It wasn’t just Hamilton‘s week to post ticket sales in the $2 million range. As Broadway took off into the holiday hypersphere, theater goers — overwhelmingly tourists — paid top dollar and navigated gridlock (for which, thank Trump Tower security, adding to the usual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree madness) for both drivers and walkers. Four musicals took in over $1.5 million during Week 29 of the 2016-2017 season: Hamilton ($2.44 million), The Lion King ($2.12 million), Wicked ($1.9 million) and Aladdin ($1.6 million).
The bounce-back pervaded the Street, with 31 of 32 shows on the roster posting gains (the sole exception being the new musical In Transit, which was being heavily comped out to press and backers and opened Sunday).
Newcomers were looking especially strong: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812, at the Shubert Organization’s Imperial Theatre, was up $34.6K to $1.2 million, an impressive 25 per cent above its gross potential, with an average ticket price of $134.43. A Bronx Tale, at the Shuberts’ Longacre, rode a $189K boost from the New York Times’ positive notice to $913K, 96 per cent of its gross potential and near-full houses. Dear Evan Hansen, which opened to across-the-board thumbs-ups, came in just shy of $1 million at the Shuberts’ Music Box and was SRO in the 984-seat house.
Christian Borle and Andrew Rannells star in the Broadway revival of ‘Falsettos.’
Joan Marcus
The lauded revival of Falsettos, at Jujamcyn Theatres’ Walter Kerr, posted an up tally of $623K and played to 94 per cent of capacity. Oh, Hello On Broadway, at the Shuberts’ Lyceum, improved by $34.5K to $574K or 76 per cent of potential.
Among the top gainers: The revival of Cats at the Nederlander Organization’s Neil Simon was up $135.6K to $975K, 68 per cent of potential. The Fiddler On The Roof revival, in its final weeks at the Shuberts’ Broadway Theatre, was up $107.5K to $887K. Jersey Boys, also preparing to depart, was up $129K to $1.2 million at Jujamcyn’s August Wilson. The Phantom Of The Opera added $151K to the tally from Week 28,hitting $949K at the Shuberts’ Majestic. Waitress, at the Nederlanders’ Brooks Atkinson, was up $89K to $973.7K, 95 per cent of potential.
Total box office take for the 32 shows was $31.36 million, $2.32 million more than Week 28, according to the trade group Broadway League, an 8 per cent improvement. The week saw the closing of Manhattan Theatre’s Club’s Heisenberg at the Friedman, after a celebrated run.
