Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

Broadway Grosses* w/e 3/25/2012

The following are the Broadway Grosses from the week ending March 25, 2012:

Show Name	GrossGross	TotalAttn	%Cap	AvgPdAdm
ANYTHING GOES	$584,981	6,828	83.19%	$85.67
CHICAGO	$566,644	7,179	83.09%	$78.93
DEATH OF A SALESMAN	$777,953	7,236	99.78%	$107.51
END OF THE RAINBOW	$315,525	5,723	72.33%	$55.13
EVITA	$1,410,635	11,483	91.78%	$122.85
GHOST	$563,006	8,878	87.59%	$63.42
GODSPELL	$291,430	4,424	75.24%	$65.87
GORE VIDAL'S THE BEST MAN	$723,315	7,542	88.60%	$95.90
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING	$700,538	8,517	74.76%	$82.25
JERSEY BOYS	$979,435	9,408	95.77%	$104.11
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR	$632,019	10,601	110.46%	$59.62
MAGIC/BIRD	$127,931	3,645	48.35%	$35.10
MAMMA MIA!	$659,751	8,400	70.09%	$78.54
MARY POPPINS	$857,334	11,013	76.61%	$77.85
MEMPHIS	$660,329	9,612	81.73%	$68.70
NEWSIES	$828,882	8,393	100.00%	$98.76
ONCE	$638,004	8,044	95.04%	$79.31
OTHER DESERT CITIES	$318,902	3,743	61.48%	$85.20
PORGY AND BESS	$687,792	7,356	68.88%	$93.50
PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT	$606,658	7,836	57.99%	$77.42
ROCK OF AGES	$421,183	4,395	94.23%	$95.83
SEMINAR	$380,204	4,614	81.98%	$82.40
SISTER ACT	$607,370	8,879	63.24%	$68.41
SPIDER-MAN TURN OFF THE DARK	$1,500,067	14,200	91.97%	$105.64
THE BOOK OF MORMON	$1,487,000	8,752	102.63%	$169.90
THE LION KING	$1,742,053	13,417	100.01%	$129.84
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA	$941,101	11,859	92.36%	$79.36
VENUS IN FUR	$325,402	3,980	70.27%	$81.76
WAR HORSE	$838,227	7,786	91.04%	$107.66
WICKED	$1,808,773	14,068	97.21%	$128.57
TOTAL	$22,982,439	247,811	83.59%	$88.83

*Broadway Grosses provided courtesy of The Broadway League.

The Sunday Giveaway: 2 Tickets to ONCE on Broadway

Oooh, what a good giveaway we've got this week!

Fresh off it's set of raves, Once has set the stage for one of my favorite things - a big David vs. Goliath type Tony Battle, where a small independent musical takes on a big behemoth (Newsies).  It's going to be an exciting run-up to June 12th, that's for sure.

One of the most interesting things about the reviews for Once, was the big ol' wet sloppy kiss that Brantley gave it in the Times . . . because his Off-Broadway review wasn't as glowing.  Big Ben adjusted his opininon (which made me have even more respect for the man-who-would-be-king), and said he got it wrong, and that Once was wonderful.  Luckily, the Producers were hell-bent on Broadway before reading his earlier review

Interestingly enough, last week we also saw Superstar open, which had received an earlier dismissal from Isherwood during its Canadian opening, and unfortunately for them, he didn't change his mind.  

Out of town or pre-opening reviews are tricky subjects for Producers.  Here are two examples of much different info provided by the critics for productions on their way in to Broadway.  

As a Producer, how much would you pay attention to reviews of an out-of-town production or a pre-Broadway mounting?  Should critics even go to a show that is on its way?

Comment below with your thoughts and I'll send one of you to Once!

 

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below!  Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

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FUN STUFF:

- RSVP to the Shooting Crows reading in our studios!  Click here.

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28.  Click here. 

 

Who won the tickets to Ghost on Broadway?

Either the subject of using pre-existing music in movie-to-musical adaptations is one heck of a hot topic, or a lot of you are 'dying' to see Ghost, because I got a ton o' comments about this subject.

Overwhelming majority opinion was that when there was a tune that was intrinsic to the production, the Authors/Producers almost have no choice but to include it.  

So which one of you is going to hear "Unchained Melody" in Ghost on Broadway?

Congratulations to . . . Brian Sheola!  

