In his day, the “critics” were seldom kind to William Shakespeare; but over time he has gone on to become one of the best loved and watched playwrights in the world.
Stil in previews, Shakespeare’s “Othello” starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal has become the highest grossing play in Broadway history. Not only that, it topped “Wicked” for the highest grossing draw in the Million Dollar Club with $2.82 million.
With ticket prices averaging over $300, some Shakespeare fans slapped down nearly $900 for a ticket!
Joining “Othello” and “Wicked” in the top five are “Hamilton”, “The Lion King”, and “The Outsiders”. Twelve of the 26 shows currently running on Broadway were members of the Million Dollar Club last week and all 26 of them ran a full performance week of eight shows.
The Million Dollar Club:
“Othello”
“Wicked”
“Hamilton”
“The Lion King”
“The Outsiders”
“Gypsy”
“MJ The Musical”
“Aladdin”
“Death Becomes Her”
“Cabaret”
“The Great Gatsby”
“Sunset Boulevard”
In the 90 Percent Club, 18 shows made it in with the top five reaching or exceeding full 100 percent capacity.
The 90% Club:
“The Outsiders”
“Hamilton”
“Wicked”
“Othello”
“Operation Mincemeat”
“The Lion King”
“& Juliet”
“Hadestown”
“Aladdin”
“Oh, Mary!”
“The Book of Mormon”
“Death Becomes Her”
“Maybe Happy Ending”
“Purpose”
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
“Cabaret”
“The Great Gatsby”