In case anyone needed a reminder on how successful Beetlejuiceâs run on Broadway wasâŚ
Because Iâve been seeing some people who donât know how theater works saying âwell if it was so successful it wouldnât have closedâ, allow me to elaborateâŚ.
Formal Awards (of the ones I heard about, please feel free to add any I missed) :
Tony nominations in 8 different categories in 2019 (Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Scenic Design in a Musical, Best Costume Design in a Musical, Best Lighting Design in a Musical, and Best Sound Design of a Musical)
Outer Critics Circle Awards - Outstanding Set Design (also nominated for Outstanding Costume Design, Outstanding Projection Design, and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical)
Drama League Awards - Founderâs Award for Excellence in Directing (also nominated for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical, and Distinguished Performance Award)
Drama Desk Awards - Outstanding Set Design For a Musical (also nominated for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Outstanding Book of a Musical, Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical, Outstanding Projection Design, Outstanding Wig and Hair Design, and Outstanding Puppet Design)
Theater World Awards - Outstanding New York City Stage Debut Performance - Sophia Anne Caruso
BroadwayWorld Album Awards - Best New Broadway Cast Recording
Broadway.comâs Star of the Year - Alex Brightman
Broke the Winter Garden box office record THREE TIMES in the span of just one month
Even after the announcement of closing the show was playing to crowds at 102.19% capacity (thatâs sold out shows with standing room tickets as well)
Miscellaneous Achievements:
Was the 3rd highest streamed cast album of the year 2019 AND the 8th most streamed album of the ENTIRE DECADE despite having only been released 6 months before the decade ended (!!!)
Named one of Entertainment Weeklyâs 10 Best Stage Shows of 2019
Made the cover of the New York Times in December 2019
Cast album hit 100 million streams in less than 5 months of its release
Big names from the movie Beetlejuice came to show support for the show including Catherine OâHara (original Delia), Geena Davis (original Barbara), and Lord Burgess (writer of Day-O)
Despite delays due to the pandemic the show is still set to have an eventual transfer to the West End along with a U.S. National Tour
So Then Why Did It Close?
In short, The Music Man producers were offering BIG money to the Schubert Organization (who own the theater) to open in the Winter Garden. When Beetlejuice first opened it was a relatively unknown show and wasnât doing well in the box office the first few months, and the promise of the revenue a show with two big names like Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster would bring in was too much to decline. It wasnât until after the move was set that Beetlejuice began its peak in popularity and shattered box office records.
Even after the announcement of its closing its popularity persisted. A widespread petition to save the show gained nearly 36,000 signatures and counting. The hashtag #savebeetlejuice was trending on twitter for days in a row. Big names both inside and outside the theater community expressed their objection to the show being moved from its home like John Mulaney, Alex Timbers, and Lin Manuel Miranda.
But even all of this has nothing on the individual impact the show has had on fans worldwide that I see on here every single day. So yeah, it was pretty successful.
