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PEOPLE & ARTSWednesday 30 December

Plenty of Broadway cheer for Christmas as 18 shows break $1M

MARK KENNEDY The Broadway League
AP Drama Writer said this week that the
NEW YORK (AP) — Fans of shows on the Great White
Broadway gave theater Way pulled in $36,271,797
producers reasons to smile for the very mild weath-
this Christmas, with 18 of er week ending Sunday,
the current 37 shows break- much better than the pre-
ing the $1 million mark for vious week’s $29,484,797
the week, led by “Ham- but more than $4 million
ilton,” the new Andrew less — and with 19,000 few-
Lloyd Webber production er people attending over-
“School of Rock — The Mu- all — than the same week
sical” and Disney’s “Alad- last year, when 36 shows
din” and “The Lion King.” attracted $40,993,950 and

Leslie Odom Jr., from left, Phillipa Soo, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Christopher Jackson appear at

the curtain call following the opening night performance of “Hamilton” at the Richard Rodgers

Theatre in New York. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

318,721 ticket buyers. of $1,810,167.) ‘’Dames at Sea” and “A
“School of Rock - The Mu- Gentleman’s Guide to
“Aladdin” grossed sical” pulled in $1,506,236 Love and Murder.”
for the week, setting a new Some other shows that
$2,095,363 for eight per- house record for an eight- enjoyed Christmas week
show week at the Winter include “Wicked” with
formances, a new house Garden Theatre, beating $2,400,920, “The Book of
the old record there held Mormon” at $1,891,356,
record at the New Am- by “Mamma Mia!” set in “The King and I” with
2009. $1,094,022, and the new
sterdam Theatre. That haul Numbers for the first week offerings “Hamilton” at
of January — traditionally $1,844,837, “On Your
surpassed even its nine- one of the slowest times Feet!” with $1,239,109,
on Broadway — will look “Something Rotten!” at
performance record of far worse when a flood $1,005,546 and the revival
of shows close, including of “Fiddler on the Roof” at
$2,078,163 set this summer. “Hand to God,” ‘’Sylvia,” $1,339,255.q

“The Lion King” broke the

eight-performance-week

house record at the Mins-

koff Theatre with $2,587,925.

(The touring version of the

show, currently in Chicago,

set the Cadillac Palace

house record with a gross

Heirs to poet sue ‘Big Bang Theory’ producers

LARRY NEUMEISTER copyright to a song the Messages seeking com-
Associated Press lawsuit says has repeatedly ment from CBS and other
NEW YORK (AP) — The been used on the sitcom. companies sued by Ellen
heirs to a New Hamp- The lawsuit says “The Big Newlin Chase and Mar-
shire teacher who wrote a Bang Theory” used lyrics garet Chase Perry haven’t
poem about a “soft kitty” written by Newlin in the been returned.
say TV’s “The Big Bang The- 1930s without buying the Edith Newlin worked at a
ory” is violating their copy- rights. The lyrics begin: “Soft nursery school in Alstead,
rights. kitty, warm kitty.” New Hampshire. She died
Edith Newlin’s daughters “The Big Bang Theory” in 2004. The lawsuit seeks
sued CBS and other me- characters have periodi- unspecified damages from
dia-related companies this cally sung a lullaby involv- the show’s producers and
week in New York over the ing that phrase. distributors.q