Post by jo on Jan 11, 2013 7:03:57 GMT -5
Some discussions on ATC initiated by an ad on Ricky Martin touted as King of Broadway --
Here's a Michael Riedel column that says otherwise :
And it ain't Tom Hanks either, due on Broadway soon!
www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/lucky_poster_tomfoolery_yi6htsRVcWK58QTevnlSnN
I wonder how the reception would have been had Hugh and Mike Nichols pursued this project? They did do a first reading then. Fame can be fleeting - the last I heard about Julia is she is making a movie direct for TV.
Jo
Here's a Michael Riedel column that says otherwise :
And it ain't Tom Hanks either, due on Broadway soon!
www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/lucky_poster_tomfoolery_yi6htsRVcWK58QTevnlSnN
The gold standard for advance sales for shows with major stars was set by Julia Roberts, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig.
Jackman opened his sensational one-man show with $10 million in the bank. Roberts hit $10 million with “Three Days of Rain,” and Jackman and Craig had nearly $12 million on opening night of “A Steady Rain.”
(“Rain” may be the key here. My advice is to change the title to “Lucky Guy in a Raincoat.” That’ll be $250, thank you very much!)
The advance for “Lucky Guy” is about $4 million.
“That’s not bad for a play,” says a veteran producer. “But it doesn’t make it critic-proof, and if they don’t get good reviews, that advance will dry up quickly. When Julia, Hugh and Daniel opened, their shows were pretty much sold-out. That’s what you expect from a Hollywood star.”
Around Times Square, ticket brokers are complaining about the lack of buzz around Hanks and his play.
“They’ve got a major star, but you just don’t get the sense of any excitement,” said one.
Shubert Alley second-guessers say there are a number of things keeping a lid on Hanks’ sales.
First, movie stars have been flooding Broadway for several years now, so it’s becoming less newsworthy when yet another one turns up in Times Square.
Second, the shows with big stars this season have been disappointing, making theatergoers wary. Al Pacino sold well but his performance in “Glengarry Glen Ross” is a bust. Poor little Katie Holmes couldn’t sell a hot dog in Central Park, let alone a ticket to “Dead Accounts.”
Third, Roberts, Jackman and Craig were all at the height of their careers when they hit Broadway. Hanks’ heyday was in the ’80s and ’90s, so his luster has dimmed a bit...
Jackman opened his sensational one-man show with $10 million in the bank. Roberts hit $10 million with “Three Days of Rain,” and Jackman and Craig had nearly $12 million on opening night of “A Steady Rain.”
(“Rain” may be the key here. My advice is to change the title to “Lucky Guy in a Raincoat.” That’ll be $250, thank you very much!)
The advance for “Lucky Guy” is about $4 million.
“That’s not bad for a play,” says a veteran producer. “But it doesn’t make it critic-proof, and if they don’t get good reviews, that advance will dry up quickly. When Julia, Hugh and Daniel opened, their shows were pretty much sold-out. That’s what you expect from a Hollywood star.”
Around Times Square, ticket brokers are complaining about the lack of buzz around Hanks and his play.
“They’ve got a major star, but you just don’t get the sense of any excitement,” said one.
Shubert Alley second-guessers say there are a number of things keeping a lid on Hanks’ sales.
First, movie stars have been flooding Broadway for several years now, so it’s becoming less newsworthy when yet another one turns up in Times Square.
Second, the shows with big stars this season have been disappointing, making theatergoers wary. Al Pacino sold well but his performance in “Glengarry Glen Ross” is a bust. Poor little Katie Holmes couldn’t sell a hot dog in Central Park, let alone a ticket to “Dead Accounts.”
Third, Roberts, Jackman and Craig were all at the height of their careers when they hit Broadway. Hanks’ heyday was in the ’80s and ’90s, so his luster has dimmed a bit...
I wonder how the reception would have been had Hugh and Mike Nichols pursued this project? They did do a first reading then. Fame can be fleeting - the last I heard about Julia is she is making a movie direct for TV.
Jo
