Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 6/19/22- Page 2

[Lisalemann]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 9:59am

We saw The Music Man the Friday night before the Tony's with Hugh and while I'm extremely glad he wasn't out yet as my 84 year old mother would have been really upset (she's a huge Hugh fan and this is the 3rd time we've seen him on Broadway since 2003) .  That said - I would definitely see the show again with Max in it - as long as I didn't have to pay $280/ticket for it :)  I thought the whole production was just great and Sutton and the kids were fantastic.  Unless a bunch of other cast planned on being out during that time -(which - to be fair - is possible) they should definitely sell the tickets with Max in it for those Hugh scheduled absences.  

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 12:31pm

Broadway.com posts top and bottom 5 rankings of capacity and gross and I just saw this past week's. The Music Man the 4th most grossing show of last week STILL. Pretty fantastic. If they can get some solid replacements this fall, the show will have legs to stand on till spring IMO.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 12:48pm

Eh. I'm not so sure this past week is an indication that there is life after Hugh.  This wasn't a scheduled leave, so likely most people kept their tickets because they were already there, etc. We shall see how it works without him. 

[willrolandsframes]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 12:02pm

Time to ask the silliest question of the day.

 

Is there any chance or possibility, even the slightest, that PHANTOM or CHICAGO could ever stop having an audience? Are these shows just gonna keep running forever? As Broadway continues to morph and change, could there be a reality one day where we say goodbye to one of them?

[David10086]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 12:13pm

Meanwhile, "Plaza Suite" - which received no Tony love except for a 'costume nomination' - seems to be holding down the box office.  Either audiences are huge fans of Broderick and Parker (who were not at the Tony Awards as presenters, so no publicity there) or word of mouth is great, and audiences are loving this new revival. And it's been consistently breaking box office records at the Hudson Theater. 

 

Maybe they need to look on extending this run beyond July 10 ? It's a money-maker. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 12:17pm

I think the only way Chicago closes is if Barry or Fran Weissler pass away. The latter is 94 and the former is 83, so they are pretty much up there in age… not sure though if they have a successor lined up already for their ventures who could possibly keep this going. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 12:56pm

David10086 said: "Meanwhile, "Plaza Suite" - which received no Tony love except for a 'costume nomination' - seems to be holding down the box office. Either audiences are huge fans of Broderick and Parker (who were not at the Tony Awards as presenters, so no publicity there) or word of mouth is great, and audiences are loving this new revival. And it's been consistently breaking box office records at the Hudson Theater.



Maybe they need to look on extending this run beyond July 10 ? It's a money-maker."

It’s all Broderick and Parker - and it was on those names (and the anticipation build up due to COVID delays) that made this pretty much a sell-out run from the beginning.

The theatre is already slated for the upcoming Death Of A Salesman revival and chances are Broderick and Parker don’t want to extend further anyway. Theoretically, it was originally supposed to close this Saturday and was only extended due to multiple COVID related performance cancellations 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 1:35pm

Yeah, I think Plaza Suite has made its money for all involved and they're ready to bounce. 

Phantom and Chicago are interesting because they probably have so much money in reserve to keep themselves going. I'd wonder how much each has in their "savings." 

[David10086]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 4:34pm

RippedMan said: "Yeah, I think Plaza Suite has made its money for all involved and they're ready to bounce.
"

So you think Plaza Suite will be profitable when they close in a few weeks ?  That's good news in a season of so-so revivals. (I think someone mentioned 'Take Me Out' also ended in the black and not the red). 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 5:13pm

Take Me Out was a non-profit run. 
 

As for Plaza Suite, I’d be very surprised if it doesn’t end its run having turned a profit. Partly for the obvious reasons: good grosses, small cast, single set (albeit a very nice one), etc. 

