‘Prima Facie,’ Starring Jodie Comer, Recoups $4.1M Broadway Capitalization (Exclusive)
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The Broadway production of Prima Facie has recouped its $4.1 million capitalization costs as of June 18 and broke a house box office record on the way.
The one-woman play, starring Jodie Comer, recouped its Broadway capitalization in 10 weeks of performances — a quick turnaround for any production — and grossed $1,107,829 last week, a record for any eight-show week at the Golden Theatre. This beat the previous box office record at the Golden Theatre held by Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, starring Glenda Jackson and Laurie Metcalf, which grossed $1,077,919 in the week ending June 17, 2018.
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Prima Facie began performances on April 11 and runs through July 2. The production has grossed close to $1 million for several weeks of its run, with an average ticket price hovering around $150 and capacity close to 100 percent.
The recoupment comes a week after Comer won the Tony Award for best lead actress in a play. In Prima Facie, written by Suzie Miller and directed by Justin Martin, Comer plays Tessa, a young, ambitious lawyer who defends individuals accused of sexual assault and then goes through the legal system herself as a victim of rape. While accepting her Tony Award on stage, Comer acknowledged the responsibility she feels in taking on the role.
“To every person who feels represented by Tessa, this has been the greatest honor and it continues to be,” she said.
The play marks Comer’s Broadway debut. The Killing Eve actress played the role on the West End, where she made her professional stage debut and won an Olivier Award for her performance, for a run that began in April 2022. After being with the role for more than a year, Comer told The Hollywood Reporter that she feels changed by the experience.
“I feel like I have so much more trust within myself and who I am. I realized that I was quite fearful last year of a lot of things, especially in my ability to do this. And I think that actually, through this experience, I’ve been able to transform that into a sense of trust, which is a really nice feeling,” she said.
The Broadway production is lead produced by James Bierman of Empire Street Productions. Bierman noted the production was able to recoup while also offering lower-priced tickets, including $10 lottery tickets and $45 rush tickets throughout the run.
“Bringing Prima Facie to Broadway has been a journey of responsibility and faith that has been met with a response that we only dared to dream of when we set out. Suzie Miller’s urgent play, Justin Martin’s forensic direction, and our design team’s visceral production have been the backdrop for Jodie Comer’s extraordinary performance as Tessa Ensler, and the way that audiences have embraced all of this has been truly humbling,” Bierman said.
A film adaptation of Prima Facie is in the works, with Cynthia Erivo set to star and executive produce.
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