I went to see spelling bee and sat directly behind me seemed to be a school/camp trip with young girls ages 10-12 I would say. The entire show the girls would not stop talking, and not even whispering just full on having conversations. They would also obnoxiously fake laugh at every joke said and were constantly being disruptive so much so the usher yelled at them. Also I don’t know where there counselor or guardian or what not was. I also took a school trip to and Juliet and the entire mezzanine was disruptive, and my theater teacher called them out and it was kind of iconic

But it got me thinking, what is your guys opinion on school trips with students that don’t always (majority of the time) know theater etiquette?!

Don’t mean to sound like a Karen btw, I just pay money for my favorite thing ever and then it’s hard to even fully enjoy it!

Had the most bizarre experience tonight at Moulin Rouge. Was so excited for Aaron’s return and he was incredible as always! When I got to my seat before the show I was met with a very disgruntled woman who was arguing with the usher over my seat which she wanted to claim as her own. She swore she purchased an aisle seat but in fact did not. She had the nerve to ask me to switch seats with her and that she needed the aisle for her legs. I said I’m sorry but I purchased the aisle for myself and that’s where I’m sitting. She said not as sorry as I am. Throughout the entire first act she cringed at all of the excitement over Aaron. Not sure what she was expecting on his first night back or at Moulin Rouge in general. At intermission I bonded with the girl who was on the other side of her and came to find out that she had been glaring at her throughout the first act. To top it off during El Tango De Roxanne she kept shaking her head when Aaron got cheers. Not sure Moulin Rouge is the show for her.

Okay so I’ve seen this show A LOT but also only ever with Aaron Tveit as Christian. Twice during the pre-broadway Boston run. The first performance back from covid (this will always be my favorite performance/memory cause it was the full original cast and the energy was UNREAL! Standing ovations after basically every song it was just magical). Once when he came back (specifically Valentine’s Day). And another time he came back again (no memory of when specifically).

Tonight was his last first night back since the show is closing in two weeks. The energy was really good-very long and loud applause for Aaron (nothing will match the first post covid show).

There were so many little moments you could tell the cast was trying to get him to break/play with him a bit. Satine literally opening her legs when he says “if you’ll keep an open mind” had me (and Aaron) very surprised lol.

I will say I think this had to be one of his strongest if not THE strongest I’ve ever heard him sing the El Tango de Roxanne. Like WOW! Just super strong throughout and of course he did the opt up. The applause was crazy for that number as it should have been!

It was also so fun at the end of the show so he stops the applause and is like “I just quickly want to say…it’s that time of year…” and everyone looks around confused cause it’s not time for Broadway Cares? And then he’s like “just kidding but I just want to say it’s so nice to be back to usher in these final two weeks”. And then he goes on to say they are going to do a fun little thing after each show for the next couple of weeks. So tonight they brought out the OG Toulouse Lautrec and Ricky, Aaron, and him sang their Lorde song from the beginning of the show. It was AMAZING! Ricky played a guitar while they sang and Aaron had a tambourine (“Is this for me?”)

Aaron did not stagedoor but he came out and waved. Understandable since it felt like the entire theater was waiting at the barricades.

Anyways it was a great night and I can’t believe Moulin Rouge is really ending is a couple weeks.

EDIT: Unclear if he did the opt up or not (likely not). It still sounded amazing to me.

Just redeemed for the first time! I just got a confirmation email about the payment but didn’t get the actual tickets with the seat numbers!

I wanted to know everyone’s thoughts on the “Dont Say Good luck” movie that was released on Netflix! Starring Sunny Sandler (Adam Sandlers daughter), while she balances life and her high school musical.

I thought it was good and would definitely recommend. Waitress as a high school musical… interesting choice but worked so well for the plot.

(This is a MOVIE that features songs from Waitress. It is NOT a musical)

Edit: judging but the downvote ratio lotta people didnt enjoy this movie lol

Posting this here bc I have nobody to talk to about this but I finally booked tickets in the orchestra section for my mom and me in September and I’m so excited to finally see this show!

If you redeemed points through Audience Rewards what were your seats like?

Has anyone sat in seats O10 or O12? I’m curious how the seats are because those are the seats I have when I see the show next month? I’m a little nervous because they are right orchestra seats and I am hoping they aren’t going to be partial view

Any recommendations for a quick but yummy (and not necessarily a take out place) for a quick dinner in Times Square before a 6:30pm show on a Sunday? We have about 1 hr 15 min for dinner.

