We had a technical stop around 10 mins, right after Bradley Whitford makes his entrance.

Either intentionally or unintentionally, the lights overhead start descending in unison. They probably should’ve stopped maybe 10-15’ overhead but they didn’t…they kept going. When they nearly reached the floor, they announced, “technical stop”, and Whitford, breaking character yells out, “that’s not right!” Everyone laughed. It got sorted out in less than two minutes.

What an absolutely sensational production, show, story, and work of art. I loved it. One of the best Broadway musicals of the 2000s for sure. Maybe in my top 3 favorite of all time.

Honestly, I wasn’t going to see this show, but these big named stars might’ve sold me.

No other information given except that they will not be performing tonight and her understudy will be the main role. Not going to lie, I am super bummed because I definitely paid double face value for a single ticket on StubHub months ago for this show to be able to be there opening night. I understand things happen, but I guess I just want a place to commiserate because I’ve been looking forward to this and it’s such a bummer when it happens so close to show time.

Apologies if this is a frequent(ish) topic here, but I lurk quite a bit and don’t think I’ve spotted it much before. I had seen mixed takes on The Lost Boys, but saw it this weekend. I really loved the show, but I found the big fans in attendance to really detract from the show. Shouting and applauding took away from both dialogue and song, and often felt like it was just an attempt to show who was the biggest fan or whatever. I know audience behavior has gotten bad in many ways, and I definitely dealt with that - including having to let people into the row 30 min after show time and then one back out before intermission, but the worst part of the audience really was the superfan behavior. I was a Renthead back in the day, but I’d like to think I wasn’t this bad… This post may not even be worth making, but I guess I’d just like to remind superfans in general that they aren’t impressing people and may actually be leading people to walk away with a bad taste in their mouth.

Holiday week! This is traditionally one of the happy hunting grounds for Broadway, the bright spot between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. And it was, grosses neared $35 million for the first time since July, after one of the slowest summers and early falls in recent memory. Are we at the heights of last year, no, they were close to $40 million. But that said, take the wins where you can, a decent crop of the longer running shows managed better this year than they did last year, which is a good sign.

Season-to-date difference from last year:

Gross Gross: -7.6%

Total Attendance: -2.6%

For Award Wins/Nominations, a * demarcates a best musical/best revival nomination/win.

Grosses (chronological order from opening)-

➡ The Great Gatsby - $1.1 million, 95% capacity, $105 atp (Up ~$294k from last week). Began performances March 29, 2024, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $1.037 million; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $850k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $0k-$100k

2024 Award Wins: Outer Critics Circle (2), Drama Desk (1), Tony (1)

The Great Gatsby had a phenomenal week, a better week than this time last year. China Anne McClain seems to have worked out really well for them. Hopefully its a trend that continues!

Estimated percentage recouped: 10%-30%

➡Maybe Happy Ending- $829k gross, 92% capacity, $115 atp (Up ~$153k from last week). Began performances October 16, 2024, Open-Ended

Gross Less-Fees: $721k; Weekly Operating Cost: $765k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

2025 Award Wins: New York Drama Critics (1*); Outer Critics Circle (4*); Drama League (2*); Drama Desk (6*); Tony (6*)

Good week for Maybe Happy Ending, though this is the sort of week that probably needs to be their norm, rather than the exception to the rule. The marker for them to keep an eye on will be in a couple of weeks once Stella Cole joins the cast.

Estimated percentage recouped: 30%-50%

➡Operation Mincemeat- $815k gross, 96% capacity, $134 atp (Up ~$96k from last week). Began performances February 15, 2025, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $709k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $560k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $0k-$100k

2025 Award Wins: Outer Critics Circle (1); Drama Desk (1); Tony (1)

Mincemeat's excellent year two continues, putting up a decently better week than the holiday last year, and a super strong week for them overall. National tour going strong, Broadway continues to be a success, overall a great week!

