Not Enough Came, So It Flies AwayForget ol' blue eyes. Here's a couple black eyes with a little red thrown in for good measure.
While a little birdie gave me an early indication that this would occur,
Come Fly Away officially
posted its closing notice late yesterday afternoon. The show will close September 5, 2010, after 187 regular performances.
For a month, choreographer
Twyla Tharp's dance salute to
Frank Sinatra has been struggling to break 50% capacity at the box office. Inexplicably, the average ticket price never dropped accordingly.
Last week alone,
Come Fly Away increased its capacity a paltry 1.1% over the previous one to a disappointing 49%, yet the average ticket price for the seats sold was still a whopping $91.03. Compare that to the average capacity (84.02%) and average ticket price ($87.85) for all of Broadway last week, and it becomes evident that the producers of
Come Fly Away missed an opportunity to increase their audience share (and potential positive word-of-mouth) by discounting their tickets.
In a late gambit, producers even began to sell tickets through the beginning of 2011. But luck would not be a lady for next year, let alone tonight. Yet, just as the producers were announcing the shuttering, they also announced that a
national tour is planned.
Personally, although I know
Come Fly Away had
its advocates, I thought it was the
worst show to open on Broadway all last season. As much as I hate to see any show close, all I can say is "bye-bye birdie."
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Come Fly Away, Dance, Frank Sinatra, Musical, Twyla Tharp
Broadway Box Office Tweets - Week Ending July 11, 2010
If you follow me on
Twitter, you'll know that each Monday, I offer my quick analysis of each preceding week's box office on Broadway.
For your viewing pleasure, here are my tweets in chronological order for the
week ending July 11, 2010:
3:07 pm July 12 - WICKED, LION KING, ADDAMS FAMILY, FENCES, PROMISES PROMISES, BILLY ELLIOT, MARY POPPINS each have $1 million+ box office
3:08 pm July 12 - Sold-out WICKED was last week's top grosser by thin margin of just $16,000 over LION KING on Broadway
3:09 pm July 12 - WICKED grossed $1,650,562 on Broadway last week, playing to 100% capacity. Average ticket price: $114.05
3:10 pm July 12 - THE LION KING grossed $1,634,367 on Broadway last week, playing to 100.1% capacity. Average ticket price: $121.74
3:11 pm July 12 - Last week's highest capacity(101.5%) & av ticket price($134.20) belongs to FENCES, week's top grossing play: $1,175,626
3:12 pm July 12 - RACE last week's lowest grossing show $248,053.Av tix priced $65.94. Capacity just 44.4% Will closing notice be posted?
3:13 pm July 12 - COME FLY AWAY had last week's lowest capacity at just 40.4%. Grossing $488,217. Av tix price still sky high at $93.76
3:14 pm July 12 - Just closed EVERYDAY RAPTURE had week's lowest average ticket price of $51.44. Grossed $253,560 on 83.3% capacity
3:15 pm July 12 - EVERYDAY RAPTURE also posted week's biggest capacity gain of 10.1% to 83.3%. Grosses up $83,000 week over week
3:17 pm July 12 - Week's biggest capacity drop was LEND ME A TENOR losing 14.6% capacity to 59.4%. Grossed $333,346 last week.
3:18 pm July 12 - Tony-winning Best Musical MEMPHIS doing respectable box office. Grossed $890,626 last week playing to 88.9% capacity
3:19 pm July 12 - Overall, Broadway grosses up nearly $700,000 from last week to $19,380,905, yet audience was down .44% to 79.8%
Feel free to comment and let me know if you're surprised by any of these results.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: average ticket price, Box Office, Broadway, Broadway Box Office, Capacity, Come Fly Away, Everyday Rapture, Fences, Race, The Lion King, Wicked
Broadway Box Office Tweets - Week Ending July 4, 2010
If you follow me on
Twitter, you'll know that each Monday, I offer my quick analysis of each preceding week's box office on Broadway.