But also: 

Any commercial show with a limited run won’t get produced unless they do the financial math, to make sure they actually CAN recoup in a short amount of time - even if the potential grosses are overly optimistic (as I’m sure they are, in most cases). So in the case of Plaza Suite, you have to wonder: what better grosses could they have possibly imagined for themselves, that they wouldn’t recoup even with these numbers? 

I mean, unless they were on a REALLY razor thin edge, in which case maybe the COVID absences prevented them from crossing the finish line - or maybe the additional costs associated with the pandemic. But I highly doubt their margins were that narrow, especially if they got SVOG money. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 6:20pm

JBroadway said: "Take Me Out was a non-profit run.


As for Plaza Suite,I’d be very surprised if it doesn’t end its run having turned a profit.Partly for the obvious reasons: good grosses, small cast, single set (albeit a very nice one), etc.

But also:

Any commercial show with a limited run won’t get produced unless they do the financial math, to make sure they actually CAN recoup in a short amount of time - even if the potential grosses are overly optimistic (as I’m sure they are, in most cases). So in the case of Plaza Suite, you have to wonder: what better grosses could they have possibly imagined for themselves, that they wouldn’t recoup even with these numbers?

I mean, unless they were on a REALLY razor thin edge, in which case maybe the COVID absences prevented them from crossing the finish line - or maybe the additional costs associated with the pandemic. But I highly doubt their margins were that narrow, especially if they got SVOG money."

It is inconceivable to me that PS will not return a nice profit for its investors.  It’s average gross must be $1.5MM over its run; even with the Brodericks getting huge payouts, how could it not.  Better put, if it does not return a good dividend for its investors, why should anyone who is not a philanthropist or willing to lose virtually all of his/her investments just for the fun of it, ever invest again.  
 

We know that most show lose money, and a limited number receive humungous long-term returns.  We also know that limited-run with names are expected to make a tidy profit.  If they can’t make a tidy profit, why would they produce a dated piece of junk like PS?  They must have known that they were not going to be buying a Tony award.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 6:49pm

Yeah, Plaza Suite's recoupment is all but a done deal (I just don't like to speak in absolutes on this board, in general).

I'm much more curious about Macbeth. They've seen a noticeable dip in their grosses, but $900k/week is still nothing to sneeze at for most plays. Even so, it has to be much more expensive to run than Plaza Suite or Lehman. One huge A-list star, plus another major actor, plus a full cast of principle contracts, and probably a larger stage crew.

But on the other hand, I'd guess the capitalization isn't too high. As a point of reference, Sam Gold's King Lear was $5MM, and I'd guess this one is somewhat less. Maybe $4MM? And let's say their running cost is like $600k/week? (totally guessing here - would love to be corrected if anyone has a better sense). And they've grossed something like $12MM. Seems like they should recoup shortly, if they haven't already - even with their dip in sales.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 8:06pm

I am curious why you think Macbeth would be less than Lear. I see 2 things that weigh in the other direction: inflation and Craig. I think without knowing what his deal looks like, it's hard to predict anything.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 8:22pm

HogansHero said: "I am curious why you think Macbeth would be less than Lear. I see 2 things that weigh in the other direction: inflation and Craig. I think without knowing what his deal looks like, it's hard to predict anything."

 
Hadn't considered inflation, so fair point. As for Craig - why would he be lumped into the capitalization? His salary would be part of the weekly running cost, no?

Anyway, as always I could very well be wrong, but it just seems like a cheaper production to me. More sparse staging, etc. - though I know that can be deceptive. Also, didn't Rudin have a habit of spending a crap-load on marketing?

Updated On: 6/23/22 at 08:22 PM

[David10086]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 9:32pm

Thanks everyone for the info on Plaza Suite. Your knowledge is always appreciated! 

