‘The Piano Lesson’, ‘Leopoldstadt’ Lead Broadway Newcomers At Box Office

deadline.com:

The Piano Lesson led the pack of Broadway’s recent arrivals at the box office last week, with the August Wilson revival starring Samuel L.

Jackson, John David Washington and Danielle Brooks grossing $795,306 for its first seven performances at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.Coming in a close second, in terms of gross receipts, was Leopoldstadt, the Tom Stoppard play previewing at the Longacre, taking $753,157 for seven performances.The newcomers added to Broadway’s overall tally of $26,367,421 for the week ending Sept.

25, a jump of about 6% from the previous week. Attendance was up the same percentage, to 214,085, reflecting a strong 93% of available seats filled.Other productions in previews, and playing seven performances, included 1776, the non-profit Roundabout’s all-female/transgender/nonbinary revival of the classic musical, grossing $342,777 for seven performances; and Cost of Living, the non-prof Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of the Martyna Majok’s play, taking in $137,796.

Death of a Salesman, with six previews at the Hudson, grossed $413,428.All five of the recent arrivals played to houses in the vicinity of 80% full, give or take, though average ticket prices varied widely, from $38.14 for Cost of Living to $134.34 for The Piano Lesson.Also worth nothing: Funny Girl, with Lea Michele back to her full schedule, was a near sell-out, grossing $1,640,370 and filling 98% of seats.Over at the Majestic, all seats were filled for The Phantom of the Opera, an influx no doubt spurred by the producers’ recent decision to close the long-running musical in February 18 after 35 years.