Email me to set up your seats, Brian.  And enjoy the . . . BOO!   Scare you?  I tried.

Another big fat Broadway giveaway tomorrow.  

 

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below!  Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

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FUN STUFF:

- RSVP to the Shooting Crows reading in our studios!  Click here.

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28.  Click here. 

The "Tweet Seat" debate featured on Rock Center with Brian Williams.

I'll admit . . . sometimes when I do something new, I know it's going to miff a few folks.  But boy, I had no idea that our tweet seat experiment at Godspell would attract so much attention.

Well, the buzz was so loud about this subject, that we actually attracted the super cool Brian Williams and his Rock Center crew, who did a whole story on cellphones and Broadway . . . and yes our tweet seat experiment.  I've posted it for you below.

By the way . . . our tweet seat experiment was a big success.  How do I measure success?  Our #1 concern was making sure that not an audience member nor a performer was bothered by the tweeters.  And, after the show, I personally polled about 20 non-tweeters  . . . and not one of them even knew we were having a tweet seat event.  And the cast gave their tweeting thumbs up as well.

How else did I measure success?  About half way through the Godspell portion, I talk about some age demographics.  My answer is how I knew we did some good.

 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below!  Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

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FUN STUFF:

- RSVP to the Shooting Crows reading in our studios!  Click here.

- Win tickets to see Ghost on Broadway! Click here.

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28.  Click here. 

5 Ways to attract International Audiences

The most recent set of Broadway stats had international tourists at about 14% of the entire Broadway audience.

While not a majority, it's still a good chunk (and it was actually down this past year from priors).  International audiences are a challenging group to reach for a whole bunch of reasons, but there are still things you can do to make your show more appealing to this group, if you think they are important to your success.

Here are five ways that you can attract International Audiences to your show.

1.  Choose your art carefully.

If you're counting on people who may not speak English to see your show, you best make sure the art (logo, etc.) is a very clear representation of what your show is about.  They may not be able to read your blurb, your quotes, or how many nominations/awards you got. For non-English speakers, it's all about the art.  

2.  Show 'em they are welcome.

Want to make sure someone feels at home?  Speak their language.  Add a sentence or two in another language and you'll instantly make that international reader a heck of a lot more comfortable.  You'll make them feel like they belong, which will make them more likely to say, "Porterò due biglietti," which is Italian for "I'll take 2 tickets."  And if languages take up too much of your marketing space, some shows will put images of small flags from other countries on their materials to indicate that their show is internationally friendly.

3.  The bigger the brand the better your chance at going global.

International visitors are usually more risk adverse than domestic visitors.  That means, they're going to go with something they know over something they don't.  And thus the international success of shows like Phantom and Mamma Mia.  If you don't have ABBA music or 20+ years of shows under your belt, try and tie your show to anything that might have resonated globally.  

4.  Hotels are their new home.

They've already made a commitment to stay in a hotel, which means that temporary home has their trust and faith . . . which also means that's where they are going to go for recommendations and suggestions.  Advertising in hotels (in-room magazines, in-room tv, CTMs) are a big part of grabbing this demographic, and, of course, don't forget those concierges . . . many of which speak several languages.  Imagine you're in Japan and you find someone who speaks English.  You're going to bond with them instantly, right?  You're going to trust them, right?  That's what happens here, too, so make sure you have a concierge outreach program in place.

5.  Find a reason to appear in their press.

Does your show deal with international issues?  Got a cast member with international ancestry?  Are there any international connections that you exploit in international press?  Here's the thing - NY press hears about Broadway all the time.  But international press?  Well, it's more rare to have a story that resonates, which means, if you can find one, you'll get some serious play for your play.  Get them to know you're here before they're here, and you're much more likely to get them to buy a ticket. 

 

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below!  Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

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FUN STUFF:

- RSVP to the Shooting Crows reading in our studios!  Click here.

- Win tickets to see Ghost on Broadway! Click here.

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28.  Click here. 

The first DTE reading of 2012 is . . .

Spring has arrived and so has the first play of our reading series!

As you know (or maybe you don't, if you're a new subscriber), we get a lot of submissions here at the office, so three times a year we pick a script we like, we cast it, get a director and invite you to see it.  You can read more about it here.

And on Monday, April 2nd, you'll get a chance to see our first choice for 2012 . . . which is . . . blog-like drumroll please . . .

Shooting Crows by Jack Rushen!