[MCW1227]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 3:16am

“It is inconceivable to me that PS will not return a nice profit for its investors. It’s average gross must be $1.5MM over its run; even with the Brodericks getting huge payouts, how could it not. Better put, if it does not return a good dividend for its investors, why should anyone who is not a philanthropist or willing to lose virtually all of his/her investments just for the fun of it, ever invest again”

Is it possible that in these types of limited run shows , the stars would agree to not take huge payouts to insure that there’s a profit margin that would entice investors? Obviously the Brodericks don’t need the $ and were committed to both honoring Simon and the chance to work together. 
 
in watching this video taped at the Library of Congress and some earlier interviews, I get the feeling they really wanted to honor Simon’s work and stayed committed to this project passionately through Covid even to the extent of postponing other projects. Perhaps Covid and the opportunity to be part of the return of NYC theater also was part of it for the stars and the investors, who also don’t need the $. 
https://youtu.be/YT6FFoOUujU

Updated On: 6/24/22 at 03:16 AM

[David10086]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 9:57am

MCW1227 said: "
Is it possible that in these types of limited run shows , the stars would agree to not take huge payouts to insure that there’s a profit margin that would entice investors? Obviously the Brodericks don’t need the $ and were committed to both honoring Simon and the chance to work together.

in watching this video taped at the Library of Congress and some earlier interviews, I get the feeling they really wanted to honor Simon’s work and stayed committed to this project passionately through Covid even to the extent of postponing other projects. Perhaps Covid and the opportunity to be part of the return of NYC theater also was part of it for the stars and the investors, who also don’t need the $.
https://youtu.be/YT6FFoOUujU"

I'm going to stretch this a bit, and ask if the two stars also thought these roles would be an easy nomination / win for a Tony for each of them ? 

[quizking101]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 10:16am

David10086 said: "MCW1227 said: "
Is it possible that in these types of limited run shows , the stars would agree to not take huge payouts to insure that there’s a profit margin that would entice investors? Obviously the Brodericks don’t need the $ and were committed to both honoring Simon and the chance to work together.

in watching this video taped at the Library of Congress and some earlier interviews, I get the feeling they really wanted to honor Simon’s work and stayed committed to this project passionately through Covid even to the extent of postponing other projects. Perhaps Covid and the opportunity to be part of the return of NYC theater also was part of it for the stars and the investors, who also don’t need the $.
https://youtu.be/YT6FFoOUujU"

I'm going to stretch this a bit, and ask if the two stars also thought these roles would be an easy nomination / win for a Tony for each of them ?"

I mean, personally this whole endeavor screamed “Vanity project/Tony bait” and had the 2020 season gone as planned, it very well May could have happened - but the swath of new plays and revivals that came in guns blazing this season - daring to change the face of Broadway and what it could be - easily overshadowed a milquetoast revival of a 50 year old Neil Simon play

 

[David10086]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 10:35am

"I mean, personally this whole endeavor screamed “Vanity project/Tony bait” ..."

 

This is EXACTLY how I read it from the beginning. 

 

Money is nice, but certainly was not the driving force (to me). The great possibility of a Tony win for each of them (perhaps the first married couple to pull that off ?) and the glossy press that went along with it  was probably the allure. What more could a middle-aged couple want at that point in their acting career ? 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 11:41am

Interesting to hear that perspective. 

Of course we can never know for sure, but to me this didn't read as a Tony-bait production. Vanity project? Very possibly, but not necessarily Tony bait. 

It's true that the Tonys have a MUCH better track record than the Oscars for awarding comedic performances, but conventional wisdom still says that if you're really gunning for awards, go dramatic. Go serious. Go for substance. And this even feels like one of Simon's lighter pieces.

I also wonder if playing 3 characters sort of dilutes the performance, from an awards standpoint? I don't know - maybe I'm imagining that. 

Plus, Broderick doesn't seem like the type to be going out of his way for a Tony at this stage of his career. Maybe SJP wanted one, but if so, why center the project on them as a couple? Why not pick a project that would put her center stage? Sure, they're not technically competing against each other, but does create a split focus for awards voters. 

Obviously this all speculation about very abstract inferences, but I don't know, it just doesn't feel like the best project to go with if they really wanted to knock the socks off the Tony voters and get SJP her 1st Tony.

