Image Credit: Brigitte Lacombe
In a rare feat for a non-musical on Broadway, Mike Nichols’ acclaimed revival of Death of a Salesman grossed just over $1 million last week, according to figures released by the Broadway League. The hit show, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as Willy Loman and Andrew Garfield as his wayward son, Biff, set a new record for the 1,036-seat Barrymore Theatre. What’s even more remarkable is that Salesman scored at the box office despite playing only seven performances (most Broadway shows are mounted eight times per week). The production isn’t exactly a dime a dozen, to quote one of Biff’s lines: It’s been boosted by an A-list cast, stellar reviews, multiple Tony nominations, and a strictly limited engagement that’s let producers charge a premium for tickets. Last week’s average ticket price was a whopping $140.68, which enabled the show to earn 107 percent of the theater’s potential gross. That’s good news for the show’s investors, who announced May 16 that they’d already recouped their $3.1 million commitment to the show.
