On the Twentieth Century

On the Twentieth Century Still on Track Despite Gallagher’s Illness

by Paul Mroczka

th-25Peter Gallagher has been out of On the Twentieth Century since last Saturday (February 21) when the Roundabout was forced to cancel the evening performance. Gallagher is reported to be suffering from a severe sinus infection, which has affected his ability to sing.

James Moye, his understudy, has been playing the role of Oscar Jaffe since Sunday, February 22. When Gallagher became too ill to perform director Scott Ellis decided that it would be dangerous for Moye to perform Saturday night due to where they were in the development of the production. Thus, Saturday night’s show was cancelled.

Kristin Chenoweth (Lily Garland) and Ellis came out to announce the cancellation of the performance. After the announcement, Chenoweth sang “Smile” for the Saturday night audience and then a dance number was performed from the show that featured the porters. It brought the house down. After that, the audience was dismissed and Moye rehearsed and was ready to go on Sunday afternoon.

In 1978, when On the Twentieth Century premiered, it won numerous Tonys including Best Musical and Best Score. With music by Cy Coleman and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the musical offers audiences a screwball comedy that is set aboard the luxury train the Twentieth Century.

Oscar Jaffe, a producer who has suffered a series of Broadway flops, is on the fabled train with his former muse, love, and Broadway star Lily Garland. Garland gave up the stage to be a film star and Jaffe firmly believes that if he can get her to commit to star in a new Broadway show that his career will be saved. Add to that plot a group of unique characters, great dance numbers and songs, and a whole lot of creative scenography and directing, and you’ve got a hit Broadway show.

The Roundabout production is the first Broadway revival of On the Twentieth Century. It is scheduled to open March 12 and run until July 5.

Broadway Grosses for Week Ending 2/15/15 Reveal New Strength

by Paul Mroczka

Mirren made a big splash last weekend.

Mirren made a big splash last weekend.

Helen Mirren in The Audience had a big first week, selling at 101.1%. That number is based on a short two-performance week. However, it’s expected that Mirren, who won an Olivier a few years ago for The Audience, will do big box office during her limited New York run.

Larry David’s comedy Fish in the Dark continued selling beyond capacity. The comedy realized a .5% increase over the week prior, filling the Cort Theatre at 101.6%, which was third for all shows on Broadway. The comedy earned $21,703 more than it did the week before.

Topping out the capacity stats was The Book of Mormon at 102.6%. The musical came in second in grosses, bringing in a total of $1,648,502. The Lion King was first in terms of gross, realizing $1,726,042, while filling 98.9% of its seats.

On the Twentieth Century

In its first weekend, the revival of On the Twentieth Century gave four performances and sold at 96.5% capacity. The madcap musical, which is produced by the Roundabout, stars Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher. It will be interesting to see if it does better than Honeymoon in Vegas and On the Town, both of which, until this past week, have seen sales slump.

Honeymoon and On the Town

Honeymoon in Vegas enjoyed the biggest gain in capacity of any show on Broadway. The musical sold at 64.9%, which marks a 13.6% jump from last week. Its gross receipts were at $491,146, which was an increase of $131,983 over last week.

The other show that witnessed a marked increase was On the Town. The 13.1% rise in capacity meant that the show sold at 49.3%, realizing $172,536 more in gross receipts, which totaled $552,450 for the week.

Other Box Office news

The Elephant Man was at 101.7%, up 1.5%, while Cabaret rose by 2.5%, coming in at 100.5%. The Elephant Man, which stars Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), closes this week just before the statuettes are given out, and Cabaret, which stars Oscar nominee Emma Stone (Birdman), saw Stone play her final performances this week. It’s said that the nominations helped both productions get added attention and increased ticket sales.

Sales on the Rise

With 18 new productions opening in March and April, eventual improvement in the weather, and Tony buzz developing, we should expect to see ticket sales for Broadway shows continue to rise.

(Note: All figures from this report were provided by the Broadway League. )

Roundabout Broadway Revival On the Twentieth Century Previews Tonight

by Paul Mroczka

On the Twentieth Century Chenoweth & Gallagher Previews

On the Twentieth Century Chenoweth & Gallagher Previews

On the Twentieth Century was to preview February 12th.

The Broadway revival of On the Twentieth Century, which was supposed to preview February 12, previews tonight. The Friday the 13th initial public performance, which is an odd one for those in the theatre, who are often quite superstitious, has been much anticipated due to the fact that two of Broadway’s most respected musical talents, Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher, are playing opposite one another.

The Musical

On the Twentieth Century, which won five Tonys when it was first produced on Broadway in 1978, featured John Cullum, Madeline Khan, Imogene Coca, and Kevin Kline. The musical won Tonys for Best Book and Best Score. It has a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Cy Coleman.

The show is a crazy screwball comedy in which a down and out Broadway producer named Oscar Jaffe (Gallagher) attempts to convince his former lover and muse, Lily Garland (Chenoweth), to commit to play Mary Magdalene in a nonexistent Broadway drama. Jaffe believes that such a deal can resurrect his career, which is in a shambles. Garland, who is now a big Hollywood star, plays hard to get. The plot becomes exceedingly complex as they ride the luxury train, the Twentieth Century, across the country. Jaffe has various impediments thwarting his efforts, including Garland’s jealous, young lover and an out-of-control religious fanatic. It is a wild comedy on rails.

The Principals

On the Twentieth Century, which is scheduled for a limited run ending July 5 and will officially open March 12, is directed by Scott Ellis and will play at the American Airlines Theatre. Chenoweth, who is a Tony and Emmy winner, and Gallagher, Who is a Tony nominee, are joined by Tony nominee Andy Karl, Mark Linn-Baker and Tony winners Michael McGrath and Mary Louise Wilson.

Break a leg to all involved in On the Twentieth Century!