Cheapest Broadway Tickets

“The Producers,” Mel Brooks’ successful, satirical look at Broadway, uses the medium to raise the question of what makes a play flop. Try as they did, the two main characters, aiming to create a true failure with their play so as to keep investors’ cash, were unable to guarantee a dud.

It’s an interesting quandary. As one begins to review the list of quick failures, it’s guess work for sure trying to determine what will shine under the lights of Broadway and what will be left in the dark.

Many times, a successful book or movie is taken to the stage, and often succeeds. Add a big star, and you’d think you’d have the prescription for an instant hit. But often it doesn’t.

Take “Wicked,” for example. The number one selling theatre ticket for years, the adapted Gregory Maguire novel gives us the back-story of the witches of Oz. Its themes of friendship, courage against oppression and living with marginalization strike a chord with theater-goers of all ages.

Then again, other hit novels have failed on the stage. Steven King’s “Carrie” saw success in book sales and as a movie as well. Once it hit Broadway, it closed in a single night.
Successful screen actors don’t always translate to box office sales, either. Julia Roberts, the silver screen’s highest paid actress, commands upwards of $20 million per flic, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Yet her involvement in “Three Days of Rain” left audiences wondering what happened.

Sometimes you can blame the weather. Broadway sees a major slump in January every year, as frigid temps and post-holiday spending slumps keep theater-goers at bay. High-priced airline tickets have caused downturns in ticket sales, as many are out-of-towners. Rising gas prices can be to blame as well.

But those are all things that affect every show, and not an explanation of why one show fails and another succeeds.

Marketing may be the answer. The presentation of a show to potential audiences can make or break sales once it’s released. As Oprah’s seal of approval has proven with the sub-par “The Color Purple,” pushing even a failure the right way can still result in sales.