Producer Sonia Friedman announced today that the 2008 Tony Award-Winning Best Play Revival, Boeing-Boeing, has recouped its entire $2.65 million investment as of September 21.
Beginning in London's West End, where it ran for a year, Matthew Warchus' production opened at Broadway's Longacre Theater on May 4 and won Tony Awards for best revival and leading actor in a play for the inspired performance of Mark Rylance.
Marc Camoletti's sex farce about a womanizing American architect in Paris and his revolving door of flight attendant fiancees was considered a long shot for a Broadway transfer as the original New York run was a complete flop. The 1965 Paramount film based on the play starring Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis was a box office failure too.
"This was never an automatic fit for London, either, given that it was sort of a dead play," lead producer Sonia Friedman told the trade publication Daily Variety. "But I decided to do it because I thought people needed to laugh. In New York the word of mouth kicked in quickly and it really just skyrocketed," she added. "The wraps defied all the slow trends over the summer, and even in this climate of uncertainty it's still doing fine."
Grosses for the Tony Winning Broadway run are at $9.2 million.
The production is also being packaged to begin a North American tour in fall 2009. Friedman is also lead producer on the Broadway transfer of London's Royal Court Theater production of "The Seagull," which opened Thursday evening and stars Kristin Scott Thomas and Peter Sarsgaard.
Boeing-Boeing currently stars Christine Baranski, 2008 Tony Award Winner Mark Rylance, Greg Germann, Gina Gershon, Kathryn Hahn, and Missi Pyle. Beginning Tuesday, October 7, Paige Davis and Rebecca Gayheart will replace Ms. Hahn and Ms. Gershon, respectively.
