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.
