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NEW YORK Broadway continued its January decline in Week 34 (Jan. 12-18), with the cume down $2 million to $13.9 million for 21 shows on the boards.

Still, a few shows saw upticks, notably "Speed-the-Plow" ($421,987), which rose $87,000 in the first week of perfs with new star William H. Macy, who stepped into the lead role originally occupied by Jeremy Piven (and played over the holidays by Norbert Leo Butz).

The one show to shutter last week, "Spring Awakening" ($715,398), also climbed, seeing a bump of nearly $100,000 in last-chance biz. Other offerings to improve over the prior sesh include "Mary Poppins" ($724,208), "August: Osage County" ($371,917) and the previewing "Hedda Gabler" ($267,727).

Otherwise, sales slid, although none too dramatically. Among newer offerings, "Billy Elliot" ($1,149,587) held on to the No. 2 slot in the top 10, while "Shrek the Musical" ($785,358) played to auds at 73% of capacity.

The sesh's one new legiter, "Soul of Shaolin" ($361,036), attracted houses that were about 92% filled in its first week.

Compared with the same week in prior years, the streetwide cume of $13.9 million is the lowest it's been since 2005, with an unusually low number of shows running. Last year, for instance, 30 shows brought in $16.3 million, and in 2007, the 27 productions running tallied $14.8 million.

But legit watchers have long been expecting a particularly chilly January given the crowd of shows that called it quits this month. The season should heat up again with the bow of new offerings, including Will Ferrell's "You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush," which began previews this week.

The 16 musicals grossed $12,194,752 for 87.8% of the Broadway total, with an attendance of 156,257 at 87.2% capacity and average paid admission of $78.04.

The five plays grossed $1,687,880 for 12.2% of the Broadway total, with an attendance of 25,712 at 70.5% capacity and average paid admission of $65.65.

Average paid admission was $76.29 for all shows.

-- Gordon Cox and Sam Thielman