The fallout from Sunday’s Tony Awards was swift and brutal.
Two shows that went home empty-handed, “Sweat” and “Six Degrees of Separation,” posted closing notices on Tuesday. Critics praised both shows, but even raves can’t seem to help non-musical plays on Broadway these days.
Lynn Nottage’s “Sweat” won the Pulitzer, but that award means diddly squat at the box office. And while the producers of “Six Degrees” hoped Allison Janney would boost this revival, it’s increasingly clear that only major movie stars — Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig, Tom Hanks — can sell a play.
No word yet on the fate of Paula Vogel’s “Indecent,” another acclaimed drama that’s struggling at the box office. Sources say it may hang on for a bit as the field narrows. On a brighter note, “Oslo,” which won the Tony for Best Play, extended its run at Lincoln Center Theater until July 16. It’ll be in regional theaters for years — and there’s a movie in the works.
Tony ratings plunged 31 percent from last year’s “Hamilton”-propelled telecast, so Tony bumps at the box office on Monday were fleeting. (“I think they lasted about a hour,” says one producer.)
“Dear Evan Hansen,” which won Best Musical, put out a new block of tickets and sold nearly $1 million worth, mostly to brokers, sources say. The show’s a bona fide hit, but some investors fear it will sag after Ben Platt, its Tony-winning star, leaves in November.
The sense on Broadway is that “Groundhog Day” did itself no favors by offering a low-key production number on the telecast. The musical should benefit from the tourist trade this summer, but could face some brutal weeks after that.
The number from “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” looked great: One insider called it “sort of a ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ on steroids.” It’s in good shape as long as Josh Groban’s above the title, but we’ll see how it fares when he leaves in July.
Sources say there was a palpable sense of disappointment at the Tony after-party for “Come From Away,” which went home with just one Tony, for director Christopher Ashley. The show’s strong word-of-mouth should keep it around for a while, but there’s no question a Tony for Best Musical would have guaranteed an extremely profitable run.
The most interesting show to watch is “Bandstand,” about young WW II veterans returning home and starting a band. Given its modest grosses, I thought it would have packed up long ago. But its well-heeled producers have vowed to fight, and the show’s Tony performance, introduced by Dr. Jill Biden, is paying dividends.
“I knew we needed something to set us apart from the other presentations,” says lead producer Tom Smedes, who’s involved with Got Your 6, an organization that lobbies on behalf of veterans. Biden and her husband, former Vice President Joe Biden, are big supporters of Got Your 6, and she drew a standing ovation, during which CBS cut to her beaming husband. Then the cast, led by Laura Osnes and Corey Cott, did a catchy jitterbug number.
“We knew we would get a slight bump from appearing on the Tonys,” Smedes says, “but we saw a doubling of our normal sales [Monday], and today we’re already ahead of yesterday’s sales.”
Don’t pack up those trombones yet.