Fun Fact of the Day: A Revised 9 to 5 Does Well on Tour

We all know that my love for 9 to 5 the musical by Dolly Parton was serious when the show was on Broadway. But it got poor reviews, was snubbed for any TONY awards, and was overall a big fat flop. And I was very upset when the show closed. But the show has since been revised for the touring company starring American Idol alum Diana DeGarmo as Doralee Rhodes, the Parton role played by Megan Hilty on Broadway. A new director and choreographer and a new design team were hired to overhaul what even I can now admit, was kind of the Broadway hot mess of 2009. The new production is more streamlined and features a less obtrusive set. Dolly even joins the cast, well at least on video screen she does, to welcome the audience and provide narration. I still love the show and I am so happy that it has been getting good reviews on tour and wish it the best of luck! Click below to read the reviews from the tour's first two stops in Nashville and Atlanta.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100924/ENTERTAINMENT0503/100924026/+9+to+5++works+well+as+a+musical

http://www.atlantaintownpaper.com/2010/09/theatre-review-9-to-5-the-musical-at-the-fox/

Fun Fact of the Day: The Gamble of Investing in a Broadway Show

It is no secret that investing in a Broadway show can often be a big risk, but in actuality, 2/3 of all Broadway shows fail to make back their initial investments. In theatre lingo, we call it "recouping" when a show makes back the money initially put into it by investors. At that point all the money that the show makes above its weekly "nut"--or the sum total of its weekly operating costs--becomes profit for the show's producers. So what this basically means is that for every mega hit like The Phantom of the Opera that recoups and makes a huge profit every week, there are two shows like The Little Mermaid and 9 to 5 that are forced to close on Broadway before making back their initial investment. I should note that while some shows fail to break even on Broadway, they often have great success with national tours and subsequent regional productions.

So why do producers continue to invest in Broadway shows? Because for every Taboo and Caroline or Change, there is a Wicked.