B'way beats summer heat with B.O. gain

'Riverdance,' 'Blast!' register healthy upticks

By CHARLES ISHERWOOD

Broadway saw a modest uptick at the box office last week, as grosses rose to $13,442,952, a 1.2% increase over the previous frame. Attendance of 235,570 was also up, by a little less than 1%.

There were 27 shows on the boards, one fewer than the prior frame, as "George Gershwin Alone" packed it in. Of those, only seven saw downturns at the B.O.

"Proof" saw the largest drop as Tony-winning star Mary-Louise Parker was on vacation. The drama dropped by $88,888 to wrap $305,918 of a potential $427,309. Parker returned to the show on Saturday and grosses should recover quickly. All the other downturns were insignificant; none broke into five figures.

Gains were likewise modest, with most in the four-figure or low five-figure range. Healthy upticks were charted at tourist favorites "Riverdance" (up $42,807 to $637,837 as its closing date approaches), "Blast!" (up $35,276 to $363,681) and "Chicago" (up $33,776 to $499,231).

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" played its last performance on Sunday. The Gary Sinise starrer notched a modest decrease of about $1,000 for its final seven-perf week, taking in $362,165 of a potential $444,408.