What’s not to love about Broadway? It’s been another great week with the numbers up from the previous week: $19,514,194 compared to $18,534,866. That’s down $818,802 from the same week last year, but overall the season remains up: $899,359,333 compared to $876,504,382.
Ten productions posted more than 95 percent attendance including the hit play, God of Carnage at the Jacobs Theatre, filling its 1,078 seats at more than 100 percent capacity. Leading at the box office in million-plus ticket sales were Wicked at the Gershwin, West Side Story at the Palace, Billy Elliot at the Imperial, The Lion King at the Minskoff and Jersey Boys at the August Wilson.
The largest increase in attendance compared to the previous week was enjoyed by Avenue Q at the Golden, almost 19 percent, while Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Belasco posted the largest drop, a mere 1.8 percent. Comparing dollars from one week to the next, the musical Hair at the Hirschfeld saw the largest increase at $119,504 and “Joe Turner” posted the only drop in ticket sales of a little over $3,000. The Best Bargain ticket as expressed by the Average Paid Admission is to be had at the American Airlines Theatre for The Philanthropist, just $48. Top Tickets at $350 are 33 Variations at the Eugene O’Neill and “Jersey Boys” at the August Wilson.
Bringing the musical version of Daphne DuMaurier’s 1938 novel “Rebecca” to the Broadway stage will be Christopher Hampton and producers Ben Sprecher and Louise Forlenza, with book by Michael Kunze and lyrics by Sylvester Levay. The story is well-known to movie lovers for the 1940 version by director Alfred Hitchcock. The musical had its world premiere in Vienna in 2006. There is no date or theater projected yet.
In other news, Tracy Letts’ play “Superior Donuts” will open on Broadway this October 1 at a yet-to-be determined Shubert theater. Letts won the Pulitzer Prize for August: Osage County, continuing its successful run at the Music Box.
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales Week ending May 17, 2009
All data provided by The Broadway League
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales
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| Production (Theatre) |
Weekly Gross | Total Atten. | Prev. | Perf. | Total Capacity | Avg. Ticket Price | Atten. % |
| 33 Variations (O’Neill) |
$333,656 | 5,092 | 0 | 8 | 1,063 | $65.53 | 59.9% |
| 9 to 5 (Marquis) |
$797,680 | 11,934 | 0 | 8 | 1,611 | $66.84 | 92.6% |
| Accent on Youth (Friedman) |
$197,015 | 3,550 | 0 | 8 | 650 | $55.50 | 68.3% |
| August: Osage County (Music Box) |
$198,336 | 3,177 | 0 | 8 | 979 | $62.43 | 40.6% |
| Avenue Q (Golden) |
$243,118 | 4,259 | 0 | 8 | 796 | $57.08 | 66.9% |
| Billy Elliot (Imperial) |
$1,144,260 | 11,058 | 0 | 8 | 1,421 | $103.48 | 97.3% |
| Blithe Spirit (Shubert) |
$559,139 | 7,656 | 0 | 8 | 1,479 | $73.03 | 64.7% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) |
$486,110 | 7,282 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $66.75 | 84.3% |
| Desire…Elms (St. James) |
$249,755 | 4,363 | 0 | 8 | 1,403 | $57.24 | 38.9% |
| Exit the King (Barrymore) |
$466,983 | 6,609 | 0 | 8 | 1,050 | $70.66 | 78.7% |
| God of Carnage (Jacobs) |
$837,401 | 8,634 | 0 | 8 | 1,078 | $96.99 | 100.1% |
| Guys and Dolls (Nederlander) |
$468,851 | 6,949 | 0 | 8 | 1,217 | $67.47 | 71.4% |
| Hair (Hirschfeld) |
$934,230 | 10,851 | 0 | 8 | 1,412 | $86.10 | 96.1% |
| In the Heights (Rodgers) |
$722,075 | 9,578 | 0 | 8 | 1,365 | $75.39 | 87.7% |
| Irena’s’ Vow (Walter Kerr) |
$188,725 | 3,532 | 0 | 8 | 947 | $53.43 | 46.6% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) |
$1,033,177 | 9,886 | 0 | 8 | 1,222 | $104.51 | 101.1% |
| Joe Turner’s…Gone (Belasco) |
$231,697 | 4,548 | 0 | 8 | 1,018 | $50.94 | 55.8% |
| Mamma Mia! (Winter Garden) |
$869,495 | 11,568 | 0 | 8 | 1,498 | $75.16 | 96.5% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) |
$666,801 | 11,111 | 0 | 8 | 1,797 | $60.01 | 77.3% |
| Mary Stuart (Broadhurst) |
$348,849 | 5,489 | 0 | 8 | 1,150 | $63.55 | 59.7% |
| Next to Normal (Booth) |
$310,451 | 5,320 | 0 | 8 | 772 | $58.36 | 86.1% |
| Reasons to be Pretty (Lyceum) |
$138,752 | 2,797 | 0 | 8 | 910 | $49.61 | 38.4% |
| Rock of Ages (Atkinson) |
$430,379 | 7,425 | 0 | 8 | 979 | $57.96 | 94.8% |
| Shrek (Broadway) |
$635,634 | 9,051 | 0 | 8 | 1,735 | $70.23 | 65.2% |
| South Pacific (Beaumont) |
$872,028 | 7,936 | 0 | 8 | 1,041 | $109.88 | 95.3% |
| The 39 Steps (Hayes) |
$148,974 | 2,385 | 0 | 8 | 589 | $62.46 | 50.6% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) |
$1,058,942 | 12,658 | 0 | 8 | 1,654 | $83.66 | 95.7% |
| The Little Mermaid (Lunt-Fontanne) |
$660,522 | 10,067 | 0 | 8 | 1,520 | $65.61 | 82.8% |
| The Norman Conquests (Circle in Square) |
$307,794 | 5,170 | 0 | 8 | 780 | $59.53 | 82.9% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) |
$697,107 | 11,141 | 0 | 8 | 1,615 | $62.57 | 86.2% |
| The Philanthropist (American Airlines) |
$191,518 | 3,990 | 0 | 8 | 740 | $48.00 | 67.4% |
| Waiting for Godot (Studio 54) |
$439,913 | 7,688 | 0 | 8 | 1,004 | $57.22 | 95.7% |
| West Side Story (Palace) |
$1,240,854 | 13,527 | 0 | 8 | 1,697 | $91.73 | 99.6% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) |
$1,403,974 | 14,472 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $97.01 | 100.0% |