Saturday June 28th, 2008. Plainville, MA 20 miles. Grass. Overcast, cooler, chance of storms.
It’s increasingly clear that when playing towns that were once Roberts Bros dates or Vidbel dates Kelly Miller can do well in MA. Strong hosts have done well with pre-sale, and box office has been good. Of course it doesn'’ hurt that we actually have a very good circus -–a big show packed into a single ring. Based on the business we’ve done thus far, I have to imagine that KM will return to MA and look at venturing further into New England another year.
Addendum: Overheard on the midway. A woman to her children. “I thought it was free. Most circuses are free.” Note to self: No circus is truly free. Circus is expensive and somebody is paying for it. Maybe on the backend of a midway at the carnival or fair there’s a “free” circus paid for by the fair board. Maybe kids tickets are free, while the price for an adult ticket is inflated along with the price of floss. A movie cost between eight and nine dollars, whether it’s a good movie or a bad movie. Corn in a movie theater costs four and half to six and a half dollars. A soda is another three and a quarter. At Kelly Miller an adult ticket is twelve bucks, a soda and popcorn together is maybe five and a half bucks more. Attending the circus is LESS than going to a mediocre movie. And the circus is live entertainment. Professional performers. A genuine taste of the performing arts. Isn’t that worth at least as much as a summer blockbuster?.
It’s increasingly clear that when playing towns that were once Roberts Bros dates or Vidbel dates Kelly Miller can do well in MA. Strong hosts have done well with pre-sale, and box office has been good. Of course it doesn'’ hurt that we actually have a very good circus -–a big show packed into a single ring. Based on the business we’ve done thus far, I have to imagine that KM will return to MA and look at venturing further into New England another year.
Addendum: Overheard on the midway. A woman to her children. “I thought it was free. Most circuses are free.” Note to self: No circus is truly free. Circus is expensive and somebody is paying for it. Maybe on the backend of a midway at the carnival or fair there’s a “free” circus paid for by the fair board. Maybe kids tickets are free, while the price for an adult ticket is inflated along with the price of floss. A movie cost between eight and nine dollars, whether it’s a good movie or a bad movie. Corn in a movie theater costs four and half to six and a half dollars. A soda is another three and a quarter. At Kelly Miller an adult ticket is twelve bucks, a soda and popcorn together is maybe five and a half bucks more. Attending the circus is LESS than going to a mediocre movie. And the circus is live entertainment. Professional performers. A genuine taste of the performing arts. Isn’t that worth at least as much as a summer blockbuster?.
