Dearth of Non-musicals

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/3/23 at 3:44pm

Somehow, the original text didn’t get saved, so here goes.

The dearth of non-musical this fall is very disturbing to me.  When I am here in October, I only had a choice of 3 on Broadway to choose from.  I bought two and have no interest in the third (Rebeck and Devito).  Last year, there were a large number, but most lost money.

I am curious what other people think of the current situation: just a cycle, producers stupidly waiting for Tony season, streaming options, scared off by losses the last couple of seasons for well reviewed plays, absence of stars, some Covid residual.  Are we heading in a direction in which, even more than today, if you want to see a non-musical, go off-Broadway ( nor a lot of great options there either).  Like to know what other people think are the most significant factors.

The have also been a dearth of unsuccessful musicals as well.  I am assuming the key factors have been a combo of mixed reviews, lack of interest from the shows being produced, lack of stars.  Unless I am forgetting something, the only blockbusters (or close enough) have been revivals of classic musicals (good or not in one case) with big stars: Hugh, Leah, and Josh.

 

Updated On: 10/3/23 at 03:44 PM

[JasonC3]

Posted: 10/3/23 at 4:44pm

My memory may be failing me, but wasn't it just a year or two ago we were commenting on how amazing it was that so many plays had been mounted?

I'm not in any way questioning the premise for this thread, just trying to recall the recent past as it relates to the topic. Updated On: 10/3/23 at 04:44 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 10/3/23 at 4:47pm

Perhaps it is time for us to stop caring about the difference between Broadway and Off Broadway. I don't really care how many seats a house has. Quality is what matters.

DRUIDO'CASEY opens tomorrow at NYU Skirball, running until October 14. You can see three classic plays in full on one day. Or one at a time over the run. Sean O'Casey's Dublin trilogy, THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS, SHADOW OF A GUNMAN, and JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK. Most probably the best chance you will ever have to see a great production of these.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/3/23 at 6:09pm

JasonC3 said: "My memory may be failing me, but wasn't it just a year or two ago we were commenting on how amazing it was that so many plays had been mounted?

I'm not in any way questioning the premise for this thread, just trying to recall the recent past as it relates to the topic."

You are undoubtedly correct; however, there is only one for-profit production scheduled for the rest of the year, and it is a limited engagement revival.  I recognize that we will get a lot of announcements for the late winter / spring (maybe?), but right now the only productions announced are scheduled for MTC, Roundabout, and Second Stage, all of which only schedule shows for short runs.  That is extreme.

I don't disagree with the comments that we need to stop distinguishing between off-Broadway and Broadway.  That is certainly a valid argument, but does that mean that Broadway is going to end up like the road...only musicals (with two exceptions in the last 8 years: Mockingbird and Curious Incident) and occasional star-driven productions?

I am probably too much of a worrier, but I hate the way it is heading, and I don't see how it is going to change unless stars up their time on Broadway.  The fact that virtually everything lost money last year (of course that is true of all (?) the new musicals too), despite a lot of great reviews, doesn't help.

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/3/23 at 6:22pm

I feel like, after COVID, so many productions had the chance to just take a theatre and run with it as other shows delayed or cancelled altogether, and I believe there were protections and subsidies in place to allow these plays to come in not necessarily have to be as concerned about loss. The result yielded otherwise atypical fare on main stages - IS THIS A ROOM, PASS OVER, DANA H, and THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN to name a few.

Cost of theatre still seems to be steadily rising and people’s willingness to hoof it out to a show still seems to be less than it was before. On top of that, this being a business, the larger flashier shows with marquee names cannibalize the business the smaller shows might pick up.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/3/23 at 7:48pm

I think we can blame all of the following for the current season:

A) a backlog of shows in development pre-covid

B) a cyclical coincidence that happens every few years.

C) Rising costs. The unions & League have one-size-fits-all labor agreements and don't offer a sliding scale based on theatre size, capitalization, gross, etc.

D) The realization that there is pretty much no chance of recouping your investment commercially without a star (or two or three) in a nonmusical play. This isn't news, but sometimes people forget or think they can be the exception to the norm. A few years ago, plays like DOWNSTATE or A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD or ENGLISH might have tried to make it to Broadway; currently, there's no incentive to move those plays unless there's a really passionate producer, and investors who are either conned or willing to lose it all. We also don't have Scott Rudin, who had a way with stars and plays and could muscle them to Broadway 2 or 3 at a time. For a musical that loses money on Bway there's a chance to make some money by touring it, but that model doesn't exist for plays. Stock & amateur licensing pays pennies on the dollar to investors.


I'll also add that it's early in the season and we'll have a number of houses available come January. I always look forward to surprises.

Updated On: 10/3/23 at 07:48 PM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/3/23 at 10:08pm

Not sure that I understand A.