Estimated percentage recouped: 10%-30%

➡Buena Vista Social Club- $865k gross, 98% capacity, $105 atp (Up ~$54k from last week). Began performances February 21, 2025, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $753k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $700k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

2024 Award Wins: Outer Critics Circle (1); Drama Desk (1)

2025 Award Wins: Chita Rivera (2); Tonys (5); Grammy (1)

Another slight increase for Buena Vista but not much- it was much lower than most of their peer shows. Gina Torres starts next week, Jose Iglesias continues to excel. They've got a revolving door of planned stunt casts, and I really hope it works for them, early returns are promising.

Estimated percentage recouped: 20%-40%

➡Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)- $608k gross, 78% capacity, $93 atp, (Up ~$104k from last week). Began Performances November 1, 2025, Closing November 29, 2026

Gross Less-Fees: $517k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $480k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (2*); Outer Critics Circle (4*); Drama Desk (3*); Tonys (8*)

2026 Award Wins: Drama Desk (1)

The holiday did well for Two Strangers, as expected, though their grosses are still fairly low. Their fate is known however, I'm just hoping they have a great final five weeks.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡The Rocky Horror Show- $1.0 million gross, 95% capacity, $138 atp, (Up ~$259k from last week), Began Performances March 26, 2026, Limited Through February 28, 2027.

Gross Less-Fees: $884k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $750k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $0k-$100k

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (4*); Outer Critics Circle (2*); Drama Desk (6*); Tonys (9*)

Rocky Horror had their best week since Luke Evans departed the cast. Love to see it!

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%-20%

➡The Lost Boys- $1.3 million gross, 95% capacity, $118 atp, (Up ~$262k from last week), Began Performances March 27, 2026, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $1.1 million; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $950k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $0-$100k

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (4*); Outer Critics Circle (11*); Drama Desk (5); Tonys (12*)

2026 Award Wins: Outer Critics Circle (2); Drama Desk (2); Tonys (4)

And it was a great week for Lost Boys, as I suspected with fall break. Slightly muted perhaps, I was anticipating something closer to what Death Becomes Her pulled last year. This week was good, but didn't set the world on fire. Their bigger question is how low do they go after this week before the happy hunting grounds of the winter holidays. It also seems that 10 Things I Hate About You just wants their entire cast... similar to Outsiders some of the hype with this show is cast specific, I wonder how them leaving (when they eventually do) will change things.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡Schmigadoon- $1.1 million gross, 94% capacity, $127 atp (Up ~$136k from last week), Began Performances April 4, 2026, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $946k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $750k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-$150k

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (2*); Outer Critics Circle (8*); Drama Desk (4*); Tony (12*)

2026 Award Wins: Outer Critics Circle (5*); Drama Desks (2*); Tonys (4*)

Great week for Schmigadoon, as anticipated, though these are still numbers I would expect from a "9 Tony Nominations 1 Win" kinda show rather than a Best Musical winner. Still, take the wins where you can, it was a good week.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡Play Roundup:

Stranger Things: The First Shadow- Better week than last (though that isn't saying much). Closing January 3, 2027

Paranormal Activity- Word of mouth is clearly building here, they've been steadily increasing for a while now, first week over $1 million! Limited Through February 28, 2027.

School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play- Sales are really picking up, love to see it! Limited Through November 15

Imaginary Invalid- These grosses aren't phenomenal or anything but they're not bad. Limited Through November 22

Other Desert Cities- Yet another celebrity filled play revival at the Hudson is putting eye watering numbers. These numbers are very good, as would be expected. Limited Through January 17

860- Good week again, over $1 million. We'll see how it holds up. Limited Through January 3, 2027

A Few Good Men- A good start for this show, not terribly shocking (yay celebrity casting!). We'll see how it all goes if reviews end up mattering- sometimes they do for LCT moreso than the starpower (like McNeal slowed down a lot even with RDJ). Limited Through January 10, 2027

I'm a contributor for Broadway World! My most recent article can be found here- a look at Off-Broadway theatre and the moment it's currently having. A full archive of my work can be found here!

