Platinum Broadway

Broadway Grosses: Blonde Box Office Booms, Broadway.com Buzz

Link: Broadway Grosses: Blonde Box Office Booms, Broadway.com Buzz.

The new musical Legally Blonde brought in more than $1 million at the box office this past week, one of six shows to break the million dollar mark in weekly grosses. Fantasia continued to help The Color Purple soar as it, too, reached the magic $1 million and filled the Broadway Theatre to just over 93% of capacity. In addition to perennial box-office giants Wicked and Jersey Boys, two Disney titles, The Lion King and Mary Poppins, topped 100% in capacity for the week. Beauty and the Beast wasn't far behind, filling the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to 98.75% in the home stretch of its Broadway run.

Variety.com - Drama Desk nominations announced

Link: Variety.com - Drama Desk nominations announced.

"LoveMusik" topped the list of the Drama Desk Award nominations Thursday. The Manhattan Theater Club production of the new tuner about German composer Kurt Weill and his muse Lotte Lenya, opening May 3, received twelve total noms. "Curtains," "Legally Blonde," "Spring Awakening" and "The Coast of Utopia" came away with ten nods each. Off Broadway tuner "In The Heights" scored nine, and "Mary Poppins," which led the pack of Outer Critics Circle nominations earlier this week, garnered six. Drama Desk, an org of critics and writers founded in 1949 to support legit, announced nominees in 27 categories, with Broadway, Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway productions all in competition.

Variety.com - Theater business down; 'Purple' up

Link: Variety.com - Theater business down; 'Purple' up.

Fantasia turned into a box office fantasy for "The Color Purple." "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino's first week in the starring role of "Purple" shot weekly sales for the Broadway tuner up by a staggering $366,598 to $1,183,722. The take reps the musical's highest tally ever for an eight-perf week. "Purple's" bump helped balance a down week overall along the Rialto, which normalized after a bountiful frame pumped by Easter-week sales. Total receipts fell to $22.5 million, down from $22.9 million.

Variety.com - Broadway springs to life with fresh fare

Link: Variety.com - Broadway springs to life with fresh fare.

Broadway maintained its spring bloom last week, with receipts boosted by well-attended new play offerings as well as growing biz for new tuners. Kevin Spacey starrer "A Moon for the Misbegotten" hit an impressive $400,224 for five perfs, while another London import, "Frost/Nixon" ($52,085), played its one and only preview of the week at just a few seats below capacity. Among tuners, the recently opened "Curtains" ($754,916) rose into the top 10, despite accommodating a round of second-night press comps last week. And "The Pirate Queen" ($663,264), which opens Thursday, also gained some wind in its sails. "Les Miserables" ($665,549) had a particularly strong week, playing to 100% capacity, as did "Monty Python's Spamalot" ($908,385), "Curtains" and the top three, "Wicked" ($1,392,168), "The Lion King" ($1,193,494) and "Jersey Boys" ($1,154,445). "The Year of Magical Thinking" ($335,730) saw the frame's biggest dip thanks to a heavily comped opening week. Also down were "Spring Awakening" ($517,563), "Grey Gardens" ($328,779) and "Company" ($253,502), among others. Still, overall receipts were up, totaling nearly $19.3 million (compared with $18.9 million the prior sesh).

Spring Awakening Tops 2007 Lucille Lortel Nominations

Link: Spring Awakening Tops 2007 Lucille Lortel Nominations

A complete list of 2007 Lucille Lortel Award is available by clicking on link, above.

New and Updated in the Broadway Who's Who - 4/1/2007 (BroadwayWorld.com)

Link: New and Updated in the Broadway Who's Who - 4/1/2007 (BroadwayWorld.com).

BroadwayWorld.com's Broadway Who's Who Directory is devoted to the people on stage and behind the scenes in the world of theater. Featuring bios, photos and career stats submitted by performers, agents, BroadwayWorld.com editors and fans here are this week's new and updated records. You may add an entry, for anyone you choose complete with headshot, biography, and complete performance credits. If you see something incomplete on someone's record, you may submit the missing information to be added, or you can just browse.

Variety.com - Business booming on Broadway

Link: Variety.com - Business booming on Broadway.

'Wicked' Broadway will rake in more coin than ever this year, hitting a record $900 million after this weekend. Box office rang up to $878.4 million through the week ending Dec. 24, according to preliminary figures compiled by Daily Variety. If the holiday week between Christmas and New Year's proves as boffo as last year's -- when the frame's take topped $25 million -- then 2006 receipts will finish well ahead of the $825 million that, according to stats from the League of American Theaters & Producers, Broadway grossed in 2005.

Jersey Boys Blog » BREAKING NEWS: Jersey Boys Original Cast Recording Nominated for Grammy!

Link: Jersey Boys Blog » BREAKING NEWS: Jersey Boys Original Cast Recording Nominated for Grammy!.

