The Making of a Broadway Blockbuster

How big hits like Hamilton and The Book of Mormon became big hits.

Fall 2019/Winter 2020

by Sandra Mardenfeld

What makes a show successful? The amount of awards won? Not necessarily. While Hamilton took home 11 Tonys during the 2016 ceremony and The Book of Mormon bulled in nine in 2010, Beauty and the Beast won just one for costume design in 1994 and still ran for 5,461 performances. (That’s 13 years of “Be Our Guest” for those keeping track.) So what’s the secret behind super-hits like Hamilton and The Book of Mormon?

It’s not just box-office triumph. Some shows certainly become hits, earning a profit for investors and sometimes receiving critical kudos. A blockbuster surpasses a hit’s reach and runs for years, often creating a cult following with people seeing the show multiple times (think Wicked or A Chorus Line). While there’s no magic formula, factors such as timing, originality, universality and brand recognition come into play, according to Oliver Roth, producer/CEO at OHenry Productions.

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