Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 12/18/22 — Page 3

Maybe Times Square is basically fine, but in nearby areas there’s plenty of brazen, violent stuff happening in broad daylight - especially face slashings due to it being gang initiation season, and shootings in places like Chelsea near the homeless shelter there. Chelsea!!!

 
There’s an undercurrent of rage, desperation, anger at whatever small thing that sets someone off. Rents are rising but wages aren’t really following suit. Some people feel like they are being treated Iike garbage by life - and they lose respect for other humans in turn. Add to that the fact that 5pm looks like midnight at this time of year. 

If you’re currently blissfully ignorant of the crimes that are happening, more power to you. Do things happen in other places? Sure. Does that mean people should ignore the risks of NYC today? No. 

Download Citizen app and watch the red dots on the map (indication a violent crime) show up daily. 
 

This fear of (real or imagined) crime has to be a contributing factor to some peoples’ decision to skip the theatre. 

Updated On: 12/20/22 at 11:00 PM

Alexander Lamar said: "Gang initiation is seasonal work?"

Certainly more at this time of year than in the flowery days of spring, say. 
It’s now extending beyond Halloween and through the darker months. 
https://thegrio.com/2011/10/31/how-gang-initiation-became-a-halloween-tradition/amp/

BorisTomashevsky said: "Maybe Times Square is basically fine, but in nearby areas there’s plenty of brazen, violent stuff happening in broad daylight - especially face slashings due to it being gang initiation season, and shootings in places like Chelsea near the homeless shelter there. Chelsea!!!


There’s an undercurrent of rage, desperation, anger at whatever small thing that sets someone off. Rents are rising but wages aren’t really following suit. Some people feel like they are being treated Iike garbage by life - and they lose respect for other humans in turn. Add to that the fact that 5pm looks like midnight at this time of year.

If you’re currently blissfully ignorant of the crimes that are happening, more power to you. Do things happen in other places? Sure. Does that mean people should ignore the risks of NYC today? No.

Download Citizen app and watch the red dots on the map (indication a violent crime) show up daily.


This fear of (real or imagined) crime has to be a contributing factor to some peoples’ decision to skip the theatre."

I think most of this is probably BS or is way less common than you are making it out to be (or legitimately think it to be).

But, one thing is true: if you download that goddamned Citizen app and are suddenly getting notifications for EVERY SINGLE crime or mishap that happens in the entire city, you will probably think it's a lot less safe than it actually is and that can be enough to deter you from engaging with things in the city. 

Does every person in the city have to witness a crime to be able to acknowledge that there’s a crime problem? Who knows what was going down two blocks over from where you were. Most people don’t feel unsafe until they’re suddenly in a situation they wish they could get out of. 

Updated On: 12/20/22 at 11:38 PM

I don't live in NYC but it's honestly a bit insane to see people run with the "crime around every corner" thing which is completely disproven by the data

Auggie27 said: "Thanksgiving to Christmas has historically been slower, certainly for struggling shows. Before the holiday week surge. But the slight bump for Hot is likely due to the infusion of $60 “rush” seats and three houses full of TDF seats (I was in one). The show is shockingly undersold this week - tonight and tomorrow afternoon almost nothing sold upstairs - and almost as bad for the big holiday week when most shows typically pick up full price sales. January looks bleak. By any yardstick."

Auggie, you seem to be one of the few who gets the fact that Thanksgiving to New Year's is not this nonstop insane glut of tourists. There are definitely slow weeks in December, and this will likely be the worst of them. It's really only next week and the week after where sales are up quite a bit. 

I have been to New York several times recently and I keep up with the crime stats so I know, as many of you are saying, that it is not this 1980's pit of despair and crime as Fox News etc. desperately want us to believe. HOWEVER, that is DEFINITELY the vibe out there. Whenever I tell anyone (liberal, conservative etc) that I'm going to New York, they act like I need to pack a bullet proof vest. Whenever New York travel adverts pop up on my social media almost all of the comments are about how the crime is so awful and widespread that nobody would dare risk their life to visit New York. The Gossip Girl/Sex and the City imagery of a wealthy, safe, glamorous Manhattan that New York successfully peddled to the world is no longer around. 

 

I've lived in NYC all my life.  I'm older, I ride the subways and walk the streets every day.  NYC is as safer now than it's ever been.

The big difference today is that there are cameras everywhere which capture almost every crime.  This is of course one of the deterrents that has made the city safer, but it also makes for great television, and feeds the political agenda of the NY Post, Fox News, etc.  Statistically, you are safer on the subway in the city than in your car in the suburbs. 

Also NYC is still a blast.  The streets are filled, the stores, restaurants and clubs are bustling.  It's still the greatest city in the world!

 

newyorker1410 said: "I've lived in NYC all my life. I'm older, I ride the subways and walk the streets every day. NYC is as safer now than it's ever been.


"

The people/media hyping NYC Crime are horrible, craven liars. And good ones, because NY is what swung Congress to the Republicans. Its overblown nonsense to suggest millions of us are living in some dystopian crimeridden nightmare. We arent. 

AND YET i find it pretty frustrating to hear people say things like "NYC is safer now than its ever been." The data does not bear that out, unless we cherry pick WHICH crimes we are focusing on. Crime is up-- not in NYC specifically, but across the country. And since there are millions more ppl here than anywhere else, that means theres more crime happening here to be filmed, reported, witnessed.

The absolute WORST thing New Yorkers can do is pretend there ISNT an increase--- in violent incidents, yes, but also in just homelessness and unstable people not getting the care they need. Saying "it isnt as bad as the media says!" is one thing, and I would shout that from the rooftops. But pretending "nothing to see here, that violent stabbing down the block is par for the course" is not only disingenuous, but counterproductive. 

HogansHero said: "So much silliness in this thread. Is there crime? yes. Are there gang initiations? Yes. Do these have a much to do with the tourist parts of Manhattan? No. Wanna guess what the FBI says are the 10 most dangerous cities in NY State are? Wanna guess what city is NOT on that list? Hint: NYC. Wanna know where to go to expose yourself to the highest risk of gang violence in NY State? I'll tell you: Newburgh.

Yes there are people who cannot afford to travel right now, and yes there are people afraid to. But if you walk around midtown Manhattan you are struck by (a) how there are so many tourists and (b) how much money they are spending. If they are not going to Broadway shows, I think we need to ask ourselves why that might be. How are we selling KA and SLIH to them? Or more acutely, are we? It's the same questions we have been talking about with regard to ANM. Even among the very good shows, we are doing an antiquated and lame job of promoting them. It's pathetic actually."

This is right. Tourists are back. And they seeing Leah Michele.

 

poisonivy2 said: "So I have to laugh at the people afraid of the theater district. Y'all don't even know how privileged and frankly bigoted you sound."

You’re laughing at others’ genuinely-held fear and saying they sound privileged and bigoted? For wanting to take steps to avoid possible physical harm? Hope you’re kinder than this to the kids at your school. There’s enough meanness around so please don’t foment more in the next generation
 

8th Avenue is a mess. Last night was like Mario Kart with the number of things to be sidestepped. I don’t blame anyone who wants to skip the theatre altogether rather than have to deal with it.