselling weeks to-date after being recognized for achievement and, in the case of musicals, making the most of the international platform to present songs from their shows.

PRODUCER SEEKS TO BRING ‘JITNEY’ BACK TO BROADWAY

June 13, 2017 by Philip Boroff

Eric Falkenstein, who helped finance the nonprofit Manhattan Theatre Club revival of August Wilson’s Jitney, is trying to give it another life on Broadway in a commercial production.

“There are a lot of producers who say they want to jump on board,” Falkenstein said in a brief interview a day before it won the Tony Award for best revival of a play.

MINDICH’S HISTORY-MAKING WIN & OTHER TONY TAKEAWAYS

June 12, 2017 by Philip Boroff

ANALYSIS: The 71st annual Tony Awards opened with Kevin Spacey as Evan Hansen in a goofy polo shirt and cast around his left arm. The ceremony ended moments after an acceptance speech by Dear Evan Hansen‘s producer.

In between there was suspense aplenty at Radio City Music Hall. While Dear Evan Hansen, about a socially anxious teenager caught up in web of lies, was methodically collecting awards, including for score and book, Come From Away won for director, Christopher Ashley. That win raised the tantalizing possibility of an upset by the feel-good musical set in a remote Canadian province after 9/11. Ultimately, Evan Hansen prevailed in a historic night.

PRODUCERS SET TO REVOLT AGAINST TONY STAGE SNUB

June 10, 2017 by Philip Boroff

EXCLUSIVE: The 71st annual Tony Awards may be the site of a Broadway rebellion.

On Sunday, the Tonys — a joint venture of the American Theatre Wing and Broadway League — is seeking to end the practice of dozens of producers rushing the stage at Radio City Music Hall when their show wins. Just six producers will be permitted onstage to accept each major award — for play, musical and play and musical revival — according to an email from League President Charlotte St. Martin and Tony Award Productions that was obtained by Broadway Journal.

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