Broadway Grosses: Until Next Time, Mama B'way! Audra McDonald-Led Lady Day Wraps Up with Overflowing Audiences

A little moonlight (and a six-time Tony winner) can do a whole lot. Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, in its final week of performances on Broadway, skyrocketed to the top spot of attended productions. The play brought in an astonishing 103.57% capacity during an eight-performance week (having played seven shows a week until its September return, following a two-week hiatus). Theater enthusiasts headed to the Circle in the Square with one last chance to witness Audra McDonald’s performance, which brought her a record-breaking sixth Tony Award. Now, gin drinking is out and fly fishing is in as the Hugh Jackman-led The River prepares for performances at the venue later this month. Meanwhile, the five usual suspects kept their spots in the top five grossing shows: The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Wicked, Aladdin and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. All five saw saw a bump in revenue from the previous week, varying in magnitude. 

Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending October 5:

FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. The Lion King ($1,853,776)
2. The Book of Mormon ($1,611,038)
3. Wicked ($1,406,222)
4. Aladdin ($1,318,128)
5. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical ($1,279,354)

UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. Rock of Ages ($332,574)
4. Disgraced ($292,989)**
3. The Real Thing ($264,607)***
2. Love Letters  ($214,065)
1. The Country House ($196,922)*****

FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill (103.57%)
2. The Book of Mormon (102.47%) 
3. It's Only a Play (100.99%)*
4. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (100.77%)
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (99.12%)****

UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. Pippin (65.00%)
4. Cabaret (64.84%)
3. This Is Our Youth (64.47%)
2. Cinderella (55.01%)
1. Love Letters (46.30%)

*Number based on eight preview performances
**Number based on seven preview performances
***Number based on five preview performances
****Number based on six preview performances and one regular performance
*****Number based on three preview performances and five regular performances

Source: The Broadway League