***
Broadway is getting close to a full house with the additions last week of the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical School of Rock — The Musical and a new revival of The Color Purple. Broadway now has 36 shows on the boards. Overall box office responded accordingly, rising from $26,640,593 to $28,476,229.
School of Rock — The Musical, ensconced at the Winter Garden, started out with 90% capacity crowds and 64% gross over eight previews. The Color Purple, which stars Jennifer Hudson, did better, running before 98% capacity houses, and collected 89% of the possible box office over six previews at the Jacobs.
The new Ivo van Hove production of Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge opened to good reviews at the Lyceum last week. Seats were 87% full, and box office was 52% of the potential. The effect of the reviews should show by next week.
Misery, the stage adaptation of the Stephen King book and film, starring Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf, opened late in the week. Houses were at 90% capacity, and the gross was 69%, the low number owing to the number of highly comped critics performances. The new David Mamet play China Doll, starring Al Pacino, continues to be an impressive draw at the Schoenfeld. Seats were 98% filled, and the gross was 108% of the potential, the second-highest such performance on Broadway (Hamilton was higher). Average ticket price was $164, again the second-highest such number on The Street (The Book of Mormon was higher).
The biggest box-office jump of the week belonged to the well-reviewed On Your Feet! The Gloria Estefan bio-jukebox musical took in $209,414 more than the previous week, climbing to $1,279,611. The box-office collection was 82% of the potential take. Houses were at 97% capacity.
The newly opened Allegiance, too, saw a nice bump, raking in $150,772 more than the week before.
Perhaps because of the increased competition, only three shows sold out: The Book of Mormon, The Lion King and Hamilton.