For your viewing pleasure, here are my tweets in chronological order for the summer holiday
week ending July 4, 2010:
3:15 pm July 6 - WICKED, LION KING, ADDAMS FAMILY, FENCES, BILLY ELLIOT, MARY POPPINS, PROMISES PROMISES each enjoy $1 million+ box office
3:16 pm July 6 - Sold-out WICKED still Broadway's top weekly grossing show: $1,620,851. Average ticket price: $112.00
3:17 pm July 6 - FENCES still Broadway's top grossing play taking in $1,164,529 last week, up $26,000 week over week
3:18 pm July 6 - FENCES is #1 Broadway show in terms of average ticket price: $132.65. Top tickets selling for $425.00
3:19 pm July 6 - FENCES, which ends Broadway run on Sunday, also has Broadway's highest capacity. Standing room only at 101.7%
3:20 pm July 6 - EVERYDAY RAPTURE had Broadway's lowest gross $171,942 & average ticket price $39.69. Capacity still at 73.2%
3:21 pm July 6 - COME FLY AWAY had Broadway's lowest capacity last week: 43% (drop of 11.6%). Gross: $515,296. Av tix priced: $93.01
3:22 pm July 6 - Just-closed NEXT FALL has week's biggest capacity increase of 25.5% to 90.1%. Grosses: $257,274. Av tix priced: $60.58
3:22 pm July 6 - IN THE HEIGHTS has Broadway's biggest capacity drop of 12.8% to 69.3%. Grossed $515,540. Average ticket price: $69.20
3:24 pm July 6 - Overall, Broadway's week over week grosses were down 9% or nearly $1.7 million to $18,840,132
Feel free to comment and let me know if you're surprised by any of these results.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: average ticket price, Broadway, Broadway Box Office, Capacity, Come Fly Away, Everyday Rapture, Fences, In The Heights, Next Fall, Wicked
Broadway Box Office Tweets - Week Ending June 20, 2010
If you follow me on
Twitter, you'll know that each Monday, I offer my quick analysis of each preceding week's box office on Broadway.
The week after the Tony Awards is always telling because it demonstrates which shows gained from the broadcast and which ones sadly did not.
For your viewing pleasure, here are my tweets in chronological order for the
week ending June 20, 2010:
4:30 pm June 20 - Broadway box office totals are up slightly over last week. Grosses $21,957,198
4:31 pm June 20 - WICKED, LION KING, ADDAMS FAMILY, PROMISES PROMISES, FENCES, BILLY ELLIOT & JERSEY BOYS each gross $1 million+
4:32 pm June 20 - Sold-out WICKED week's top grossing show on Broadway pulling in $1,620,876. Average ticket price: $112.00
4:33 pm June 20 - FENCES continues breaking records at Broadway's Cort grossing $1,135,974 with average ticket now priced at $129.53
4:34 pm June 20 - As week's top grossing play FENCES also hits capacity home run as week's highest at 101.6%. Lots of standing room only
4:35 pm June 20 - Week's highest average ticket price: $130.50-A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC bid farewell to Catherine Zeta-Jones/Angela Lansbury
4:36 pm June 20 - Grossing $950,296, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC played to 97.8% capacity last week.
4:37 pm June 20 - NEXT FALL was week's lowest grossing Broadway show: $154,207. Average ticket price: $55.31 on 59.2% capacity
4:38 pm June 20 - EVERYDAY RAPTURE had week's lowest average ticket price on Broadway: $52.99. Grosses $213,249 on 68% capacity
4:39 pm June 20 - RACE had week's lowest capacity on Broadway: 47.6%. Grosses $253,436 with average tickets priced $62.97
4:40 pm June 20 - Tony Best Musical MEMPHIS enjoys box office bump: Grosses $835,071. Up over $135K week over week. Capacity at 86.5%
4:41 pm June 20 - Tony Best Musical Revival LA CAGE gets slight bump: $687,825 gross. Capacity up 3.5% to 86.5%. Av tix priced $94.02
4:42 pm June 20 - Tony Best Play RED capacity decreases to 98.9% but increases gross by nearly $130K to $666,618. Av tix priced $104.78
4:43 pm June 20 - PROMISES PROMISES gets biggest Tony bump as capacity increases 9% to 97.2%. Grosses $1,237,426. Av tix priced $91.06
4:45 pm June 20 - COME FLY AWAY has week's biggest drop in capacity down 13.2% to just 52.3%. Grosses $667,096. Av tix priced $99.02
Feel free to comment and let me know if you're surprised by any of these results.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: average ticket price, Broadway, Broadway Box Office, Capacity, Come Fly Away, Fences, La Cage Aux Folles, Memphis, Promises Promises, Wicked
Broadway Box Office Tweets - Week Ending May 31, 2010
If you follow me on
Twitter, you'll know that each Monday, I offer my quick analysis of each preceding week's box office on Broadway. Because of the Memorial Day holiday, we had to wait until today to get our fix.