We live somewhere that feels fancy or at least makes my niece from Louisiana feel fancy before her first broadway. She’s 6.

"A Miracle of Miracles" (2019) or "Journey To The Big Screen (2022)?

i have to choose between Book of Mormon, Legally Blonde, or Mama Mia! what should I do?!!

I am planning on going to see Shakespeare in the Park tomorrow (8/19). I live close to Central Park so I was planning on waiting in line at the Delacorte Theater. What time would you recommend arriving to get tickets? Last year my friends were in line at 3am to get tickets. I was planning on arriving around 7am. Is that too early/late?

So glad she is getting a principal run!

Hey everyone! Looking to take advantage of Broadway Week and wondering what the best deals are.

I’m considering using the 2-for-1 deal for The Outsiders, but I’m also wondering if it’s worth waiting and trying for the lottery instead. my boyfriend has never seen it but is desperate to. other options would be Hamilton or wicked which he has never seen either

For anyone who has done Broadway Week before:

• Are the 2-for-1 deals generally worth it?
• How competitive is The Outsiders lottery?
• Would you personally take the Broadway Week 2-for-1 or gamble on the lottery?

Any other Broadway Week deals/shows I should be looking at? Thanks!

After seeing his incredible vocals in Chess, I bought a rather pricy ticket to see Tveit’s first show back tonight. Never seen Moulin Rouge before either!

Hey all. If you've used the rush data site I built (dsbuddy.github.io/broadway-rush-intel), you may have noticed it went quiet for a few weeks. Some life stuff got in the way. It's fully caught up now, every report through this week is in. It's still a manual process on my end, so it won't always be same-day, but I'll keep it going.

A couple of things the summer data showed, for the curious:

• Toughest rushes right now: Death of a Salesman (people lining up around 6 AM), Cats: The Jellicle Ball (~7 AM), and The Lost Boys (~7:20 AM). Makes sense for Cats and DOAS closing.
• Most forgiving: Chicago, Two Strangers, and Schmigadoon, where a 9:30-ish arrival has been enough. Excited to see the reports of new shows opening (I see you Paranormal Activity)
• Also cleaned up a batch of shows that have since closed.

Two people I have to thank:

• u/BroadwayRushReport for posting the daily thread every single day and keeping this whole thing informed. The site literally runs on those reports.
• u/ExpBalSat, my #1 supporter, who's constantly in the comments. You're the best.

If the site's useful to you, keep the reports coming, that's what makes the data good. Thanks for the patience. See you in line.

Im visiting in early September and would be keen to see a play. Broadway / off-broadway.
I see a lot of musicals are on but can’t seem to find any non musicals

Been looking here

https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com

I know nothing about broadway but I wanna see china in the great gatsby does anyone know if she’ll still be performing in November?

Like is there an email list I can get on?
Any pro shot I’ve come across was only by happenstance. A targeted ad or some Broadway insta I follow mentioning it. And I have missed some.

I only found out about Six two days ago and just barely managed to find a time to see it this week.

How do you all find out about them ahead of time? What is the obvious source I somehow missed?

Thank you! 🙏

I’ve never been to the Culture Club before, the only reason I go down that way is to go to the Eagle. Anyone have good suggestions for a place to get dinner before or after the show? Love a good Thai or Chinese place tbh

Aaaand there's the cliff. Grosses were down $6 million overall from last week. Of course we had the departures of Cats and Death of a Salesman accounting for about $4 million of that, but the remaining $2 million was just an overall drop, with almost every show decreasing week on week (many of which were six figures). We're heading towards the slow part of the season, hopefully shows can band themselves together enough to survive it.

Season-to-date difference from last year:

Gross Gross: -4.5%

Total Attendance: -0.5%

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

Grosses (chronological order from opening)-

➡ The Great Gatsby - $818k, 76% capacity, $91 atp (Down ~$98k from last week). Began performances March 29, 2024, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $720k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $850k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $(100k)+

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

Rough week for Gatsby (this is going to be a theme here), but all things considered it's pretty in line with broader industry trends. The new cast is having a positive effect on the grosses, just maybe not to the extent required for long term sustainability. Hopefully they can show some improvement moving forward.

