Broadway Grosses: Numbers Hold Steady; 35 Shows Now Up and Running

Broadway box offices held steady in the week after Easter as the final show of the spring season, Desire Under the Elms, began previews at the St. James Theatre. Six musicals remained above $1 million in grosses; although Hair didn’t crack the top five, it set a one-week record at the 1,400-seat Al Hirschfield Theatre with a total of $861,450. More than half the shows on Broadway played to greater than 90% capacity. Theatergoers can’t complain of a lack of choices these days: A total of 35 shows are currently running on the Great White Way, including 16 plays or 18, if you count The Norman Conquests as three separate plays.

Here is a look at who was on top and who was not for the week ending April 19:

FRONTRUNNERS By Gross
1. Wicked $1,539,124
2. The Lion King $1,386,276
3. West Side Story $1,310,305
4. Billy Elliot $1,182,663
5. Jersey Boys $1,067,477

UNDERDOGS By Gross
5. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone $192,532*
4. Mary Stuart $189,645**
3. Accent on Youth $186,179
2. Reasons to be Pretty $146,762
1. The Norman Conquests $95,624***

FRONTRUNNERS By Capacity
1. Jersey Boys 101.26%
2. West Side Story 100.80%
3. The Phantom of the Opera 100.68%
4. Mamma Mia! 100.52%
5. Wicked 100%

UNDERDOGS By Capacity
5. Reasons to be Pretty 47.98%
4. August: Osage County 47.33%
3. Mary Stuart 42.12%**
2. Desire Under the Elms 36.77%***
1. The Norman Conquests 30.11%***

*Number based on three previews and five regular performances.
**Number based on seven previews and one regular performance.
***Number based on eight preview performances.
Data provided by the Broadway League.