Transcript
James Marino (0:01)
Welcome to Today on Broadway for Wednesday, February 5, 2025. I am Broadway Radio's James Marino. This week's show is sponsored by Factor Meals that are Smart and delicious. Get 50% off plus free shipping on your first box. Order at FactorMeals.com Broadway50OFF and use the code Broadway50OFF. Broadway radio is also supported by listeners like you patrons through Patreon who get our shows early, receive bonus show and get to listen live. Find out more@patreon.com broadwayradio in the second half of today's episode, Matt Tamonini and Jennifer McHugh weigh in on their favorite pieces of pop culture of the past month. But first, let's catch you up on the news. Philip Baroff's Broadway Journal brought us the news that Broadway's older audiences are staging a comeback, quoting from his email newsletter. As the audience shrank modestly in 2023 through 2024, for every age group under 50 years old, ticket buyers who are 50 and up increased, according to the Broadway League. The results are a reversal from the previous season, when the league reported that the average theatergoer was the youngest in two decades, 40 years old in 2023 2024. In contrast, the average age increased to 42 years old, roughly the same age as in 2018 and 2019. For more of this information, you can subscribe to the Broadway journal newsletter@broadwayjournal.com Next up, news that the Grammys draw 15.4 million viewers on CBS, down 12% from last year. This news, brought to us by Variety, Music's Biggest Night, drew 15.4 million viewers on CBS on Sunday night. That's down 12% from the last last year's Grammys, which brought 17.5 million viewers as per Nielsen Live + same day Broadway News brings us word that Patrick Wilson will lead an industry reading of the newly updated edition of Big Fish. Jerry Zaks will direct the private presentation. The presentation, which is being billed as a Broadway bound show, will be held on February 7th in New York City. This presentation will be starring Patrick Wilson, Jordan Donica, Nikki, Renee Daniels, Hannah Cruz, Alexander Gemignani and more. In last week's Broadway grosses, Jimmy Fallon went all in and joined the $2 million club. I don't recall a January being so strong in the box office in recent years. I could be wrong about that, but I'm not sure. But the Million Dollar Club that shows above a million dollars last week at the box office included Wicked, All In. As we talked about the Lion King, Gypsy Hamilton, Sunset Boulevard, the Outsiders, Death Becomes Her, MJ the Musical, Aladdin, the Great Gatsby, Hell's Kitchen, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Romeo and Juliet and Juliet. It's quite a list. It's 15 of the 29 shows that are currently running had grosses above a million dollars last week. The Museum of Broadway celebrates Black storytellers of Broadway pat past and present with a special exhibit highlighting more than 40 individuals whose original plays and musicals have been presented on Broadway. The exhibit will also feature costumes worn by Cynthia Erivo in the Color Purple, Jeremy Pope in Choir Boy, Eartha Kitt in the Wild Party and more. It's presented in partnership with Broadway Care's Equity Fights aids. The exhibit will celebrate the work of organizations including Black Theatre, United Broadway Advocacy Coalition and Building for Change. You can see this special exhibit now through March 16, 2025. We'll have links to all of those stories in the show notes if you want to get to them quickly in Our bonus section, February 5th birthdays include Alex Brightman, the Bright Monster himself, Darren Criss. Run over to the Belasco and scream Happy Birthday to him. But scream it in German because it's scary. And also Laura Linney, All February 5th Birthdays on February 5th, 1900 was the first Broadway revival of the Pirates of Penzance. Broadway Radio would like to thank this week's sponsor, Factor.