It seems more likely to me that they wanted to return to Neil Simon and flex their comedy chops, together as a couple, and this piece was a good fit for them. 

 

 

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 11:44am

How did this production of PLAZA SUITE originate? Did ATG get the rights, hire John Benjamin Hickey to direct, and then offered it to them? Or was it reverse-engineered from Broderick & Parker telling their agents they wanted to do this play, and then everything was built around them?

To me, it has seemed like MB and SJP's impetus was "it will be fun to play onstage together playing 3 different characters" and a chance for her to return to the stage in a comfortable environment. (She has been offered many other parts through the years, including projects alongside her husband.)

Updated On: 6/24/22 at 11:44 AM

[MCW1227]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 2:45pm

In that interview, SJP indicated it started as an evening at Symphony Space, organized by JBH. Scott Wittman suggested they do Plaza Suite and apparently the evening went very well. At that time they considered if they could do a Broadway run and brought the idea to Elaine Joyce.

I don’t feel that it was a Tony award thing since going up against dramatic performances is an uphill climb but I guess we’ll never know.I thought it  a bit odd that they weren’t Tony presenters  though. Maybe it’s as simple as they wanted to work together.  Maybe not the best choice of plays but they both were wonderful and looked like they were having a great time. Glad it has been successful. 

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 4:57pm

Jarethan said: "We know that most show lose money, and a limited number receive humungous long-term returns. We also know that limited-run with names are expected to make a tidy profit. If they can’t make a tidy profit, why would they produce a dated piece of junk like PS? They must have known that they were not going to be buying a Tony award."

There are some cases where investors/producers will get on board with a project that may not be a guaranteed hit because they are trying to build their own portfolio as an investor and get higher on the offer list for something that is much more of a guarantee. Scott Rudin did this quite often to his investor pool. "You want a chance to invest in Hello, Dolly with Bette Midler? Then you'll also need to invest in The Glass Menagerie as well before I'll give you a chance to look at Dolly."

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 5:17pm

MCW1227 said: "In that interview, SJP indicated it started as an evening at Symphony Space, organized by JBH. Scott Wittman suggested they do Plaza Suite and apparently the evening went very well. At that time they considered if they could do a Broadway run and brought the idea to Elaine Joyce.

I don’t feel that it was a Tony award thing since going up against dramatic performances is an uphill climb but I guess we’ll never know.I thought it a bit odd that they weren’t Tony presenters though. Maybe it’s as simple as they wanted to work together. Maybe not the best choice of plays but they both were wonderful and lookedlike they were having a great time. Glad it has been successful."

No one will EVER convince me they chose Plaza Suite as a possible vehicle for winning a Tony Award.  It is a dated play, with a particularly awful Act 2.  In the original production, Maureen Stapleton did get nominated for a Tony, but George C. Scott did not, and it was not a great year for actors...Martin Balsam won for a (good) over-the-top performance in a third act of You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running.  (Albert Finney should have won).  SJP has always seemed like a savvy person to me...she had to have known that in 2022, NO ONE would ever be getting an acting nomination for Plaza Suite.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 6:11pm

JBroadway said: "Hadn't considered inflation, so fair point. As for Craig - why would he be lumped into the capitalization? His salary would be part of the weekly running cost, no?

Anyway, as always I could very well be wrong, but it just seems like a cheaper production to me. More sparse staging, etc. - though I know that can be deceptive. Also, didn't Rudin have a habit of spending a crap-load on marketing?"

I missed this yesterday I guess...

With limited runs like this, I (and I think most folks) lump everything into one pot. Yes, most of the Craig cost is likely in the weekly although the rehearsal and pre-rehearsal part can be considerable, and depending on the deal, some of the revenue can be backloaded. (I don't know in this case what the deal is.) And yes you are very right about Rudin and (especially) his advertising fetish, which would be in the capitalization.