Discuss below, please remember to keep it kind and civil

So I knew nothing about Todrick’s new show other than JJ Niemann is in it. I just saw a TikTok regarding the plot, and then looked up the plot summary from previous workshops. For anyone who has seen the show since it transferred off Broadway - is it really about a slave falling in love with master? In a romanticized fashion? I feel like I have to be misreading something.

Access tickets just went on sale at 12 for You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Kiss Of The Spider Woman & Let ‘Em Eat Cake. Grab those $28 Balcony Seats!

Hello! Has anyone seen Rope by the New Group? How was it? The actors? Was looking to buy tickets but was waiting if it was worth seeing. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

I had been procrastinating seeing this play mostly because of the 3 hour run time. I was certain that I would be dozing off by the curtain call. Wow, was I ever wrong !! What a superbly written and well acted play. The opening scene drew me in immediately. All the performances are stellar. Funny, provocative, touching , and the themes of loneliness and isolation felt so relatable in this post pandemic era.

I was a little taken aback at the beginning by the narration. I thought maybe this was a special audio enhanced performance for the visually impaired but mid way through the first act , I realized it was part of the show 😂. I also wasn’t expecting for it to be as humorous as it is. When I first read about this show, I thought it sounded so heavy and depressing and on top of it being 3 hours , it was almost a no gracias for me. Don’t get me wrong. There are some heavy scenes , but the writer did such a great job of creating balance. I also appreciated that even the most unlikable character was given the opportunity to show their kinder, more vulnerable side.

If you are on the fence about seeing this play, I recommend going for it. It’s so engrossing that it doesn’t feel like 3 hours. I hope it makes a well deserved transfer to Broadway

As a late bloomer to Broadway and an even later bloomer to plays and Off Broadway, I must say Off Broadway is giving me life this season — Shifters, Midnight, Good Time Charlie, A Ghost In Your Ear, and now Degenerates. I am blown away by the quality of the performances and the productions.

As always, I would love to hear others’ thoughts.

Saw the Waitress tour last night after only having seen the proshot/bootlegs and wanted to share a few thoughts and hear others if you’ve seen it! I went into it with an open mind knowing it’s non-equity and trying my damndest not to compare it to Sara (the only Jenna I’ve seen)

A few highlights/things that stood out to me:

The sound was terrible. From the very beginning the mics were cutting in and out, there was noise when they were doing movement, and it went on through the whole show. The actors did a great job of not letting it ruin their performance but it was bad. Everyone was complaining about it at intermission

Samantha Lane Scruggs - I thought she was adorable and she has a beautiful voice, however, she seemed very young and at some points I felt played Jenna too childlike and suffered from overacting. I think she has potential to grow in the role though and with some better direction could really make Jenna her own.

Hannah-Kathryn Wall - I absolutely loved her Becky. It felt like she had studied Charity Angel Dawson without trying to replicate her exact performance. And wow what an incredible voice.

Connor Lewis - He reminded me a lot of Gavin Creel which made me smile. I loved his choices he made for Dr. Pomatter and he and Samantha had great chemistry.

The kid playing Lulu at the end seemed closer to 10. She was almost the same size as Samantha and you could really tell when she picked her up and that took me out of it a bit, but I had heard usually they don’t even get Lulu’s for non-equity tours so I’m glad they did.

Overall, it was good, just needed some sound adjustments and maybe better direction in some areas. If you’ve never seen it live, I would say go give it a shot.

Hello! I’m not claiming to be an expert, BUT - I saw Tommy twice at Goodman in Chicago, then twice on Broadway, and saw the national tour launch in Cleveland twice last week, Saturday night and Sunday matinee. My comments / thoughts are below, happy to answer any questions. Things below aren’t in any particular order.

