Tony-nommed shows see bump; others grind

'Blonde,' 'Music Man' show largest gain

By ROBERT HOFLER

Those shows that nabbed the most Tony nominations improved. Nearly everything else declined last week, with the total tally falling $395,4889 -- or down 2.5% -- to close at $14,446,691. But the current season continues to be well ahead of 1999, when the box office captured $12,856,184 the same week last year. Attendance was 267,842 in contrast to 257,429 in 1999.

The heavily nominated “Dirty Blonde” and “The Music Man” showed the biggest spikes in business.

The Mae West bioplay shot up $54,769 after a nearly identical bump the previous week. It closed at $191,205 on a gross potential of $279,775, performing at a very seductive 91.94% capacity. Its average ticket: $44.14.

The Meredith Willson musical kicked up another $53,777 to close at $504,533 on a gross potential of $732,133. Capacity was at 77.24%. The tuner had one of Broadway’s higher average ticket prices: Its $61.39 was topped by “Cabaret” ($68.98), “Contact” ($69.50), “Kiss Me, Kate” ($67.53) and “The Lion King” ($66.36).

‘Wild Party’ gains

“The Wild Party,” with seven Tony noms, registered its first significant gain, of $19,848. Attendance, though, remained at a precarious 53.03%. It finished last week at $291,553 on a gross potential of $588,499.

Other shows with multiple nominations included “Copenhagen” (up $14,950), “Contact” (up $13,053), “Kiss Me, Kate” (up $23,277), “The Real Thing” (up $5,327) and “Swing!” (up $17,196).

Bucking the trend was the much-nominated “A Moon for the Misbegotten,” which dropped $15,778.

“Taller Than a Dwarf” got no noms but survived with only a $32 uptick to close at $245,709 on a g.p. of $441,588. The show played at 71.94% cap.

‘Aida’ not hurt

The failure of “Aida” to receive a best musical nod did not hurt business. The Disney musical rose $1,313 to close at $758,186. Its 98.10% capacity was bettered only by “The Lion King,” which again sold out.

“The Green Bird” got its wings clipped with only two minor nominations. Its $60,804 drop was the week’s most precipitous. With a $178,157 close, it performed at 40.34% cap, the lowest on Broadway.