Hamilton

BOONDOGGLE OR SOUND POLICY? CLARIFYING THE BROADWAY TAX CREDIT

May 16, 2025 by Philip Boroff

EXCLUSIVE: Good Night, and Good Luck has repeatedly set weekly records as the highest-grossing play in Broadway history. Nonetheless, the George Clooney blockbuster projected it will qualify for a $2.5 million subsidy from New York State, according to a production operating agreement distributed to investors.

Glengarry Glen Ross, the hit revival starring Kieran Culkin, expects $1.9 million from the state. Othello, which charges as much as $921 to see Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, projected $2 million in state aid.Continue Reading

OSKAR EUSTIS’ LONG GOODBYE

July 30, 2024 by Philip Boroff

EXCLUSIVE: Before the Public Theater fired a fifth of its staff, the downtown institution faced a financial crisis.

When it disclosed layoffs last July, the renowned nonprofit company said that it hoped to avoid a budget deficit in the year ending in August 2023. Instead, expenses exceeded revenue by $8 million that season, according to its most recent audited financial statement, which was obtained by Broadway Journal. That was the 70-year-old organization’s biggest budget deficit in at least a decade.Continue Reading

‘MERRILY’ TICKETS ROLL UP TO $899

November 22, 2023 by Philip Boroff

The producers of Merrily We Roll Along have raised the revival’s top ticket price to $899 — the most expensive seat on Broadway so far this season.

The $899 tickets, which include a $50 fee for buying online, are for some orchestra and mezzanine seats in the Hudson Theatre for a handful of weekend performances in December. In this era of “dynamic pricing,” the move reflects strong demand heading into the holidays.Continue Reading

‘HAMILTON’ PRODUCER RECEIVED EMERGENCY SMALL BUSINESS LOAN (EXCLUSIVE)

July 7, 2020 by Philip Boroff

Jeffrey Seller, the lead producer of the blockbuster Hamilton and a producer of the film version that streamed on Disney+, received an emergency small business loan for his company backed by the federal government, according to Treasury Dept. data released on Monday.Continue Reading

‘HAMILTON’-ENDOWED PUBLIC THEATER DELAYS FURLOUGHS WITH $4 MILLION OF U.S. AID

May 21, 2020 by Philip Boroff

EXCLUSIVE: The Public Theater, which has earned tens of millions of dollars launching Hamilton, received federal assistance meant to preserve jobs threatened by the pandemic.

The Public borrowed roughly $4 million through the Paycheck Protection Program, according to Shareeza Bhola, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit. The loans, which are overseen by the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration, may be forgiven when borrowers spend at least 75 percent of the money on payroll over eight weeks.Continue Reading

WITH EARLY CURTAIN, BROADWAY HAS LOWEST BOX OFFICE TALLY IN FOUR YEARS

April 8, 2020 by Philip Boroff

Is the Broadway season over? If so, statistically, 2019-20 was both disastrous and illustrative of the industry’s resilience.

THE AGE OF THE BLOCKBUSTER MUSICAL (GRAPHIC)

February 5, 2020 by Philip Boroff

Hit musicals are running longer and making more money than ever — which is illustrated by two fascinating interactive charts.

MUSICALS’ AVERAGE TICKET JUMPS TO $126; PLAYS REBOUND

May 30, 2018 by Philip Boroff

The Broadway season that ended on Sunday was strong but not stellar.

Overall attendance: up 4 percent to 13.8 million, according to the Broadway League. Grosses rose 17 percent, to $1.7 billion. The average price of a ticket for a musical gained 11 percent to $125.70 — thanks to strong demand for Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Lion King, Hello, Dolly! with Bette Midler and, increasingly, Mean Girls, which looks like a hit.

HISTORIC ‘HAMILTON’ RAISES TOP TICKET TO RECORD $1,150

December 24, 2017 by Philip Boroff

EXCLUSIVE: Don’t be shocked if Hamilton reports extra-huge holiday numbers. Tickets this week are going for a record $1,150.

With the increase, Hamilton is the first on Broadway to sell seats for four figures, before fees, that don’t benefit a charity or political campaign.

As of Sunday afternoon, a few $1,150 tickets were still available through December 30. (The show is dark on New Year’s Eve and Jan. 1.) They are the only ones remaining this year for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical about the founding fathers, besides those via resellers and a $10 lottery. The price is up 15 percent from last Christmas, when top tickets fetched a then-record $998. (Hello, Dolly! later matched $998 for the first row for some performances.) Shows typically raise prices for the holidays, when tourists pack the city.

THE GRANT WHERE IT HAPPENS: THE N.E.A. SEEDS BROADWAY

January 26, 2017 by Philip Boroff

The Band's Visit at the Atlantic/Ahron Foster — The Band’s Visit/Ahron Foster

CORRECTION: This story originally referred to a pro-N.E.A. tweet by Rex Tillerson, U.S. Secretary of State designate at the time. A Trump transition official later said the Twitter account was fake.

Hamilton, Next to Normal, War Horse and South Pacific have something in common besides acclaim and awards. They share a patron in the federal government.

The National Endowment for the Arts, which may face an existential threat from the new administration in Washington, has subsidized the development of many of the most praised shows on Broadway and off-Broadway. (See below for a list of nonprofits that have received notable NEA grants.)