Broadway Grosses: Fall Season Gets Humming

The good news for Broadway theatergoers is that five new shows began previews last week, adding to the rich variety of plays and musicals being offered. On 45th Street alone, marquees tout four new plays: The Seafarer, August: Osage County, The Farnsworth Invention and Rock 'n' Roll. The less-than-great news for producers is that attendance was down almost across the board, with only seven of 34 shows not counting Young Frankenstein, which doesn't report its numbers playing at more than 85% of capacity. Pygmalion, starring Claire Danes and Jefferson Mays, showed enduring strength, cracking the top five for capacity at more than 91%, and The Little Mermaid packed the Lunt-Fontanne in its first two previews.

Here is a look at who was on top and who was not for the week ending November 4:

FRONTRUNNERS By Gross
1. Wicked $1,335,757
2. Jersey Boys $1,217,333
3. The Lion King $1,093,694
4. Mamma Mia! $880,667
5. Mary Poppins $849,121

UNDERDOGS By Gross
5. Xanadu $204,196
4. August: Osage County $198,575*
3. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee $198,558
2. Cymbeline $97,663**
1. The Seafarer $91,379***

FRONTRUNNERS By Capacity
1. Jersey Boys 100.76%
2. The Little Mermaid 100%****
3. Wicked 99.89%
4. The Lion King 92.80%
5. Pygmalion 96.41%

UNDERDOGS By Capacity
5. Cymbeline 57.45%***
4. Xanadu 55.18%
3. The Drowsy Chaperone 51.78%
2. August: Osage County 40.41*
1. The Seafarer 36.61%***

* Number based on 8 preview performances
** Number based on 4 preview performances
*** Number based on 7 preview performances
**** Number based on 2 preview performances
Data provided by the League of American Theatres and Producers