Perhaps it’s his box office charm.
Or he’s landed a show with a title that promotes goodness, including luck.
Or quite likely, “Good Night, and Good Luck” was the play Broadway has been anticipating, the one that broke the weekly box office grosses, with a dazzling and dizzying $3.3 million for the week ending March 23.
George Clooney, the actor making his debut on the Great White Way, is the focus of the buzz and the big box office, whose numbers exceeded that of “Othello,” which has Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal in the leads, which dropped to No. 3 this week with $2.529 million. But “Wicked,” still defying gravity, remains a secure No.2 with its $2.545 million take.
“Good Night, and Good Luck” explores a tangle of themes including truth, intimidation, and the courage of corporate media. Clooney, who adapted the play with Grant Hoslov, from the earlier film version, portrays veteran journalist Edward R. Murrow, an iconic CBS anchor, who recreates a historic faceoff with Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who, at the height of the Red Scare, attempted to weed out imagined communist infiltration of the U.S. government.
The show gets its name from Murrow’s iconic signature sign-off, “good night, and good luck” at the end of his telecasts.
To understand the economics of the top shows, “Good Night, and Good Luck” is playing at the Winter Garden, which has 1,545 seats, priced from $307.07 to $775. In comparison, “Othello” is unfolding at the Barrymore Theatre, with $1,043 seats and typically selling for $897.
Star wattage is a factor on pricing, and still another element in the formula: “Good Night, and Good Luck” and “Othello” are in limited runs, a common rule when “name” actors are on stage.
But if you’re thinking of heading to New York, seats are available if you decide to score a pair of tickets with your charge cards.
‘Night’ tops Broadway grosses for week ending March 24
The Top 10 courtesy the Broadway League:
1—“Good Night, and Good Luck,” $3.305 million
2—“Wicked,”$2.545 million
3—“Othello,” $2.529 million
4—“Glengarry Glen Ross,” $2.418 million
5—“Hamilton,” $2.072 million
6—“The Lion King,” $2.059 million
7—“The Outsiders,” $1.428 million
8—“Gypsy,” $1.394 million
9—“Aladdin,” $1.331 million
10—“Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” $1.327 million
And that’s Show Biz…