Sunday, December 1, 2024

Broadway: Box Office Collapse for “Shuffle Along” As Musical Keeps Sliding

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Broadway: “Hamilton” is has eaten everything in its path at the box office. “Bright Star” is gone, and other shows are suffering.

But the biggest collapse has to be “Shuffle Along.” On May 29th, the musical starring Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell took in $985,656. That was two weeks before the Tony Awards.

For the week ending this past Sunday, the total was just $787,622. It’s no surprise then that producer Scott Rudin has decided to close the show on July 24th. The steady downward spiral can be attributed not so much to McDonald’s announced departure but to the wipe out at the Tony Awards.

Interestingly, the total number of tickets sold hasn’t dropped much. But the average ticket price has really dipped. The potential gross last week was $1,125,028. The gap between what the show could make and does make it getting bigger.

Rudin isn’t used to this. “The Book of Mormon” continues to be a top 3 hit at the Broadway box office. Last week that show did 98% of its capacity.

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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