Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

Overheard at Angus Vol. XI: Why Spider-Man was so expensive.

I went to the theater this week, and stood next to two lovely ladies who were deciding what show they were going to see together next.  

Lovely Lady #1:  My granddaughter is on Christmas vacation.  Let's take her to a show.  What should we see?

Lovely Lady #2:  How about Spider-Man?

Lovely Lady #1:  Oh no.  Not that.

Lovely Lady #2:  How come?  

Lovely Lady #1:  Because, well, I just don't like how much money they spent on that show.  

Lovely Lady #2:  I heard they spent $75 million dollars.  

Lovely Lady #1:  That's true.  And you know what I heard?  The reason it was so expensive was that they used all that money to buy the buildings.  And I just don't like that the money I'm spending on the ticket is being used to buy them real estate.  

Funny, right?

Well, kind of.  I picked this "Overheard" conversation to remind us all that what we think our consumer knows, may not at all be what the consumer knows.  

I was so fascinated by these folks that I actually interrupted their conversation to find out a little bit more about them.  They were both women in their upper 60s, well educated, and they saw MANY shows per year.  They often responded to Direct Mail discounts to get their tickets.  

My point is that these folks were in the know, yet somehow they got in in their head that the Producers of Spider-Man were using their bucks to buy buildings.

Now maybe this is a fluke.  Maybe they are the only people that think this.  

But it's a great reminder that . . .

Your job as a Producer is to send out a message about a show . . . a message that you want your customers to know.  Then your job is to listen and see what the message is that they are hearing.  And then, if you don't like what you hear, you've got to change it.

That's what marketing is all about.  If marketing were a computer program written it would look something like this:

1. Message.  
2. Listen.  
3. Adjust Message if necessary.
4. Go to 2.

The conversation continued, by the way.

Lovely Lady #2:  Wow.  I didn't know that.  

Lovely Lady #1:  Yep.  And besides . . .I don't like how they "screwed" Julie Taymor.

 

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Overheard at Angus Vol. X: How a title can change over time.

Ok, this "overheard" entry didn't happen at Angus.  It happened in Massachusetts about a week ago, when my Mom took one of her grandkids, a second grader, to see a show at the local theater.  The show?  Annie Get Your Gun.

Here's what happened:

My Mom:  Did you like the show?

Grandkid:  I really did, Grammy Pammy (My mom's name is Pam, so . . . )

My Mom:  Oh Good.  I'm glad.

Grandkid:  I didn't think I was going to like it at all.

My Mom:  Really?  Why not?

Grandkid:  Because I didn't think it was going to be appropriate for kids my age.  

My Mom:  How come?

Grandkid:  Grammy . . . it's called Annie, Get Your Gun.  That doesn't sound like something a kid should see.  

Amazing, right?  First, that a 2nd grader would even know what the word "appropriate" means . . . and second, that a show that you and I know definitely qualifies as a family show, could be considered something completely different because of the time we live in and because the next generation didn't grow up on it.

I told my Mom to take her grandkid to Little Shop of Horrors next.

 

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Overheard at Angus: Volume IX

There has been a lot of talk about marriage this weekend (and
congratulations to everyone, btw - even though I'm a Red Sox fan, I was a very proud New Yorker on Friday night).  

Because of all this chatter, I couldn't help but get a chuckle out of the conversation I overheard between two Producers, one of whom has a show slated for production soon:  

Producer #1:  I'm thinking about getting married again.  But I'm not sure.

Producer #2:  How come?

Producer #1:  I did it once. It didn't work out.  And it's hard.

Producer #2:  It sure is hard.  But when you get it right, it's magical.

Producer #1:  Huh.

Producer #2:  What?

Producer #1:  Sounds like producing a Broadway show.  

Producer #2:  Yeah.  (beat)  And you're doing that again, aren't you?

Producer #1:  (laughs)  I guess so.  Thanks.

Producer #2:  Sure.

Producer #1:  You know, marriage and producing have another thing in common.

Producer #2:  What's that?

Producer #1:  They're both expensive.

It took all my might to bite my tongue and not run up to these guys to try to option this scene!  But I didn't. I just sat back and remembered that if you want a big reward, you gotta risk big . . . and you gotta be willing to work harder than you ever have in your life.  

