Lea Michele’s ‘Humorous Lady’ Breaks Broadway Field-Workplace File – Billboard

Main as much as the profitable vacation weeks, the Lea Michele-led Humorous Lady broke a field workplace document on the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway. 

The revival introduced in simply above $2 million throughout eight reveals final week, which additionally marked a document gross for the manufacturing. Michele joined the revival in September, following the departure of Beanie Feldstein, in a transfer seen to assist increase grosses for the then-struggling present. 

Since Michele joined the manufacturing on Sept. 6, Humorous Lady has seen that increase, with the musical bringing in additional than $1.6 million every week, and lately nearer to $2 million, after extra modest returns within the spring and a drop to lower than $1 million over the summer time. 

Imply Ladies, which performed the August Wilson Theatre from March 2018 till the theatrical shutdown, beforehand set the home document on the theater in 2018 with a gross of $1.99 million.

The latest field workplace document was set as Humorous Lady performed to a capability of 96 p.c and commanded a median ticket value of $213.28, the second highest of all reveals for the week. Solely The Music Man had a better common ticket value, at $267.99, which helped the present proceed its reign because the highest-grossing present of the week, bringing in $3.25 million. 

Ain’t No Mo‘ was one other notable standout within the week ended Dec. 18, as the brand new play noticed its grosses triple to succeed in $499,303 from $164,592 the earlier week and play to a capability of 93 p.c. The surge got here as creator Jordan E. Cooper waged a marketing campaign to cease the present from closing and obtained assist alongside the way in which from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Tyler Perry, Shonda Rhimes, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Queen Latifah and Sara Ramirez, all of whom purchased out performances. The present has now prolonged via Dec. 23 after initially being informed it could shut on Dec. 18.

Grosses stay excessive for the usual high performers on Broadway, with The Lion King bringing in $2.4 million, Depraved bringing in $2.2 million and Hamilton bringing in $2.3 million. Phantom continues to see elevated curiosity, after extending its closure to April after a run of 35 years.

However many Broadway newcomers proceed to battle, with productions resembling Topdog/Underdog, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play starring Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, grossing $257,217 final week and enjoying to a capability of 52 p.c, which has been the pattern for a number of weeks. Nearly Well-known, which simply introduced a Jan. 8 closing, performed to a capability of 68 p.c and grossed $703,714, down about $61,000 from the earlier week.

These grosses are nonetheless a welcome reprieve from final December, when a surge in omicron instances amongst forged and firm members brought on the cancellation of dozens of performances throughout the trade and led to the everlasting closure of some reveals. Arising, the weeks round Christmas and New Years Eve usually deliver within the greatest grosses productions see all season.

This text was initially printed by The Hollywood Reporter.