Thanksgiving leftovers thin B.O. on B'way
Plays perform all over map
There were the usual monumental six-figure plummets coming off a holiday, with long-running musicals representing most of the loss. Those shows included "Aida" (down $157,385), "Beauty and the Beast" (down $207,778), "Les Miserables" (down $171,547), "The Music Man" (down $231,132) and "The Phantom of the Opera" (down $230,055).
Box office-wise, plays performed all over the map.
A big winner the previous week, "Noises Off" fell $68,262 to close with a still-impressive $418,363 on its gross potential of $522,566. The Michael Frayn revival performed at 92.4% capacity, with its average ticket at $53.85. "Proof" also took a sizable hit, dropping $71,888 for a final $288,104.
"Dance of Death" marked time, down a mere $3,970 for a cume of $270,126. On the other hand, "45 Seconds From Broadway" rose $33,248 to close with $343,308 on its gross potential of $628,953. The Neil Simon play and "Hedda Gabler" had actually dipped Thanksgiving week, with the Ibsen also recovering this last session with an additional $21,503 in its coffers. It grossed $203,817 last week.
In its second week of those infamous $480 tickets, "The Producers" grew $15,509 to close with a record $1,180,360. "The Lion King" and "The Women," both down marginally, joined it in the 100-plus% capacity club. Just under sellout, "Mamma Mia" performed at 99.2% capacity, taking in $938,293.