Crows will be directed by Gregory Fletcher and will feature Gary Betsworth, Chris Cafero, Lori Gardner, Julie O'Neill and Tom Zingarelli.

And no, Shooting Crows is not about a new Wii game.  Here's the blurb:

SHOOTING CROWS takes place on a farm in Texas during the Great Depression, and follows the relationship between a young girl and her grandfather. When her estranged father escapes from prison and reveals a long-kept secret, their loving relationship changes drastically and she realizes her grandfather is not the man she revered.

Sounds cool, right?

Come and see it.  Here are the deets:

Monday, April 2nd @ 8 PM
My Studios
250 West 49th St. Suite #304, Studio A.

RSVPs a MUST.  Click here to reserve your seat. 

See you there!

 

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below!  Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

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FUN STUFF:

- Win tickets to see Ghost on Broadway! Click here.

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28.  Click here. 

How to tell if you're going to sell out this weekend.

Ooooh, here's a fun tip that I started using months ago that has already started paying dividends.  

Broadway and Off-Broadway shows are fully engaged in the variable pricing war.  We used to employ the "set it and forget it" philosophy of our full price sales.  Then, of course, we decimate those prices in the discount market.

Now, we've gone all airline industry on our consumers, and have started adjusting our full price sales depending upon demand.

But when do you know if you've got that demand?

Here's the trick about variable pricing . . . the sooner you know that a show is going to be "hot", the better you're going to do, right?  Raising the prices one day before your show certainly would not be as beneficial to your bottom line as raising the prices one month before, as long as you were sure that show was going to sell out.  (BTW, this is also true about discounting - if you know a show is going to be soft a month out, you have more time to employ tactics to shore it up).

So how do you know if a show is going to sell out?  Especially in a market like NY's, where the week-of, day-of, hour-of, business is so dependent on street traffic and tourist traffic and the like.

There are a lot of factors you can use to help determine how you're going to do on a particular weekend.  The best thing you can do is use historical data (if your show or your theater has been operating for more than a year).  

But what if you don't have it?  

Here's my latest trick . . . and shhhh, let's just keep it between you, me, and the rest of blogoshphere.

What do I do?  I let other industries with a lot more money and a lot more data figure it out for me.

I'll call or go online to check hotel prices in the Times Square area over a month period.  On the days they are offering deals, I know we have trouble.  On the days where the rates get close to the rack or MORE, I know the hotel is expecting heavy demand . . . which most likely means heavy ticket demand.

Sometimes I'll cross reference this with other tourist cities.  A busy tourist time in NYC should also mean a busy tourist time in Las Vegas, DC, etc.   

Then I'll do the same with the airline industry.  See when they are offering deals, or when those deals are blacked out.  If you're paying $600 to fly from Chi-town to NYC, guess what . . . there are going to be some peeps in town that weekend.

You can't set your watch by these tips, of course, but they are just a little more information that will help you understand more about current consumer behavior.

And, as the NBC PSAs say . . . "the more you know."

 

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

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FUN STUFF:

- How To Market Your Show with No Money!  TONIGHT!  Click here.

- Win tickets to see Ghost on Broadway! Click here.

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28.  Click here. 

What I learned from eating chips and salsa.

If you've ever hung around me outside of NYC, then you know I've been known to drool at the sight of a Chili's.  Maybe it's the bottomless chips & salsa, maybe it's the bottomless cokes, but whatever it is, it gets me to stop, whether I'm hungry or not.

I was at a Chili's recently and when I got the bill I noticed what so many of you have probably noticed at restaurants (and a lot of retail stores from Rite Aid to Starbucks, etc.) around the country . . . every bill now comes with an opportunity for you to win a grand or two if you fill out their online survey.  (check it out here.)

Here's a company that's not just surveying random people every once in awhile. They are making a concerted effort to try and get a quality control report on EVERY SINGLE patron (and, of course, they are also trying to collect consumer information at the same time).

Which, of course, leads me to the leading statement of . . . we should be doing the same thing.

Every person that purchases a ticket should get a survey (and maybe with a "win a pair of tickets to Book of Mormon" incentive on their theatergoing habits, their purchase experience, etc. 

And actually, doing so would make the League's yearly surveying unnecessary . . . and probably more accurate, because the electronic ask could probably reach more people over all seasons, all shows, etc.

