'Slava’s Snowshow' will tour overseas after wrapping up a 2½-year run Off Broadway.
"Slava's Snowshow," the nouveau clown show coming off a boffo week Off Broadway, aims to spend the 2007 holidays on Broadway.
"Snowshow" wraps its 2½-year run at the Union Square Theater Jan. 14 and will then tour Italy, Mexico, Canada and China. After that it's on to Broadway, according to producer David J. Foster, who wants to return the show to Gotham for a holiday engagement running from Thanksgiving through mid-January 2008.
In its 499-seat Off Broadway venue, "Snowshow" reported record sales of $354,159 for the week between Christmas and New Year's. A concurrent four-week run in L.A. also has done strong seasonal biz.
"When we saw how well it did over the holidays, that's when we really decided Broadway was a good idea," said Foster, who's looking into midrange Rialto houses of 800-900 seats.
Holiday offering "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" has found success on the Rialto with its own seasonal run. Last week "Grinch" grossed a walloping $1.7 million, and producers of that show anticipate returning to New York next year during the same period.
It's uncertain whether "Slava" has the same kind of drawing power as a well-known Dr. Seuss character. But Foster, who this season produced "Kiki & Herb: Alive on Broadway," remains confident: "Slava" is "so established in New York now," he said.
Show nonetheless registers its highest receipts during the holiday frame, which explains the tour that will take the production to international markets where biz is potentially stronger over the year.
"Slava," which has a fluctuating cast of 12-15 performers, was created by Russian clown Slava Polunin. Production is best known for the "snowstorm" of confetti that engulfs the aud in the finale.
Contact Gordon Cox at
gordon.cox@variety.com