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A roaring success
By JOHN FLEMING, Times Performing Arts Critic TAMPA -- Ticket sales for The Lion King "are just unbelievable," said Judith Lisi, president of Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, where the Disney musical plays from Dec. 13 to Jan. 26. On June 9, the first day single tickets went on sale, the center took in $1.5-million in ticket revenue, a one-day record. The previous high was about $1-million on the day tickets went on sale for The Phantom of the Opera in 1993. Before single tickets went on sale, The Lion King spurred the sale of subscriptions, which now total about 12,000 for the 2002-03 Broadway season at TBPAC. (Subscription holders get first crack at tickets.) That's up from about 10,000 for this past season. Total inventory for the show is 105,000 seats. "It's 75 percent sold out," Lisi said. "It's really a lot earlier than we had anticipated. We're encouraging people not to wait because there will be nothing left within a month." With a top ticket of $80, The Lion King stands to bring in more than $1-million a week in Morsani Hall. Its 2,400-seat capacity will be somewhat reduced to accommodate a procession of puppets and animal figures that are integral to the show. Normally, with Morsani's continental seating, there are no middle aisles in the theater. "They'll take out two rows of seats to create aisles through the middle," Lisi said. "We'll lose about 200 seats, but that procession is really what sells the show. I think it's going to be great because the gradation of that house is really nice, so if you're sitting in the orchestra rear or mezzanine you'll be able to see every bit as good as in the front." The Lion King national tour recently finished its opening run in Denver, where it sold out for nine weeks. It will play three Texas engagements -- Houston, Fort Worth and Dallas -- and Fort Lauderdale before arriving in Tampa. Wednesday, TBPAC announced that A Night With Dame Edna will be Sept. 17-22 in Morsani Hall. Ticket prices and an on-sale date have not been announced. Dame Edna, who has appeared lately on TV's Ally McBeal, had a successful run at Ruth Eckerd Hall in 2001. At a glance:For tickets to The Lion King ($24.25-$80; $133.25 VIP) call (813) 229-7827 or toll-free 1-800-955-1045 or see the center's Web site at www.tbpac.org. Children younger than 5 will not be admitted to this show.
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From the wire |