These folks are right there . . . just a few clicks away . . . and they have the information at their fingertips that could help us tweak every aspect of what we do in order to make it more profitable for us and more pleasurable for them.

And now look what I've done.  My stomach is growling.

But it's not chips and salsa I want.  It's information.

Because chips and salsa keeps me satisfied for about two and half hours.

Information can sustain me for a lifetime.

 

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

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FUN STUFF:

- How To Market Your Show with No Money!  Tomorrow night!  3 spots left!  Click here.

- Win tickets to see Ghost on Broadway! Click here.

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28.  Click here. 

Broadway Grosses* w/e 3/18/2012

The following are the Broadway Grosses from the week ending March 18, 2012:

Show Name	GrossGross	TotalAttn	%Cap	AvgPdAdm
ANYTHING GOES	$653,421	7,595	92.53%	$86.03
CHICAGO	$610,188	7,333	84.87%	$83.21
DEATH OF A SALESMAN	$632,832	7,246	99.92%	$87.34
EVITA	$1,167,685	9,282	98.91%	$125.80
GHOST	$381,746	4,951	85.48%	$77.10
GODSPELL	$311,170	4,484	76.26%	$69.40
GORE VIDAL'S THE BEST MAN	$663,411	7,448	87.50%	$89.07
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING	$812,618	10,006	87.83%	$81.21
JERSEY BOYS	$913,217	9,334	95.01%	$97.84
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR	$649,147	10,519	95.91%	$61.71
MAMMA MIA!	$685,129	8,716	72.73%	$78.61
MARY POPPINS	$881,144	11,384	79.19%	$77.40
MEMPHIS	$654,781	9,435	80.23%	$69.40
NEWSIES	$735,991	7,194	100.00%	$102.31
ONCE	$499,054	8,180	96.64%	$61.01
OTHER DESERT CITIES	$375,534	4,173	68.54%	$89.99
PORGY AND BESS	$552,104	6,107	57.18%	$90.41
PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT	$515,177	7,200	53.29%	$71.55
ROCK OF AGES	$417,401	4,474	95.93%	$93.29
SEMINAR	$433,956	5,328	82.84%	$81.45
SISTER ACT	$594,327	9,209	65.59%	$64.54
SPIDER-MAN TURN OFF THE DARK	$1,578,215	14,888	96.42%	$106.01
THE BOOK OF MORMON	$1,494,024	8,752	102.63%	$170.71
THE LION KING	$1,760,703	13,242	98.70%	$132.96
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA	$1,012,149	12,432	96.82%	$81.41
VENUS IN FUR	$263,685	3,161	63.78%	$83.42
WAR HORSE	$886,640	8,233	96.27%	$107.69
WICKED	$1,942,288	14,472	100.00%	$134.21
WIT	$158,537	3,832	84.22%	$41.37
TOTAL	$22,236,270	238,610	86.04%	$89.53

*Broadway Grosses provided courtesy of The Broadway League.

The Sunday Giveaway: 2 Tickets to see Ghost The Musical on Broadway

If you hadn't yet realized, the starting bell has rung on the start of the Spring season of new Broaday musicals.  

They are off and running!  For how long, that's the big question.

One of the most anticipated musicals to arrive on our shores this Spring is one of the strongest titles we've seen in awhile.  Ghost, that surprise-smash of a film that was produced for only 22 million dollars (the musical is rumored to cost $13mm by comparison) and went on to make bazillions for everyone involved, including The Righteous Brothers, whose song, "Unchained Melody", is featured in one of the most iconic moments of the movie.

And, that sweet song is also featured in the musical . . . as one of you will see because I've got two free tickets to give away.

Who will win?

As more and more movies become musicals (and I'm not one of those that think it's such a bad thing, by the way, as long as the source movie makes for a strong musical foundation (e.g. Billy Elliot, Once, etc.)), more and more producers have to make the tough decision of including a big song from the movie or starting from scratch with something original.  What's the expecation level of the audience?  Do they expect to hear these tunes?  Do you disappoint if you don't include 'em?  Do you disappoint the reviewers if you do?

What do you think?  Should movies-to-musicals like Ghost start over, or are they obliged to include these tunes in the show?

Comment below and I'll randomly choose one of you to go see Ghost on Broadway!

 

(Got a comment? I love 'em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what's on your mind!)

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FUN STUFF:

- Take a Broadway Road Trip from DC on 4/28.  Click here.