BizJournals Portfolio

Not the Great White Way

Feb 19 2008

Back to: A Cat of a Different Color

Bring in 'Da Noise
Black Bottom playbill
Raisin in the sun playbill
The Color Purple playbill
1 of 12
Bring in 'Da Noise
Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, 1996 to 1999. The premise: Black history from slavery to the present. The draw: Tap-dance wonder Savion Glover. The numbers: The musical grossed about $400,000 a week and averaged an impressive 91 percent attendance.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, 2003 revival. The premise: Musicians in a 1920s recording studio; by playwright August Wilson. The draw: Whoopi Goldberg as Ma Rainey. The numbers: About half the house was sold every week during the two-month run, at a time when total weekly Broadway attendance was averaging 79 percent. It ran for 11 weeks.
A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun, 2004 revival. The premise: Lorraine Hansberry's drama about racism and real estate. The draw: Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, and Phylicia Rashad. The numbers: This surprise hit, which cost $2.4 million to mount, averaged 90 percent capacity.
The Color Purple
The Color Purple, 2005 to 2008. The premise: Alice Walker's evocative novel transformed into a musical. The draw: Backed by Oprah Winfrey; cast has included American Idol star Fantasia and R&B legend Chaka Khan. The numbers: Weekly attendance for the $11 million show, which closed in February, averaged 86 percent.

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