Broadway Newcomers Draw Audiences: ‘The Outsiders’, ‘The Who’s Tommy’, ‘An Enemy Of The People’, ‘The Notebook’ Fill Seats
26.03.2024 - 18:13
/ deadline.com
Broadway’s first salvo of spring newcomers was more than holding its own last week, with recent arrivals drawing strong audiences.
Two shows had their opening nights during the week ending March 24, with An Enemy of the People, starring Jeremy Strong, Michael Imperioli and Victoria Pedretti, playing to standing room only crowds at Circle in the Square. Receipts were at a hefty $898,353, with attendance at 103% of seating capacity.
Also opening was Water For Elephants, the new musical starring Grant Gustin at the Imperial, with receipts down $23,144 from the previous week, due in no small part to press and opening night comps. The show grossed $875,269. Attendance for the three previews and five regular performances was 86% of capacity.
The Who’s Tommy was in previews at the Nederlander, filling 93% of seats at the venue (the Wednesday matinee was canceled due to an illness in the company) and grossing $822,391. Opening night is this Thursday, March 28.
Also in previews was The Outsiders, the new musical adaptation of the S.E. Hinton novel and Francis Ford Coppola film. A virtual sell-out, with 99% of seats filled at the Jacobs, the show grossed $725,440 for seven previews. Opening night is April 11.
The Notebook musical, which opened March 14 at the Schoenfeld, was going strong, a virtual sell-out with attendance at 99.7% of capacity. The show grossed $895,030.
Beginning previews last week was Lempicka, the new musical directed by Hadestown director Rachel Chavkin about the great painter Tamara Lempicka and starring Eden Espinosa. The musical, coming into Broadway with only a modicum of name recognition, grossed $395,859 for six previews, filling 96% of seats at the Longacre.
The strong attendance for Lempicka was