The Broadway BANG for the Buck
Is Mel Brooks really worth it?
Some would argue his humor and wit are completely genius. Some would call him a wash-up. No matter what your opinion of Mel Brooks may be, you can be sure that he's charging a pretty penny for his newest extravaganza on Broadway, "Young Frankenstein." Now, I won't lie. I definitely want to see the show. With bombshells like Sutton Foster and Megan Mullaly, it's sure to be a hilarious time. But the producers for the musical may have heightened the world of commercial theatre to new levels. With a "monstrous" top-ticket price of $450, Robert Sillerman and others have decided that to keep their weekly Broadway grosses private. What impact might this have on the future of Broadway? The biggest scare is that all other Broadway producers will follow suit and also not disclose weekly grosses. These other producers may even go so far as to charge the Mel Brooks standard of over $400 for house seats. That's a little bit ridiculous when you think about it, no? $450 for two and a half hours of a musical?? Sure, if you are a millionaire, this price means nothing to you. But what about the average theatre-lover in New York City. I know that none of my friends, even in New York City, are willing to pay that price. I guess we'll be seeing the second-rate, non-original cast from the last row of the mezzanine. See you all there.
See two of the articles from Playbill.com.
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/109202.html
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/110848.html
Who knows... next, Hollywood may decide that their box office grosses are meaningless as well. Titanic made how much? Oh well.
-- M. Tyler Ennis
Some would argue his humor and wit are completely genius. Some would call him a wash-up. No matter what your opinion of Mel Brooks may be, you can be sure that he's charging a pretty penny for his newest extravaganza on Broadway, "Young Frankenstein." Now, I won't lie. I definitely want to see the show. With bombshells like Sutton Foster and Megan Mullaly, it's sure to be a hilarious time. But the producers for the musical may have heightened the world of commercial theatre to new levels. With a "monstrous" top-ticket price of $450, Robert Sillerman and others have decided that to keep their weekly Broadway grosses private. What impact might this have on the future of Broadway? The biggest scare is that all other Broadway producers will follow suit and also not disclose weekly grosses. These other producers may even go so far as to charge the Mel Brooks standard of over $400 for house seats. That's a little bit ridiculous when you think about it, no? $450 for two and a half hours of a musical?? Sure, if you are a millionaire, this price means nothing to you. But what about the average theatre-lover in New York City. I know that none of my friends, even in New York City, are willing to pay that price. I guess we'll be seeing the second-rate, non-original cast from the last row of the mezzanine. See you all there.
See two of the articles from Playbill.com.
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/109202.html
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/110848.html
Who knows... next, Hollywood may decide that their box office grosses are meaningless as well. Titanic made how much? Oh well.
-- M. Tyler Ennis
1 Comments:
When you have to decide whether you and your partner want to spend $900 for a night out of theatre--or fly to Cancun for a weekend, I don't think there is much of a choice.
By Anonymous, At September 25, 2007 1:04 PM
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