Broadway plays are back
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The highest-grossing show on Broadway isn't a musical, it's a play. "Good Night, And Good Luck" — starring George Clooney, and still in previews — brought in a staggering $3.3 million last week.
Why it matters: Unusually for Broadway, all three of the hottest draws — the shows with the highest ticket price — are plays, not musicals. They all star Oscar-winning actors.
- "Good Night, and Good Luck" smashed the previous record for a play ($2.8 million) that was set just last week by "Othello," starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Between the lines: Broadway's biggest star is Audra McDonald — she has won a record six Tony awards for acting and will probably win a seventh for her breathtaking current performance in "Gypsy".
- That show grossed less than half as much last week as "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Follow the money: Back in 2001, the producers of "The Producers" were very careful about rolling out their $100 ticket price ($179 adjusted for inflation), "for fear of giving the impression of gouging," according to the NYT.
- These days, as the NYT's Michael Paulson reports, many upcoming performances of "Othello" are "asking $921 for the first 14 rows in the center orchestra."
- Those prices were described as "completely out of control" by the New York Post's Johnny Oleksinsky.
What's next: We'll probably see yet another new record next month, since "Good Night, And Good Luck" will play a normal slate of eight shows. This week's record was set by selling out just seven shows.
For the record: "Othello," which opened on Sunday, might be raking in the dough but received terrible reviews. The Wall Street Journal called it "dismal" and lacking in emotional power; Vulture said it's "passionless" "bad theater" that "barely even has a pulse."
Where it stands: Even off-Broadway plays with famous actors are charging nosebleed prices — as much as $449 to see Andrew Scott in "Vanya," or $435 to see Paul Mescal in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
- The only woman really in the mix is Sarah Snook, whose Olivier Award-winning performance in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is so far commanding relatively modest grosses and average prices when compared to her male counterparts.
