Paul Winkler
@paulwinkler
NYC
Just in Time becomes first musical to recoup from 2024-2025 Season. The Bobby Darin jukebox musical made back their $12.5 million investment in 55 weeks at Circle in the Square on #Broadway.
The Outsiders recouped their initial investment of $22 million in 89 weeks on #Broadway. This is the 3rd largest-budget musical to recoup, following MJ ($22.5m) & Moulin Rogue! ($28m). The Outsiders is only the 3rd show to recoup in the 2023-2024 Season, after Merrily We Roll Along & Guttenberg!
Broadway adapted movie musicals Wicked: For Good [Part 2] & Kiss of the Spider Woman lost out on nominations for Best Picture #Oscars. The last time a Broadway adaptation won Best Picture was Chicago in 2002.
Mother wanted me to come out to kimono so we had quite a fight. #GreyGardens
Additionally, these original movie musicals won Best Picture: The Broadway Melody (1928-29), The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Going My Way (1944), An American in Paris (1952) & Gigi (1958).
Of those Best Picture musical adaptation winners, 2 won the Tony Award for Best Musical on Broadway: My Fair Lady (1957) & The Sound of Music (1960) — Chicago won Best Revival (1997)
In 2003, the trio originated roles in Hairspray, Winokur winning the Tony for Best Lead Actress. Since Hairspray, she had never appeared on Broadway ever again. (She has maintained a career in TV/ reality TV appearances.) To this day her Winokur’s win is controversial.
My favorite queer-coded villain, as of late, is Ray Bolger in Babes in Toyland (1961).
Cole Escola’s play Oh, Mary! recouped on Broadway! The Off-Broadway transfer made back their $4.5 million investment, in 19 weeks of performances. #ColeEscola #Broadway #OhMary
Tony Award winner Gavin Creel dead at 48, from rare cancer. Broadway credits included Hello, Dolly!, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Into the Woods, She Loves & Hair. #GavinCreel #Broadway #RIP
Merrily We Roll Along revival, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff & Lindsay Mendez, has recouped $12 million in 22 weeks on Broadway. This is the first Sondheim musical to ever recoup. The original 1981 production closed after only 16 performances.
Stage icon Chita Rivera has passed away at 91. The three-time Tony Award-winner created roles on Broadway in West Side Story, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bye Bye Birdie & The Visit.
11 Broadway shows broke house records for the final week of 2023. The Lion King took the crown at $4.3 million (over 9 shows). Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, running 8, had the biggest week for a play ever, grossing $2.7m. Broadway’s 27 plays and musicals played to an average capacity of 95.83%.
Jennifer López to star in Kiss of the Spider Woman movie musical. Chita Rivera won a 1993 Tony Award for creating the role on Broadway, and the musical won 7 total Tonys, including Best Musical and Best Score for Kander & Ebb. Bill Condon to direct the independent film adaption.