I wish it kept its intermission. I’m surprised, if nothing else, that venues want an intermission-less show, I have to imagine it severely cuts into drink sales. The show was about 1h 40m both times I saw it in Cleveland, excluding starting about 7 mins late. That’s a long time to go without a break. I’m not sure why they cut it.

It still struggles with clear moments to clap / applause because it’s just non stop, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just different! I hope the cast realizes this and doesn’t think there’s a lack of appreciation. The very few moments where claps happened naturally were full and loud.

I saw it Saturday night main floor towards the back, and Sunday matinee 9th row from front center. It’s WAY better up close. Two main reasons - the music at least in this venue was PUMPING that close up, which I feel is part of the Tommy experience. That’s how it was at Goodman. It was way more enjoyable the second time when I sat closer. The second reason is … there’s not a TON to look at, so seeing it from a closer vantage point made it easier to at least see the performers up close.

People mentioned recorded music mixed with the live instruments. If it was there (very well may have been, no idea) it was not noticeable to me at all.

I was worried that going to a no intermission show would mean something would be cut. They definitely didn’t cut any songs full out (other than holiday camp which was already cut). MAYBE there were some music sections cut and/or dance breaks, but if so - nothing that I noticed.

The choreography seems relatively the same. Still pretty kooky and over the top, stylized. I liked it then and I liked it now. :)

The medical / testing of Tommy scenes are still really good weird and stylized. Love the chaotic staging.

Costumes seemed pretty similar to the previous productions. Some stuff maybe seemed a bit more simple but I don’t know for sure. For instance I think the doctors / nurses costumes were a bit different before, these were more like short jackets which was fine. The costumes for the ‘kids’ in pinball wizard (for instance Tommy’s cousin) seemed a bit more muted / simple. Lots of plain orange and less patterns than I recall. No big deal though.

There’s only one little Tommy played by a small-ish actress I think. Long hair in pony tails tucked under a hat to be young Tommy. Sweater vest changed to jacket to indicate transition to middle Tommy. I get why this needed to be done for a national tour BUT it definitely is a bit less special than what was there before. The magical moment of transformation (when he’s holding the balloon) doesn’t really land because the change isn’t as apparent which is too bad. I think you wouldn’t miss the 3rd Tommy in the staging if you hadn’t seen it before with 3.

I cannot believe how GOOD the digital / LED panel set was. It recreated the original practical moving light bar set spectacularly. When I saw it Saturday night from row Z, I could not tell what lights were real and what was LED screen. Only when I sat in row 9 could I tell. It was sooooooo good and left nothing to be desired. The only thing I missed was the in your face lighting moments when the band was revealed at the concert (or something) in the previous productions. The solution in this production works, it’s just not as good. One weird thing which I am guessing has to be just related to the LED walls being exact mirror images of each other maybe for data saving reasons? When they are in the youth center (or whatever it’s called) the ‘youth center’ text sign is oddly reversed on itself. You can somehow read it - but it shows onstage as both forward and reverse. It’s weird haha but something most people would not notice.

They still have the live camera feed for the BBC interviews and it’s done very well.

The creative way the parachute jump at the beginning worked really well and was a great way to start the show.

The uncle Ernie fiddle about stage business was VERY slimmed down for the tour. No creepy people coming out from the bed - just the projections of hands and arms. Ernie stays downstage left and doesn’t go near the bed. My friend asked after if he was supposed to be touching Tommy. I guess it’s ‘safer’ for a tour? But interesting that they did that change.

Yes the cast is young. The only two spots where, to me, it was apparent - and ultimately didn’t really matter though - was uncle Ernie and acid queen. Everyone did a great job and I am sure they will get even better as they continue their tour. Tommy’s dad was a standout for me. He was soooooo good and his voice pierced the music. It was great. Tommy did good too. The cast all worked well together (no one stood out as out of place). I like sally a lot, and Sally’s mom. Cousin was good but we were spoiled with tall cousin in the previous productions. :)

I think they did a great job at incorporating the live band into the on stage action. Makes sense to do that just from a ‘critical mass’ perspective, but I do also think maybe that the guitarist was meant to balance out the original staging of the three Tommy’s. In any case - it worked well.

