Can someone help me understand the playbill grosses page?

Why shows close when they do.

A Broadway season lasts from May 1 to April 30 approximately. The exact date can shift 3 or 4 days either way. A new show must open before the end of April to be eligible for the Tony Awards. April typically sees 5 to 7 new shows opening, some on the day before the deadline. A producer sometimes counts on nominations to boost box office. For a show like The Band's Visit the box office bump can be huge.

When the Tony nominations are announced the first week of May, shows not nominated often post closing notices for June if their presale is not very high. Tuck Everlasting was in this position, low presale and no major nominations. This year no shows posted closing notices after nominations were announced. It was noteworthy.

Other shows are hoping a Tony win or even more important, a coveted performance on the TV broadcast will boost Box Office. Every producer of a show running in the 60 to 70 percent range has a number in their head the night of the Tonys. "We need to see this much increase in sales to remain viable long term." If they get shut out or there is no boost in box office, they may fold immediately. By this measure Beetlejuice did the job this year. So May and June can be a time of closings.

Summer in New York is a time of high tourist traffic. Most shows do well through the summer. But as school starts to go back in session, the crowds lessen, so we get to the second time of closure, mid August to early September. This year is especially brutal because all the shows who were close to closing in June did not, so they are all closing at the end of summer.

/r/Broadway Thread Parent