Exit Stage Left

Every Monday Playbill.com posts the weekly grosses for currently playing Broadway shows on its website. They have a chart that shows total sales in dollars, total capacity in seats available, average ticket price, total seats sold, etc, etc. It's somewhat daunting to glance at but I look forward to seeing what shows are doing on Broadway. It's sometimes a gauge for seeing what will eventually be sent out on tour and I think its interesting to compare shows that are considered critical successes, with those that are commercial successes and of course I like to see shows that I like doing well on the Great White Way.

I am similarly obsessed with our sales reports at work, where I can geek-out on a daily basis analyzing our percentage of capacity and amortizing where we are in relation to our sales goals. When there's a spike I look at advertising, promotions and press that have occurred that might have influenced daily sales and I feel proud when I can find a direct correlation to something I did that might've caused the increase. On the flip side, it's helpful to analyze tactics that didn't work as they relate to specific productions--never make the same mistake twice!

If sales continued as I expect they did, I should go into the office tomorrow to discover that our second engagement of "Wicked" is sold-out. "Wicked" is currently playing in New York at the Gershwin Theatre and at just over 1,800 seats it's the largest of the Broadway houses. Since it opened in October of 2003 "Wicked" has played at 100% of capacity. On the road it has never had a seat go unsold--even in houses that are substantially larger that their Broadway counterparts--a feat the likes of which I have never seen. Sure, there are blockbusters: "Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miz," and "The Lion King" all continue to play to sold-out houses on a regular basis, but to have a show that's been running for three years and more than 1,000 performances nave never have a single seat--not one--go unsold?! There's no denying that that's remarkable.

As I was brushing up on weekly grosses this evening in anticipation of tomorrow's posting, I started pondering "Wicked's" success here in Denver and in New York. And, I began to wonder when the fascination and fixation on this show will ever die; when will I look at the weekly grosses and find that "Wicked" only played at 99% capacity? When do shows that are considered phenomenons lose their superstar status? How does it happen? And why? When does the product not to live up the hype and are there shows that can outlive anything?