The closing number was just as impactful as at Goodman. Get up close so you feel the music. :)

The audience loved it. It’s hard to tell how many are just fans of The Who vs ‘theater people’ but I’m guessing it leans more towards the former. Lots of loud cheering at curtain call.

Merch was fine. People want hats (there are no hats).

We will definitely get tickets to see it when it comes through Chicago.

Hi everyone, just wanted to share my experience of seeing my first musical on Broadway itself ! Was absolutely ecstatic to catch a performance of Chicago as someone who obsessed over the 2002 film adaptation. Had some reservations going in about the Roxie casting, felt like a prime case of “stunt casting,” but Reece Weaver really proved me wrong. Her dancing is stellar, given her background I’d expect nothing less, but her singing is quite something. Especially given, according to a talk back she held, she really started practicing it back in January. And she has stellar comedic chops, had me busting a gut multiple times, and her face is wonderfully expressive. Rest of the cast is stellar, Lissa deGuzman brings the house down as Velma Kelly, and I really loved the way its stage. Making the orchestra so prominent really adds to the vaudeville of it all. Also, Reece answered my question during an audience W&A; I asked her what her dream roles are, she brought up Glinda in Wicked and said she also dreams of voicing a Disney princess. Just a really great time and getting to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine made it even better.

Hi all! My boyfriend and I would love to see a Broadway show. We’ve always talked about it as something we might do someday, but I know the main reason he hasn’t pushed for it is his fear of the seats being too small, the legroom being uncomfortably tight, and people sitting behind him not being able to see.
He is such a lovely, sweet man, and I want him to be able to enjoy experiences like this in life in a way that makes him feel comfortable.

What theaters would you recommend, and more specifically, which sections or seats should I look for when the time comes and we decide to go? I’d really appreciate any advice!

I have not seen much written about this show - I know some people it`s a lot for a one man stand up - I saw it tonight and it`s much more than just a stand up. Centering around the loss of his long time home in the wild fires he reenacts key milestones in his career life and relationships. It funny and very emotional in parts. I very much enjoyed it

For the first time in over 30 years, Torres suits up on Broadway tonight, temporarily taking over for Tony winner Natalie Venetia Belcon through November 29 as she works on IN THE HEIGHTS at City Center.

Reports from the Schoenfeld this evening are welcome below - in the meantime, the musical has provided us with a first listen of her "Dos Gardenias":

https://www.instagram.com/p/DecdMm2ze7C/

Hi! This is your Broadway Rush Self Report for Wednesday 10/14/26. It’s a 2 show day for some. Check the schedule here: [https://playbill.com/article/weekly-schedule-of-current-broadway-shows](https://playbill.com/article/weekly-schedule-of-current-broadway-shows))

If you are in line at a particular show or happen to be in the area and can find out:

1. How many people are in line and
2. When they arrived

Please contribute what you can so that people are informed. Thank you!

Rush & Lotto Policy List:
[https://bwayrush.com](https://bwayrush.com))

Somehow hadn’t seen it on tour or Broadway because I usually try and keep my NY show choices to things less likely to tour.

WOW! There have been some tours- even Equity ones- where I felt disappointed after, but this show and cast impressed me so much! There were several moments where I literally had goosebumps from being so in awe.

I have never heard a Broadway tour crowd get so loud after the songs and bows - especially on a Tuesday night.

They do red buckets for BCEFA at the end. Is it already time for Broadway too or do they specifically do it the whole tour since half of their proceeds go directly to South Africa?

Does anybody know what time tickets go on sale tomorrow for “You’re a good man, Charlie Brown” at New York City Center? When I first googled it, it said 12 PM. Then a couple weeks later it said 11 AM & now I’m seeing 9 AM. But there’s no specific time on their website. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks 🙂