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London hit “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” has begun to gain momentum at the Broadway box office, which makes for a promising sign ahead of the show’s opening this weekend.
The play earned $590,727 for seven previews, representing a week-to-week rise in the percentage earned ofits gross capacity, and the production also saw attendance inch nearer to full houses. If the response of London critics is any indication, Gotham press seems likely to give the show a big thumbs up after its Oct. 5 opening, making the title a candidate for one of this season’s imported buzzmagnets.
Otherwise, a lot of individual titles fell last week — although few alarmingly — in a frame that included the September Jewish holidays, which usually exert a drag on Broadway sales. Among the shows to rise were “On the Town” ($518,116), playing its first full week of eight previews, and “Cinderella” ($568,115), in its third week with new stars Keke Palmer and Sherri Shepherd.
Also adding to the pot was “Disgraced” ($100,824 for two previews), starting performances this week with a cast led by Josh Radnor.
“You Can’t Take It With You” ($381,328) took a hefty tumble, but that’s to be expected in a week that accommodated press previews and a heavily comped opening night; B.O. looks poised to bounce back in the wake of generally upbeat reviews. Meanwhile, the well-received “Love Letters” ($178,812) posted a minor gain in a week that included a number of second-night press tickets; that’s a good sign, but the production nonetheless looks like it has a ways to go to get comfortable.
Toward the top of the Broadway chart, starry comedy “It’s Only a Play” ($1,261,025) continued to log powerhouse sales, nestling safely in the Top 10 alongside packleaders “The Lion King” ($1,7154,196), “The Book of Mormon” ($1,596,473) and “Wicked” ($1,386,090), among others.
The Broadway cume slipped just a bit to $22.2 million for 30 shows on the boards, and while attendance actually stepped up slightly, the average paid admission — a good indicator of overall ticket demand — dropped to $97.26.
In the coming week, two shows, “The Country House” ($225,325) and “Curious Incident,” open, and a couple of others — including Sting musical “The Last Ship” — come online, aiming to kick up Broadway sales another notch as the fall season kicks into high gear.
