No Tonys, no box office. That was the story for “Groundhog Day,” “Bandstand,” and “The Great Comet,” which are all saying goodbye shortly. But at least they had some nominations. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was almost completely ignored on Tony night. For a while, it sold tickets based on the name– the movies, the books, etc.
But last Charlie’s chocolate started to melt. The golden tickets were not selling. For the first time since its second week of previews, “Charlie” fell below $1 million– precipitously– to $880,000. There was a $134K drop from the prior week.
Directed by Jack O’Brien with new Marc Shaiman songs/ Charlie was completely overhauled from the 2013 West End version directed by Sam Mendes. No one liked that version either.
Meanwhile. Scott Rudin’s two not-“Dolly” shows are bleeding, as Donald Trump might say, from all over. “A Doll’s House, Pt. 2” sank by 18.2% from last week, down $41,500Â to $192K. That must be some empty house over there since their total sales could be over $700K.
And “1984”– why in god’s name is it still playing? Down 8.2% from last week, doing 60% of capacity. The show was torture, for sure.
I keep hearing that 2017 Best Revival of a Play “Jitney” has the money and wants to return to Broadway after its limited run. They say there are no theaters. Well, clear this stuff out. Ruben Santiago Hudson’s production was A plus in entertainment and value. Come back soon!
