All this talk on here of the great Arthur Miller reminds me of Salesman with the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfiels that was a very hot ticket.
I remember it being rather difficult to obtain tickets to Emma Stone's run of Cabaret, and believed it did rather well grosses-wise. I don't remember if it was a "sold out for months" kind of hit but the show did very well with her at the helm.
Someone mentioned Katharine Hepburn and back in the day she was in the most horrific musical ever "Coco", who thought she was anything remotely like the French fashion designer is beyond me but she sold out tickets on BW. Her replacement, the French actress, Danielle Darrieux was so much more believable in the role but the show limped along and closed quickly. Not a dig on Hepburn who I love but it was sheer box office power that made that show a success.
"when I’m on stage I see the abyss and have to overcome it by telling myself it’s only a play." - Helen Mirren
Someone in a Tree2 said: "Scarlett Johansen in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF of a couple years ago was a very easy ticket to get; it was constantly on TKTS.
Exactly, I think that play sold better because the play is very well known and also had Liev Schrieber in it, her on her own, even in a Tennessee Williams play is not a sold out hit.
"
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
muscle23ftl said: "Someone in a Tree2 said: "Scarlett Johansen in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF of a couple years ago was a very easy ticket to get; it was constantly on TKTS.
Exactly, I think that play sold better because the play is very well known and also had Liev Schrieber in it, her on her own, even in a Tennessee Williams play is not a sold out hit.
I think it was a little more complicated than that. There was a lot of criticism of the choices made by the director, Rob Ashford and in general, the production got mediocre reviews though not because.of her acting. She also wasn't alone. Her co-stars were Benjamin Walker, Ciaran Hinds and Debra Monk, not a lightweight cast and certainly combined if not on their own, a comparable draw to Liev Schreiber who hadn't yet done Ray Donovan. Also, it was just 4 1/2 years since the last CAT revival with James Earl Jones and that probably didn't help matters. A lot of things working against it. And Liev Scheiber was just in Les Liaisons which did so-so business and was constantly at TKTS as well. So hard to argue it was due Liev's star power that A View sold out.
UncleCharlie said: "muscle23ftl said: "Someone in a Tree2 said: "Scarlett Johansen in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF of a couple years ago was a very easy ticket to get; it was constantly on TKTS.
Exactly, I think that play sold better because the play is very well known and also had Liev Schrieber in it, her on her own, even in a Tennessee Williams play is not a sold out hit.
I think it was a little more complicated than that. There was a lot of criticism of the choices made by the director, Rob Ashford and in general, the production got mediocre reviews though not because.of her acting. She also wasn't alone. Her co-stars were Benjamin Walker, Ciaran Hinds and Debra Monk, not a lightweight cast and certainly combined if not on their own, a comparable draw to Liev Schreiber who hadn't yet done Ray Donovan. Also, it was just 4 1/2 years since the last CAT revival with James Earl Jones and that probably didn't help matters. A lot of things working against it. And Liev Scheiber was just in Les Liaisons which did so-so business and was constantly at TKTS as well. So hard to argue it was due Liev's star power that A View "
If you read well what I wrote, I said that Scarlett (plus I will add it was Broadway debut) plus Liev, plus the famous play by Arthur Miller were responsible to the success of the play, plus it was a smaller house.
The cast of "Cat" was a few Broadway stars, Liev is a Broadway star, but he is also a minor celebrity and Hollywood star (and at the time he was married to another pretty big movie star, more mainstream than just a Broadway star)
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-