MAJOR NEWSFLASH!! The 49th Annual Grammy Awards were announced today and Jersey Boys Original Cast Recording has been nominated for the Best Musical Show Album! Below are the details and the other nominees: Best Musical Show Album Nominations (Award to the Album Producer(s), and to the Lyricist(s) & Composer(s) of 51% or more of a new score. (Artist, Lyricist & Composer names appear in parenthesis.)) Jersey Boys Bob Gaudio, producer (Bob Gaudio, composer; Bob Crewe, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast With Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer, John Lloyd Young & Others) [Rhino] The Pajama Game Harry Connick, Jr. & Tracey Freeman, producers (Richard Adler & Jerry Ross, composers/lyricists) (New Broadway Cast With Harry Connick, Jr., Kelli O’Hara & Others) [Columbia] The Color Purple Jay David Saks, producer; Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell & Allee Willis, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast With LaChanze, Elisabeth Withers-Mendes & Others) [Angel Records] The Drowsy Chaperone Kurt Deutsch, Joel Moss & Phil Reno, producers; Lisa Lambert & Greg Morrison, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast With Bob Martin, Sutton Foster, Beth Leavel & Others) [Ghostlight] Sweeney Todd - The Demon%

Road Dips

Road receipts increased in Week 23 (Oct. 30-Nov. 5) as the 11-show slate grew 3.01% to $9,916,468.Denver's "The Lion King" once again was atop the list with $1,451,570.

Variety.com - Road B.O. dips for 11-show slate

technorati tags:road, bo, box, office, out, of, town, touring

Reports from Broadway Biz

The daylight-saving clock change caused its usual decline in Broadway sales last week, with the Oct. 29 switchover spurring B.O. dips for most shows during Week 23 (Oct. 30-Nov. 5). Total receipts for 31 shows were $17,372,991, down about $350,000 from the prior sesh.Legiters don't know exactly why the time change adversely affects grosses, but, like clockwork, it happens every year.

Variety.com - Biz off; 'Poppins' pops

Biz dips; 'Chorus' 829g

Link: Variety.com - Biz dips; 'Chorus' 829g.

The 24 musicals grossed $16,440,900 for 92.8% of the Broadway total, with attendance of 215,322 at 83.0% capacity.

Variety.com - B.O. flat; 'King' reigns

Link: Variety.com - B.O. flat; 'King' reigns.

Road receipts slipped .23% in Week 21 (Oct. 16-22) as the 10-show slate grossed $10,224,003. Denver's "The Lion King" is still king of the mountain, coming in tops for the third consecutive week with $1,434,515.

Variety.com - Biz up; 'Chorus' 819g

Link: Variety.com - Biz up; 'Chorus' 819g.

The 22 musicals grossed $15,989,401 for 93.1% of the Broadway total, with attendance of 203,432 at 87.6% capacity.

This weeks cast album sales

Here’s a look at Billboard’s Top 5 Broadway Cast Albums for this week:

1. Wicked
2. Mama Mia!
3. Jersey Boys
4. A Chorus Line
5. The Lion King

Broadway box office pops with 'Mary'

Link: Variety.com - Broadway box office pops with 'Mary'.

Broadway grosses continued to rise over the week ending Oct. 22, as tourists began to trickle back to the city and the fall legit season began to ramp up in earnest. Things are looking good for "Mary Poppins" ($816,265), which opened its umbrella and floated up into the top 10 -- and managed to do so with only six performances last week. Latest Disney offering played to auds at 95% of capacity. "A Chorus Line" ($819,383) also seems to be building momentum, breaking the $800,000 mark for the first time since it began perfs Sept. 18, and playing to nearly 100% capacity. Meanwhile, thanks to discounting and papering, "The Times They Are A-Changin'" ($359,903) reported crowds of 100% (but an average ticket price of around $53), packing in auds for the week before the Bob Dylan-Twyla Tharp dance-ical opens Thursday. Among the Rialto's other recent entries, "Butley" ($419,559) fell off a bit thanks to its press weekend, while "Grey Gardens" ($365,346) gained some ground in its third week of previews. In its initial week on the boards at Lincoln Center, the first installment of "The Coast of Utopia" brought in $280,898 for a six-performance frame. (Seven were skedded originally, but one was canceled due to Richard Easton's onstage collapse Oct. 18.) Els

Biz up; 'Butley' 441g

Link: Variety.com - Biz up; 'Butley' 441g.

The Broadway season began to kick into gear in Week 20 (Oct. 9-15), with sales rising by about half a million dollars over the previous week and a new addition to the boards from Disney. "Mary Poppins" started promisingly, selling out its first two perfs. Among other Disney offerings, "Beauty and the Beast" continued to build some momentum with Donny Osmond added to the cast, while "Tarzan" dipped by about $45,000.