And if you don't want to work hard, then do us all a favor, and do something else.

 

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Overheard at Angus: Volume VIII

There was an interesting article in the business section of the Times a week or so ago about a new airplane seat that debuted at the Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas trade show (and yes, that is a real convention, which further demonstrates that there is a convention for every subject under the sun).  

The seat wasn't really a seat. It was a stand-up seat that put the traveler in a sort-of-squatting position, which allows for more seats in smaller spaces.

Well, from what I overheard last week, it looks like I wasn't the only theater guy who read that article:

Theater Guy #1:  Did you hear about that standing airplane seat?

Theater Guy #2:  No.

Theater Guy #1:  It's like a crouching-tiger type of seat, with a lot less leg room, so you can fit more people in the plane.

Theater Guy #2:  That's nothing new. 

Theater Guy #1:  What?  You've seen them before?  What airline?

Theater Guy #2:  Not on an airline.  I've seen them in every theater on Broadway.  

I laughed, of course, because I thought the same thing when I read the article.

And, then, I started thinking about our consumers and other live event producers, like movie theaters and sports franchises.  

Movies have gotten more comfortable over the years, with seats that lean back, cup holders, etc.  Sports stadiums have been demolished and rebuilt, and places like Citi Field have become attractions even without the baseball.  

We, on the other hand, with the need to become more financially solvent, have stuffed more seats in theaters of all different shapes and sizes, and we still don't have enough bathrooms.

Not much can be done about most of this, because our theaters are too historical to demolish, and too expensive to rebuild (I don't see The Palace moving to Flushing anytime soon).  The cost of keeping them the way they are has to be pretty dang steep.

But it made me think . . . how can we continue to ensure we can put butts in seats, if those butts are more comfortable in seats at other venues?

Overheard at Angus: Volume VII

I eavesdropped on a couple of veteran producers the other day, one of whom was obviously in negotiations over a theater for an upcoming show.

Here's how the conversation went:

Veteran #1:  I'm thinking of letting the audience drink during the show like they do at Rock of Ages.

Veteran #2:  Why not? Everyone's doing it.  I bought my wife a sippy cup full of wine at Jersey Boys just last month. Boy are those theaters making more in bar revenue than ever before. The wine was 11 dollars!

Veteran #1:  11 dollars?  

Veteran #2:  Yeah.  I had to ask them if it included a facility fee.  

This conversation was funnier in person (partly because of the awesome pair of tweed pants Veteran #2 was wearing), but it also made me remember one of the downsides to capitalism in industries with challenging models.

The facility fee was tossed on top of ticket prices years ago to defray the costs of renovation, upkeep, etc. of these historic buildings.  It was getting more expensive to keep them in shape, so the theaters needed another revenue stream to offset some of the costs.

Now, at some shows, bar revenues are sky-high as drinking in your seats is encouraged.  I'd bet there is some serious found money being counted.

Wouldn't it be nice if this economic windfall was passed back to the consumer by eliminating the facility fee?

Or what about upping the price of the sippy cups by .50, as a drink tax (like a cigarette tax), and putting that towards the theater renovations, etc, making it an optional expense?

Doubt it'll happen.  Once an income line hits your books, it's hard to get it to disappear, even if 10 other lines follow it.

And that's too bad . . . because the lines at our box office may suffer because of it.

Overheard at Angus: Volume VI.

It's been a while since I've taken you all on a trip to Angus to hear what's being gossiped over lunch or pre-theater din-din. 

The last time I was having my usual burger, my dining partner and I heard this little gem of a conversation being bandied about over a couple of brandies.  Knowing (as you do) my affinity for focus groups and research, I think you'll see why I felt I had to pass it on to all of you.
 

Brandy Drinker #1:  I just did a focus group for one of my shows.  Learned some great stuff.

Brandy Drinker #2:  I just did one, too.

Brandy Drinker #1:  Oh yeah?  Which company did you use to run them?

Brandy Drinker #2:  I did them myself.

Brandy Drinker #1:  You what?  How'd you do that?

Brandy Drinker #2:  Simple.  I have a 15-year-old daughter.  I took her and ten of her 15-year-old friends out to dinner.  I told them about the show that I was doing, and then I asked, "Would you stamp your feet until your parents took you to see it?"

