Broadway welcomes two new hits

NEW YORK -- A funny thing happened on the way to Broadway's fall season: Two of its biggest hits arrived in August.

As the New York theater nervously awaits Sept. 11 and the uncertainty the anniversary of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks may produce on box-office receipts, two productions -- one play, one musical -- opened on Broadway and promptly became the hottest tickets in town.

"Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" and "Hairspray" were both embraced by the critics and audiences alike.

"'Hairspray' is an absolute phenomenon that has kick-started the season," says Scott Zeiger, an executive with Clear Channel Entertainment, which is one of the show's many producers.

The musical, based on John Waters' cult film abut a chunky girl who wants to appear on a TV dance show, has piled up a $15 million advance. Tickets already are on sale into next March.

"Frankie and Johnny," a small, two-character love story starring Edie Falco of "Sopranos" fame and film actor Stanley Tucci, has an advance of almost $2.5 million, and has taken in $120,000 a day since opening at the Belasco Theatre in early August.

"We are selling out most performances," says producer Matthew Rego. "It's like a dream team when you combine these two actors, whom everybody loves, with McNally's play."

Business for other shows has been good, too, with last year's Tony winners, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "Urinetown," both consistently doing over 90 percent capacity, and even long-running shows like "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Beauty and the Beast" showing renewed strength.

But September could be another matter.

"There's no denying the wonderful glory days we are enjoying right now, but between the Sept. 11 memorials, the Jewish holidays and school starting, September is going to be tough," Zeiger says. "It just is -- every year, no matter what.

"But the docket of new shows, particularly the musicals, is diverse, and I think it's actually going to be an invigorating season."

Broadway shut down for three performances in the two days following the attacks, costing producers an estimated $3 million in lost revenue. Three shows -- "Stones in His Pockets," "A Thousand Clowns" and "If You Ever Leave Me, I'm Going With You" -- closed permanently that weekend and a half dozen or so limped along until they received union concessions and producers began an aggressive discount marketing campaign to boost sales. By November, box-office receipts began to pick up, and January and February, generally a slow time, were not as bad as some producers feared.

Still, Broadway isn't taking any chances this fall. In late August, the League of American Theatres and Producers relaunched its successful Season of Savings campaign, a promotional effort that helped many shows get through the tough winter months with special discounts. The new discount campaign, which lasts through Oct. 13.

Broadway's first official fall entry, "Say Goodnight Gracie," will be participating in the campaign. Frank Gorshin portrays legendary comedian George Burns in this one-man play by Rupert Holmes, who wrote the score for "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." Look for Burns and most likely his ubiquitous cigar on Oct. 10 at the Helen Hayes.

Romance is still in the air

A week later, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Flower Drum Song" finds its way back to Broadway for the first time since its 1958 premiere. If the score is mostly intact -- including such songs as "A Hundred Million Miracles," "You Are Beautiful" and "I Enjoy Being a Girl" -- the story of Asian assimilation in America has been rewritten by David Henry Hwang, author of "M. Butterfly."

Being a musical, romance, of course, is still in the air. This time around the lovers are Lea Salonga, Broadway's original "Miss Saigon," and Jose Llana. The opening: Oct. 17 at the Virginia.

The season's first completely new musical, "Amour," will be unveiled Oct. 20 at the Music Box. Actually, it was a hit in Paris in 1997 under the title "Le Passe-Muraille." Its composer is Michel Legrand, best-known for his melodic, "I Will Wait for You" and "The Windmills of Your Mind."

The story is a fanciful one, the tale of a man who can walk through walls. The English adaptation and lyrics are by Jeremy Sams and the direction by James Lapine, who did the same for "Into the Woods" and "Sunday in the Park With George." Its stars are a couple of experienced musical-theater performers, Malcolm Gets and Melissa Errico. The show has an "illusion designer" -- Jim Steinmeyer -- so special effects are pretty much guaranteed.

On Oct. 22, stand-up comic Jackie Mason brings his latest one-man show, "Prune Danish," to the Royale. Expect Mason to offer his own take on current events. Enron and Martha Stewart jokes anyone?

Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp sound like an unlikely combination, but both have a little something to do with "Movin' Out," the new dance musical opening Oct. 24 at the Richard Rodgers.