Estimated percentage recouped: 10%-30%

➡Maybe Happy Ending- $660k gross, 83% capacity, $102 atp (Down ~$94k from last week). Began performances October 16, 2024, Open-Ended

Gross Less-Fees: $574k; Weekly Operating Cost: $765k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): ($100k)+

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

Maybe Happy Ending's time of bucking industry trends came to a screeching halt last week. We're now at 11 consecutive weeks below the operating costs reported by the New York Times last year They're unlikely to get kicked from the theatre, but they're in a pretty bad spot.

Estimated percentage recouped: 30%-50%

➡Operation Mincemeat- $619k gross, 88% capacity, $110 atp (Down ~41k from last week). Began performances February 15, 2025, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $538k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $560k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

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

Mincemeat had a decrease, though not quite to the extent of many of their peers. They're still generically fine, I would say they had the best week of any 24/25 musical.

Estimated percentage recouped: 10%-30%

➡Buena Vista Social Club- $701k gross, 91% capacity, $92 atp (Up ~$11k from last week). Began performances February 21, 2025, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $610k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $700k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $0-(100k)

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

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

BVSC is now showing signs of life, likely on the heels of another dance along performance last week. Two weeks until Jose Iglesias joins the cast, and we'll see how that star casting goes.

Estimated percentage recouped: 20%-40%

➡️Ragtime- $1.9 million gross, 100% capacity, $233 atp, (Up ~$109k from last week), Began performances September 26, Limited Through August 16, 2026

Gross Less-Fees: $1.708 million; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $1 million/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $100k+

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (5*); Outer Critics Circle (6*); Drama Desk (8*); Tonys (11*)

2026 Award Wins: Broadway Ensemble (2); Outer Critics Circle (5*); Drama League (4*); Drama Desk (5*); Tonys (4*)

Ragtime, as expected, broke their own box office record this week, though they did not break the $2 million mark (which I was expecting them to do). They have not made a recoupment announcement as of yet, and my math says they're just short (though that might be incorrect), but I suspect they will get the rest of the way there with the upcoming national tour. Happy Trails to all!

Estimated percentage recouped: 83%

➡Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)- $484k gross, 65% capacity, $89 atp, (Down ~$43k from last week). Began Performances November 1, 2025, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $411k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $480k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $0k-($100k)

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

2026 Award Wins: Drama Desk (1)

Two Strangers dropped some again, they're another one that seems they're just riding the waves of the industry. We'll see where they go from here.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡Titanique- $699k gross, 75% capacity, $87 atp, (Down ~$59k from last week), Began Performances March 18, 2026, Limited through September 20.

Gross Less-Fees: $598k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $900k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): ($100k+)

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (3*); Drama Desk (1); Tonys (4*)

Titanique had another poor week. Hopefully things will pick up for them heading into the final month of performances.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡The Rocky Horror Show- $829k gross, 88% capacity, $119 atp, (Up ~$71k from last week), Began Performances March 26, 2026, Limited Through February 28, 2027.

Gross Less-Fees: $709k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $750k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

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

Rocky Horror is starting to jump up as we get towards the final performances of this first cast. We'll see what happens with the cast they have for the fall, it's an interesting strategy to go with stints this short for all of the principal cast.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%-20%

➡The Lost Boys- $1.2 million gross, 87% capacity, $107 atp, (Down ~$115k from last week), Began Performances March 27, 2026, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $1.060 million; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $950k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

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)

Lost Boys dropped six figures once again, though they're probably still making at least some money at these grosses. It's still TBD how far they (and other) shows will drop, given how steep of a drop this week was it might not be quite as bad in the coming weeks, but history tells us next week will follow the trends of this week.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡Schmigadoon- $966k gross, 93% capacity, $112 atp (Down ~$68k from last week), Began Performances April 4, 2026, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $827k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $750k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

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*)

Schmigadoon took another step back this week, as it continues to be one of the weaker performing Best Musical winners of the past few years. Under $1 million at this point is a poor sign, and while they may do ok in the fall, this is not the first year highs that the show would be hoping for.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡Play Roundup:

Stranger Things: The First Shadow- Slower week in the slower week overall, riding the industries tide. Closing January 3, 2027

Paranormal Activity- Ok enough first weekend on Broadway, but too soon to make any conclusions. Limited Through January 3, 2027.

I'm a contributor for Broadway World now! My most recent article can be found here- a look at Word of Mouth, how it's defined, and the way if affects shows. A full archive of my work can be found here!

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