For your viewing pleasure, here are my tweets in chronological order for the
week ending May 31, 2010:
3:26 pm June 2 - Last week's Broadway box office was down 2.17% from last week. Total gross was $22,320,549. Average tix priced $80.51
3:27 pm June 2 - WICKED, LION KING, ADDAMS FAMILY, BILLY ELLIOT,PROMISES PROMISES, JERSEY BOYS, FENCES each gross $1 million+ last week
3:28 pm June 2 - Sold-out WICKED Broadway's top grossing show last week pulling in $1,570,390. Average ticket priced $108.51
3:29 pm June 2 - With week's highest capacity (101.6%) FENCES gains momentum as top grossing play $1,002,741.Average tix priced $114.32
3:30 pm June 2 - A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC boasts last week's highest average ticket price of $115.52. Grosses $795,273 on 92.4% capacity
3:31 pm June 2 - COLLECTED STORIES had 2 of bottom 3.Lowest grossing show of week $134,885/lowest av tix priced $42.18. 61.5% capacity
3:32 pm June 2 - RACE had week's lowest capacity at just 48.7% down 4.3% from last week. Grossed $308,931. Average ticket price $74.89
3:34 pm June 2 - It must be tourist season, as PHANTOM OF THE OPERA had week's top capacity increase of 81.% to 94.3%. Grosses $923,158
3:37 pm June 2 - COME FLY AWAY had week's largest capacity drop: 11.7% to 57.4%.Grossed $713,653 with av tix priced $96.44
3:39 pm June 2 - ADDAMS FAMILY still strong with steady box office gross of $1,307,046. Average ticket price $112.52 w/ 95.6% capacity
Feel free to comment and let me know if you're surprised by any of these results.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: A Little Night Music, average ticket price, Box Office, Broadway, Broadway Box Office, Capacity, Come Fly Away, Earnings, Fences, Promises Promises, The Addams Family, The Lion King, Wicked
Come Fly Away (The SOB Review) - Marquis Theatre, New York, New York
* (out of ****)
That scream you heard wasn't the one from
Karine Plantadit-Bageot near the top of
Come Fly Away's tortured second act. No, it was what accompanied the loud thud of this dreadful turkey as if dropped from the sky.
Please don't get me wrong.
I've long admired choreographer
Twyla Tharp's exceptional skills beyond the world of modern dance and ballet. Her inspired movements made "
Hair" and
Movin' Out sing.
I'd also be remiss if I didn't profess to being a fan of
Frank Sinatra's incredible oeuvre that spanned the last two-thirds of the 20th Century and then some. With a silky voice and cool swagger, there's a reason why "Ol' Blue Eyes" was popular music's "Chairman of the Board."
But it's hard to imagine Sinatra wanting to sit at the head of this table. It's hardly set with any
real book (Tharp receives credits for concept and book) or captivating choregraphy. Instead, it feels as if we've gone to a bar for an after-after-after party where all the decent people have already headed home. With the exception of Marty (
Charlie Neshyba-Hodges), a forlorn waiter with eyes for one of his patrons, there's rarely any sizzle and certainly no sparkle.
Least among all the shows opening on Broadway this past year,
Come Fly Away masquerades as a musical in the way
Burn The Floor did earlier in the season. But unlike
Burn The Floor, which at the very least had cohesive, exhilarating choreography, this lackluster snoozefest never really soars, let alone takes wing.
But then again, turkeys simply can't fly very well, can they?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: Broadway, Burn The Floor, Charlie Neshyba-Hodges, Choreography, Come Fly Away, Frank Sinatra, Karine Plantadit-Bageot, Musical, The SOB Review, Twyla Tharp
