Woman In White 77% attendance Christmas week

[VinnieTheIceman]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 4:44pm

Nearly every show, including plays, had higher attendance numbers. How are they going to get through the winter if they can't sell Xmas week? What a disaster!

[YayJudyYayJudy]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 4:49pm

up 24% from last week... whatever, I don't care what anyone says, I'm happy- (cue MINOR sigh of relief...)

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 4:56pm

Sort of a surprise considering ALW's traditionally large tourist fan base. I guess the Webber fans are refusing to warm to this show. Not sure how long it can last if the percentages go back into the 50s.

[thespian geek]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 4:59pm

It's on TDF indefinitely, too. Isn't that a bad sign for Broadway shows?

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 5:07pm

I suppose Woman in White isn't a particularly intriguing title.

[chernjam]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 5:07pm

Oh Vinnie-the-sky-is falling

Let's see how objective you are - Is Sweeney Todd in trouble too?

[Lome2]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 5:18pm

While WIW numbers are definitely not looking good, grosses for the week were $930,123, average ticket price $83.11 and 11,191 seats sold (in comparison Jersey Boys had 9,798 seats sold, 100.2% capacity and grosses for $975,836)...
Updated On: 1/3/06 at 05:18 PM

[BWAYboi_yes]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 5:48pm

But the cast size is so much smaller for Jersey Boys. I'm really a little disheartedned. It won't last. I really think that it's not because it's not good, nor is it because people don't want to see it, or that audiences aren't enjoying it. I think it all comes down to money. The fact is, a show like Woman in White isn't appealing at the $100.00 level. Only shows to rich people, who are often Mia and Wicked fans can sell at that price. I think we're going to be seeing a bigger decline in these more "theatrical" shows in our near future.

[hannahshule]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 5:56pm

could it *maybe* have anything to do with the computerized set? maybe people want to see the more traditional kind of set, (which I can't blame) I dunno, just a though

[Smaxie]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 5:57pm

Jersey Boys is also in a theatre with 400 fewer seats, Lome2. (The August Wilson Theatre seats 1,222 vs. the Marquis, which seats 1,615.)

[BWAYboi_yes]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 5:59pm

I think the digital set, to be honest, is getting them their current audience members. I'm not talking about the normal sophisticated theatre folks, who only make up a small percentage of the audience, but rather the $100 "Oh, computerized sets will be cool!" people. I think those are the people who are buying. It's just that the set is really interesting, but not worth $100.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 6:24pm

Actually the top price is now $110 (plus restoration fees) for most musicals. And I don't think ticket prices are Woman in White's main problem. The reviews were mixed at best (with many quite negative ones), the cast doesn't have any "names" that sell tickets beyond musical theatre fans (at least here in America), it's based on a novel only a tiny number of Americans have even heard of (it's very well known in the UK -- though the show isn't doing well there either) and, more than anything, it seems that word of mouth is particularly poor.

Also, it would seem that the era of the kind of romantic spectacle Webber helped popularize two decades ago has passed and his fan base -- which once would have ensured sold out houses for the first year at least -- has moved on. They'll still go back to Phantom over and over again, but haven't supported any show of his in America in well over a decade (actually Phantom -- which opened 18 years ago -- was his last show in America to turn a profit). And shows that tried to copy his style -- Jane Eyre, Little Women, Cyrano, the Wildhorn shows -- have mostly flopped.

We'll see whether WIW breaks the string of failures -- it's not looking promising, though, at this point.

[QMAN03]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 7:52pm

If it opened in a smaller theatre, then I suspect it would be doing quite well. But I think the producers over-estimated Andrew's appeal and decided to go with a massive theatre. Big mistake. I don't think it has any chance of staying open through the next three dead months. Actually, it may not even make it through January.

[VinnieTheIceman]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 8:07pm

It'll make it at least through the Tony's because it had a decent advance. The problem is they are selling no tickets now and the advance is declining rapidly. Sweeney Todd, on the other hand, had a minimal advance, sold a bunch when the reviews came out, and is now having a tough time finding an audience. Because of its small operating costs it has clear sailing and will win Best Revival Tony (worthless) and have a shot with Patti and acouple of others (equally worthless for business at the b.o.). And then there's Jersey Boys which has a good 2-3 year run in it unless it wins Best Musical (decent shot) which will keep it open much longer. All in all a complete swing and miss for ALW.