Brandy Drinker #1:  What did they say?

Brandy Drinker #2:  They said they wouldn't stamp their feet.

Brandy Drinker #1:  Oh.  That's too bad.

Brandy Drinker #2:  Not really.  They said they would tell their parents that they hated them unless they got them tickets.

Brandy Drinker #1:  Next round is on you.

Overheard at Angus: Volume V

An Old Timer and a Medium Timer were sitting at a table near mine the other day, and this is what I heard:
 

Old Timer:  Did you see those reviews for XXXXX?

Medium Timer:  Yep.  Fantastic!  

Old:  How long was the line at the box office the next morning?

Medium:  At the box office?  There was no line.

Old:  Too bad for them.

Medium:  Just because there wasn't a line doesn't mean they didn't sell tickets. There was no line . . . because it's all online.

There was nothing too revelatory in their conversation, but it did get me thinking.

It wasn't too long ago that the day after a show opened, you went by the box office on the way to work to see if people were waiting in line to be the first to buy tickets.  

Not so much anymore.  

What other things are we doing right now that will be antiquated in a few years?  What thermometers are we using to judge the temperature of our shows that will be obsolete tomorrow?

Great businessmen and great producers are the ones who can figure out the answers to these questions . . before tomorrow comes. 

Overheard at Angus: Volume IV

There I sat at a local theater watering hole, pondering my Tony picks, when I noticed a pretty high-powered agent and a pretty high powered Producer, sitting down to share a drink and some dirt.

The Producer was off to see a play.  The agent had seen it.  And . . . scene:

Producer:  Listen, I've gotta run.  I'm seeing XXXXX tonight.

Agent:  Oh yeah?  I saw it last week.

Producer:  Any good?

Agent:  The performances are excellent.

Producer:  Oh.

Agent:  What?

Producer:  You ever been set up on a blind date?

Agent:  Sure.

Producer:  I asked you if you thought the show was any good.  You told me the the performances were excellent.

Agent:  So?

Producer:  That's like saying someone has a good personality when I ask what they look like. 

And . . . scene.

- - - - -

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Overheard at Angus: Volume III

This special edition of OAA comes courtesy of a 6 year old little lady on her way to Kids' Night on Broadway.

6 Year Old:  Umm, how come Ariel wears rollerblades in The Little Mermaid?

Broadway Vet:  Sweetie, we've all been asking ourselves that same question.

Oh kids and their curiosity . . . 

That 6 year old was going to see Shrek last night.  I wonder what she's asking today. 

But whatever she's asking, and whatever we're answering, at least KNOB is starting the conversation.

Take a kid to a show.

Overheard at Angus: Volume II

There I am, enjoying my burger when I hear this from two folks discussing the biz at the bar:

Broadway Guy #1:  What are you working on these days?

Broadway Guy #2:  What am I working on?  What am I NOT working on!?! 

Broadway Guy #1:  You've got a bunch of things going on?  Even in this economy?

Broadway Guy #2:  Oh sure, to succeed in this business you have to work on several things at once.  Especially in this economy.

Broadway Guy #1:  I hear you.  Wasn't it Cy Coleman that used to say that working in the biz was like gardening . . . you have to plant a lot of seeds because you never know when they're going to sprout.

Broadway Guy #2:  Yeah, I've heard that. But I think working in this business is more like juggling.  You gotta have a lot of balls in the air. 

Broadway Guy #1:  Yeah.  And the person with the most balls wins.

Only at Angus, kids, only at Angus.

Speaking of balls, I've got a discount to Blithe Spirit for you (that segue made no sense, by the way, so don't even try to figure it out).  Blithe is in a big Broadway house, but the best seats are on the floor so I'm telling everyone to get your tickets with this deal asap, before the good ones are gone.  You want to be as close as you can get.  Angela Lansbury has four . . . count 'em, four Tony Awards.  Blithe is a chance to see one of our most magnificent actresses live on stage.  These opportunities don't come around often.  (Are you all starting to understand why I signed on Produce this one?)

Do you know who won five Tony Awards?  Comment below!

And email me if you want the Producer discount to Blithe.