New York - Theatregoers have apparently taken to heart New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's exhortation to "go see a show," boosting box office receipts that plummeted after the World Trade Centre attack and granting a reprieve to shows facing shutdown.
Total box office receipts for Broadway shows for the week of September 17th-24th were up more than 14 per cent from the previous week, even though four shows closed after the attacks. Every show posted significant gains, with Aida, 42nd Street and The Music Man scoring the biggest boosts.
The top eight shows played to houses that were at least two-thirds full, with The Producers at 97 per cent of capacity. The figures indicate tourists and New Yorkers alike prompted the surge, with the lone new show Urinetown - an unlikely tourist draw -- selling three-quarters of its seats.
Several shows closed in the days following the attacks, including The Rocky Horror Show, A Thousand Clowns which starred Tom Selleck, and Stones in His Pockets, while others played to houses half empty or worse. Kiss Me, Kate, the Tony award-winning hit revival of the Cole Porter classic, announced it would shut down, and then won a reprieve when unions agreed to temporary wage cuts.