Broadway Friday

-The Little Mermaid, which opens today, is being widely panned. From the Washington Post: "In director Francesca Zambello's confused production -- a morass of mechanical characters, syrupy new songs and gaudily irrelevant set pieces -- all the warmth and charm of the film manages to get away. The bloated, 2 1/2 -hour show -- an hour longer than the 1989 movie -- represents a low watermark for the Disney-on-Broadway franchise."

- On January 26th, The Phantom Of The Opera becomes the first Broadway show to run for 20 years. In January 2006, the show passed Cats to become the longest-running show in Broadway history. On its 20th anniversary, the show will have had 8139 performances. The worldwide gross of Phantom is estimated to be over $5 billion.

- Alan Palmer's Fabulous Divas of Broadway will have its New York premiere Off Broadway at Luke's Theatre. Previews begin February 13. "Creator and actor/singer Alan Palmer delivers a hilarious and touching look at growing up in the business while portraying 18 different stars of the stage. In rapid succession – and a non-stop turnover of gorgeous costumes – he brings to life such legends as Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli, Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Judy Garland and Chita Rivera and such Tony-winning stars of today as Christine Ebersole, Patti LuPone, Sutton Foster, Kristin Chenoweth and Beth Leavel."

Top Ten Broadway Grosses Last Week
Wicked - $1,494,991
The Lion King - $1,294,953
Jersey Boys - $1,229,925
The Little Mermaid - $1,130,940
Mary Poppins - $1,080,290
Cyrano De Bergerac - $905,526
The Phantom Of The Opera - $893,398
Les Misérables - $878,076
Spamalot - $828,149
Mamma Mia! - $816,353