Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tony Awards Ratings Take HUGE Tumble as Bette Midler Non-Performance Costs CBS and Show Plenty

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The Tony Awards ratings were very very bad.

Of course last year was a high because of “Hamilton.” Total viewers were 8.73 million.

Last night, total viewers were 6.01 million. This was LESS than 2015, which was near rock bottom with 6.25 million total.

The NHL championship didn’t help, neither did Celebrity Family Feud.

The big disappointment was Bette Midler, who stiffed the Tonys by not performing any number from “Hello, Dolly!” She was brought to Broadway was a staged celebrity draw, but has failed to deliver the goods. She’s done no publicity and not done anything to help the Broadway community. Producer Scott Rudin isn’t even doing an Actors Fund performance to benefit retired actors.

If Midler had performed, and could have been promoted, the Tony ratings would have been substantially higher. What a shame. The whole “Hello, Dolly!” exercise has become a money grab. And it ends in a few months, since Midler will exit at the end of the year. That may be the end of the run as well.

Midler, who is insulated from any negative reaction, has no idea what a tepid response she got last night in Radio City. The crowd was ambivalent at best. Real Broadway stars performed on the show, like Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole. And Lupone pitched in, after losing, to sing a final number with Kevin Spacey. (Thank goodness.)

Goodbye, Dolly.

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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