Quoted Text

...............................http://timesunion.com/AspStori.....p;newsdate=12/2/2008
By MARV CERMAK
First published in print: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

"Blonde" by the numbers

"Legally Blonde" opened with a bang last week with more than 2,000 showgoers punching in at 2,700-seat Proctors.

On the downside, the show drew only between 1,000 to 1,300 at four subsequent evening shows.

Fortunately, three matinees helped bring up the total gate.

Some theater staffers said the limping economy and holding the show on Thanksgiving week hurt the numbers.

So, the math is

Attendence:  2000 + 4(1300) = 7200

Seating Capacity: 5 shows * 2700 = 13500

7200 / 13500 = 53.3%

Is this a good attendance rate compared to other productions?  Did Proctors turn a profit?  Can the theater operate with this
business model without annual financial subsidies of taxpayer funds allocated by the County Legislature?

An audience of over 7200 seems to me to be considerable.  Would probably have been more profitable if it resulted from three
sold out performances rather than from 5 nightly shows and 3 matinees resulting in an average of 900 per show with a theater
capacity of 2700 (about 33%)

I'm frankly surprised that so many attended this production.  Then again, the TV was saturated for weeks with commercials promoting
Legally Blonde.