Several Tony Award-winning shows, as well as those that were featured in the ceremony, experienced a boost in ticket sales following the June 11 awards ceremony. One of the notable winners was the Tom Stoppard play “Leopoldstadt,” which won the Tony Award for Best Play. In the week ended June 18, the play saw a close to $300,000 increase in grosses compared to the previous week. Its capacity also jumped 21 percent, reaching 84 percent, and grossed $924,033, achieving its highest numbers since the early weeks of its run in September 2022. It should be noted that the play is set to close on July 2, which likely created a sense of urgency among ticket buyers.
Another Tony Award-winning show, “Kimberly Akimbo,” saw an increase of about $170,000 in its grosses over the previous week. Although it played eight performances in the week ended June 18 compared to seven in the previous week, the musical still achieved its highest gross of its nine-month run, reaching $695,405, and reached 100.7 percent capacity. The musical tells the story of a teenager with a rapid-aging disease and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
While the pop-scored musical “& Juliet” did not win any Tony Awards, its performance of Katy Perry’s “Roar” during the ceremony led to its best week of the run so far. The musical experienced a bump of over $200,000, reaching $1.3 million in grosses. Other musicals competing for the Best Musical Tony Award, such as “Shucked,” “New York, New York,” and “Some Like It Hot,” also saw boosts of over $100,000 compared to the previous week.
Additionally, “Prima Facie,” starring Jodie Comer, who won the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play, had its best week ever following the Tony Awards. The play recouped its $4.1 million Broadway capitalization, further supporting the argument that the Tony Awards should be televised to support shows and the industry’s recovery from the pandemic.
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Overall, industry grosses increased by six percent from the previous week, despite a few canceled performances due to wildfire smoke in New York City. It’s important to note that several productions played seven performances instead of the usual eight during the prior week due to the Tony Awards.
While the Tony Awards helped boost ticket sales for many shows, there were some exceptions. “A Beautiful Noise,” which performed “Sweet Caroline” during the telecast but did not receive any Tony nominations, saw a drop of close to $100,000 in grosses from the previous week. “Life of Pi,” which won three creative Tony Awards but did not receive a Best Play nomination, announced its impending closure on July 23. However, the show did experience an $11,000 increase in grosses in the week ended June 18 compared to the prior week.
In conclusion, the Tony Awards provided a significant boost to ticket sales for many shows, particularly those that won awards or were featured during the ceremony. These increases in grosses demonstrate the positive impact of the Tony Awards in promoting Broadway shows and supporting the industry’s recovery.
