Andrew Lloyd Webber has done it again! The composer has produced another hit musical, but this time with a Rock and Roll edge to it. School of Rock, based on the film that starred Jack Black, opened on Broadway to raving reviews on December 6.
Broadway has a lot to be thankful for this time of year, and an excellent start to the holiday season is arguably the biggest thing. Last week, a handful of shows set new box office records for their theaters, and others are rising up the ranks.
Wayne Brady, actor/comedian best known for his "Whose Line is it Anyway" characters, will strap on a pair of high heeled red leather boots this week as he takes over for the original and current Lola, played by Billy Porter in the Tony-winning production of Kinky Boots.
Although it's generally considered taboo to talk about Christmas on Broadway until after the Thanksgiving holiday, Christmas comes to The Great White Way well before people start buying turkeys. Every year, the Christmas season draws thousands of tourists to New York City for some of the most iconic holiday spectacles, including the Rockefeller Center Tree, ice skating in Bryant Park and The Rockettes. With the spike in tourism, Broadway also has a collection of Christmas-only shows that come to town every December. This year, the 'Radio City Christmas Spectacular' and 'Elf: The Musical' are waiting for you to come and see them over the holidays with the Radio City Music Hall show being one of the lowest price resale market tickets available on Broadway right now.
'Hamilton', the hit musical from mastermind Lin Manuel Miranda, seems to have taken over the world, and the show is showing no sign of slowing down. Now, after segments about the show on '60 Minutes' and 'The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon', ticket prices are rising again.
The idea for the revival of 'Spring Awakening' was revolutionary when it first came about in the headlines and caused an uproar of excitement when it was announced that it would transfer to Broadway earlier this year. However, the show hasn't been able to live up to the hype, and can't seem to fill seats, despite its positive reviews by fans and critics alike. These extra seats are leading the secondary ticket market prices to drop fast. Now is the time to spot a bargain. 'Spring Awakening's' original run star Jonathan Groff, currently starring in the hit Hamilton, said that he was in love with the fact that the show has returned, and had high hopes for the arrival.
Late-summer into early fall tends to be a dry-spell period when it comes to Broadway ticket sales and attendance, as post-Labor Day is a time when shows close their doors and grosses take a huge dip. The lull rarely lasts longer than mid-October when the market takes a huge swing into the green around this time of year, and similarly after the Christmas season when March rolls around. This year, the October jump occurred just after Columbus Day holiday weekend for the resale ticket market, as the jump in average ticket price is actually 5% higher than it was at this time last year. Shows such as 'The King and I' and 'A Gentleman's Guide of Love and Murder' are particularly experiencing ticket price surges.
Every once in a while, a play comes to Broadway that makes fans rethink if one moment can change everything. China Doll, starring the all-powerful Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-winner Al Pacino, tells the story about a man who is ready to walk away from it all to start a new life with his young and gorgeous fiancée. Then, he gets a phone call that changes everything. The 15-week limited engagement play has been getting a lot of buzz in the Broadway community, and ticket prices are approaching record levels. Mainly, because Pacino's name is all over the thing. Unsurprisingly, Pacino is successful in every theatrical medium, be it film, television, the Great White Way. So, will China Doll be the highest priced show on Broadway?
'The Color Purple,' though, has one thing that 'Fiddler on the Roof 'does not have: a famous pop singer. And, least we forget, Danielle Brooks (i.e. "Taystee" from 'Orange is the New Black').