[Radioactiveduck]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 8:31pm

Woman In White didn't come over with a whole lot of anticipation. Let's look at Phantom....

In London, it was a super-smash hit, so when it jumped the pond, there was already an air of excellence about it. WIW did reasonable in the West End, but not well enough for word to really travel.

My opinion

[jo]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 9:00pm

Unfortunately, there isn't much by way of publicity either - no national media blitz ( talk shows, etc) to make people aware that there is such a show ( a good one, at that). It could be because the cash flows are not good at this point that there is reluctance to spend more publicity money on the show. Quite sad!

I hope it makes it at least to TONY time!

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 9:07pm

I saw the show in London in May. I was almost sure it would not be very succesful on Broadway and I was worried that all the people who were eagerly waiting it and were sure it would be a big success, were going to be disappointed. In my opinion, it is a mediocre show and, I am sad to say, I am not surprised at all it is not doing well.

[grizzabella]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 9:43pm

WIW is a literary show with an intricate plot and a score that does not have a lot of "catchy" numbers. I've enjoyed the London OCR but it took me a few listenings to warm up to it. I think it's a good show, but not the most accessible one, and certainly not a show Mr. & Mrs. Tourist and their three kids are going to choose over a DRS, Spelling Bee or Spamalot. Nor has it had the sort of media blitz previous ALW shows have had, so most people know little or nothing about it. Given this, I'm not particularly surprised that its percentages are what they are.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 9:43pm

If WOMAN IN WHITE isn't a good title, maybe they should have called it WOMAN IN BEIGE. Who knows?

[ALWrules]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 10:19pm

ALW has gone out of the American mind, as he hasn't had a show here for 10 years (if you don't count whistle down the wind when it was in DC for two months in 97)
WIW is certainly a different show than other ALW shows. Sure, it has the great dramatic numbers, but it also has a lot more book and sung dialogue than most shows, because the central part of the show is the story.
In addition, as it has been mentioned by other people, no one really knows the story. Sunset was a classic in Hollywood, and America knew what to expect. The same for Phantom, another classic story. But an old Victorian novel? Not likely.

Posted: 1/3/06 at 10:48pm

Collins' novel should be more well known. It is a terrific read, a classic, and one of the first of the "Gothic" novels where the villany is commited by people and not by ghosts and the supernatural. Count Fosco is one of literature's classic charming villians. Marian and Hartwright one of the first detective couples in fiction.

Immediately after being published in 1860, TWIW was the hit read its time, and women took up the fancy of wearing white.

Be sure to catch the well-done BBC version which is available on DVD. It stars Tara Fitzgerald as Marian, James Wilby as Percival Glyde, and Simon Callow as Count Fosco.

No doubt a unique source for a musical. I find the musical adaptation's score intriguing, always haunting, masterfully composed.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 1:04am

This show to me seems "very British" - which is why I think that its hard for ppl to warm up to it. People now of days seem to want mindless comedy instead of a hardcore dramatic story. I think it will sell well on tour though. I'm not sure Billy Elliot will do much better. Although it does have more anticipation and the movies is fairly well known.

[jimmirae]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 1:17am

What if ALW can convince Michael Crawford to take over as "Count Fosco"? Do you think that would boost it? (And I LOVE Michael Ball, But America knows MC much better)

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 1:42am

"ALW has gone out of the American mind, as he hasn't had a show here for 10 years (if you don't count whistle down the wind when it was in DC for two months in 97)"

BY JEEVES ran here for 73 performances in 2001. Major flop -- lost its entire investment.

The last revival of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR ran here for 161 performances in 2000. Major flop -- lost its entire investment.

SUNSET BOULEVARD closed here after nearly 1000 performances in 1997, but lost MILLIONS -- nearly its entire $10 million+ investment (very poorly produced -- it should have closed much much earlier and never run that long hemoragghing money week after week and nearly bankrupting Webber's producing company).

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT revival in 1993-- Major flop -- ran only 231 performances and lost its entire investment

ASPECTS OF LOVE in 1990 -- Flop -- ran 377 performances, losing most of its investment

Also, let's not forget that the two shows before PHANTOM in the mid-80s, STARLIGHT EXPRESS and SONG & DANCE, both lost millions in America.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 7:05am

And Margo, am I right that WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND opened in Washington DC and didn't even make it to Broadway ? I think that was the case.