Bye-Bye, Baby
Bye-Bye, BabyDespite showcasing its absolutely best number at Sunday night's Tony Awards (and even I concede that was dazzling), the Broadway musical Cry-Baby is set to close this Sunday, according to Playbill (although as of this writing, tickets are still be sold for performances beyond that date). The tuner will have played 68 regular performances at the Marquis Theatre in addition to its 45 previews.
ModFab predicted as much on Monday. While the Cry-Baby's capacity numbers last week of 64.4% didn't appear to be too terrible, dig a little deeper in the box office totals and you'll see that its average ticket price was rock bottom, coming in at $33.27. To put that into perspective, the only other show with an average ticket price under 50 bucks was Les Liaisons Dangereuses at $49.75. Meanwhile, Jersey Boys still commands an average ticket price of $115.79!
Despite all those Tony nominations -- inspiring many, including me, to wonder what those Tony nominators were thinking -- Cry-Baby never really caught the right footing, which is ironic given that Rob Ashford's choreography was about the best thing to be said for the show. Mark Brokaw directed this adaptation of John Waters' film with a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan and score by Adam Schlesinger and David Javerbaum. Cry-Baby stars James Snyder and Elizabeth Stanley, along with Harriet Harris.
Given the dreadful performance I saw three weeks into previews, there was nothing that made me want to return. In fact, Cry-Baby earned the dubious distinction of landing on my "Five Worst" list for the 2007-08 Theatrical Season.
Obviously, I won't be shedding any tears at this show's passing.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2007-08 (May 23, 2008)
A Snubbed Affair (May 14, 2008)
Did Cry-Baby Induce Critical Cries of Joy? (April 25, 2008)
Cry-Baby Finally Given Birth On Broadway Tonight (April 24, 2008)
Theatre Etiquette, Part Four (Or Drunken City) (April 15, 2008)
Cry-Baby (The SOB Preview) (April 2, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
John Waters: This Filthy World (The SOB Review) (November 12, 2007)
Giving Birth To Cry-Baby (September 27, 2007)
Cry-Baby To Move Forward Without Schuck (May 6, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Cry-Baby, Elizabeth Stanley, Harriet Harris, James Snyder, John Waters, Mark Brokaw, Mark O'Donnell, Musical, Rob Ashford
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Wednesday, June 18, 2008
2 comments