Jersey Boys Blog » Jersey Boys Cast Recording–#2 for 15th Straight Week!

Link: Jersey Boys Blog » Jersey Boys Cast Recording–#2 for 15th Straight Week!.

Here’s a look at Billboard’s Top 5 Broadway Cast Albums for this week: Wicked Jersey Boys A Chorus Line Mama Mia! The Lion King

Road B.O. jumps; 'Pirate' 752g

Link: Variety.com - B.O. jumps; 'Pirate' 752g.

Jumping to a 10-show slate helped road grosses spike 7.37% in Week 19 (Oct. 2-8) to $9,112,995. "The Lion King" tour secured the top two spots, with Denver's show No. 1 with $1,427,060 and Raleigh, N.C., closely behind with $1,218,776. Newcomer "The Pirate Queen" opened at the Cadillace Palace Theater with $751,714.

Biz up; 'Drowsy' $1m

Link: Variety.com - Biz up; 'Drowsy' $1m.

The Columbus Day holiday gave Broadway a boost in Week 19 (Oct. 2-8), with almost every show on the boards better than the previous sesh, combining for a total of $15,972,821. There were five shows in the millionaires' club for the week, including "The Drowsy Chaperone," which posted its highest numbers since it began performances in April.

Jersey Boys Blog » Another Sensational Week at the Box Office for JB!

Link: Jersey Boys Blog » Another Sensational Week at the Box Office for JB!.

Jersey Boys had another outstanding week at the box office! For the week ending 10/8/06, this year’s Best Musical grossed $1,167,651, and had the highest seating capacity of any show on Broadway: 100.8%! Additionally, for the third straight week, Jersey Boys was one of only two shows that was SOLD OUT on Broadway last week (the other being Wicked). For the 25 shows on the boards, box office grosses totaled $15,972,821 for the week ending 10/8/06. Below are the Top 10 Grosses from BroadwayWorld.com for the week ending October 8, 2006: Wicked $1,410,150 Jersey Boys $1,167,651 The Lion King $1,099,971 The Drowsy Chaperone $1,047,479 The Color Purple $1,026,121 Spamalot $945,598 Mama Mia! $923,505 The Phantom of the Opera $716,545 A Chorus Line $705,628 Hairspray $687,319

B'way sails with Columbus Day boost

Link: Variety.com - B'way sails with Columbus Day boost.

Columbus Day weekend gave Broadway a boost, with almost every show on the boards better than the previous sesh. There were five shows in the millionaires' club for the week ending Oct. 8, including "The Drowsy Chaperone" ($1,047,479), which posted its highest numbers since it began performances in April. Nathan Lane starrer "Butley" ($242,667) began previews by drawing impressive crowds, playing to more than 100% capacity, and "Grey Gardens" ($366,151 for seven perfs), also in its first week, attracted crowds of around 82% capacity. The only productions to see dips this week were "A Chorus Line" ($705,628), down a bit due in part to a comp-heavy opening week, and "Chicago" ($681,867), which fell by more than $130,000, attributable to the fact that its cash-cow replacement star, Usher, was out sick over the weekend. He was expected to return to the show this week.

Variety.com - Biz up; 'Boys' bows out

Link: Variety.com - Biz up; 'Boys' bows out.

The 20 musicals on the chart grossed $13,827,621 for 91.7% of the Broadway total, with attendance of 145,150 at 67.5% capacity.

Now Playing on Platinum Broadway

Playbill News: Five Current Broadway Musicals Reach 40 Straight Weeks on Billboard Chart

Link: Playbill News: Five Current Broadway Musicals Reach 40 Straight Weeks on Billboard Chart.

For the full 40 weeks since the chart's inception, the cast recordings of Wicked, Mamma Mia!, Monty Python's Spamalot, Hairspray and Avenue Q have remained on Billboard's Top Cast Album Chart. Decca Broadway's Wicked and Mamma Mia! maintain their lock on the top three slots (with Rhino's Jersey Boys at No. 2) for the 12th consecutive week. Mainstays Spamalot, Hairspray and Avenue Q placed No. 6-8. Walt Disney Records' recording of the Phil Collins musical Tarzan and Angel's The Color Purple cast album round out the top five.

2nd Day of Broadcast

Link: Live365 - Geo Stats.

It's our 2nd day of Broadcast and we want to thank and welcome our users from the following markets: SpokaneID, MT, OR, WA- Washington DC (Hagerstown)DC, MD, PA, VA, WV-Kansas CityKS, MO-SyracuseNY-BuffaloNY, PA-ChicagoIL, IN-DenverCO, MT, NE, NV, SD, WY-Salt Lake CityCO, ID, NV, UT-Albany, GAGA-DaytonIN, OH-Los AngelesCA-San DiegoCA-TulsaKS, OK

It's looking great folks! Don't forget to vote on your favorite songs.