Looks like the play's not the thing: With Epic Proportions shuttered on Dec. 19, there are no new plays on Broadway -- until David Hirson's comedy Wrong Mountain (now in previews) opens Jan. 13. Meanwhile, merry musicals are monopolizing the boards. Kiss Me, Kate (right, starring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie) is the season's newest hit, and despite Saturday Night Fever's dismal reviews, its box office is dancing. As is Susan Lucci, who's filling in for Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun through Jan. 16.
BROADWAY TOP 32 AVG. WEEK'S NET TICKET PERFS. RECEIPTS ATTENDANCE PRICE TO DATE
1 THE LION KING 910,025 101.2% $63 872 2 SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (TM) 782,118 86% $67 61 3 ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (TM) 761,673 96.7% $62 326 4 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 732,376 95.9% $59 4,985 5 KISS ME, KATE (TC) 648,044 95.9% $59 29 6 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (TM) 642,939 94.2% $58 2,287 7 RAGTIME (TM) 638,869 82.7% $53 794 8 FOSSE (TC) 635,454 100.8% $69 389 9 CHICAGO (TC) 572,227 77.4% $63 1,282 10 MINNELLI ON MINNELLI (TM) 504,713 84.1% $69 4 11 CABARET (TC) 501,314 94.9% $72 687 12 LES MISERABLES (TC) 490,995 83.1% $52 5,247 13 MISS SAIGON (TC) 476,878 69.7% $49 3,596 14 PUTTING IT TOGETHER (TC) 474,747 103.5% $61 22 15 RENT (TM) 448,402 83.5% $57 1,512 16 WAITING IN THE WINGS (TC) 425,923 90.1% $62 13* 17 FOOTLOOSE (TM) 425,745 72.5% $54 477 18 JEKYLL & HYDE (TC) 407,972 87.3% $55 1,089 19 CATS (TC) 404,491 75.2% $45 7,173 20 THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (TM) 345,226 66.4% $49 748 21 SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE (TC) 313,601 69.1% $47 1,997 22 DAME EDNA: THE ROYAL TOUR (TC) 305,896 91.2% $53 65 23 SWING! (TC) 305,070 63.3% $35 5 24 MARIE CHRISTINE (TC) 300,959 89.4% $45 13 25 THE RAINMAKER (TM) 271,333 85.4% $40 36 26 TANGO ARGENTINO (TM) 229,071 41.6% $36 30 27 AMADEUS (TC) 223,133 62.8% $45 8* 28 KAT AND THE KINGS (TC) 163,570 50.6% $37 133 29 THE PRICE (TC) 160,425 51.6% $35 32 30 IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES (TC) 160,288 44.8% $45 253 31 JACKIE MASON... (TC) 79,968 98.9% $47 21* 32 EPIC PROPORTIONS (TC) 63,149 39.2% $39 84**
SOURCE: VARIETY; WEEK OF DEC. 6-12, 1999; ATTENDANCE PERCENTAGE INCLUDES STANDING-ROOM TICKET SALES
* IN PREVIEWS ** CLOSED
