Economic Depression will kill new shows this fall — Page 2

frogs_fan - glad you survived, and thank you to you and all of the patient MET staff. I missed the 6-hour exchange line day, but everyone looked exhausted when I stood on the much shorter line for exchanges on Friday!

Of course, the major difference between the MET and Broadway productions is the subscriber base which has been growing at the MET, I believe. It is easier to weather a lack of success on some productions if you have the buffer of sold out productions during the season. Can you say "THAIS"?

The two concurrent Mamet productions are a curiosity. I believe they are both limited runs, though.

All I know about Faust is that it is going to be heavy on projections. That's all I can tell you at this point, at least until rehearsals start. They're only working on the Verdi Requiem and some of the set stuff for Salome and Giovanni.

"Dr. Atomic" is not on my subscription but I am very intrigued by Robert Oppenheimer so I might end up trying to pick up a ticket. I missed the Gandhi opera last season and regretted it after I heard more about it. I have liked some of the newer operas - but can't say I would run out and see them again. In past seasons, I saw VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE and GATSBY, missed both the modern ones last season.

I first thought "Economic Depression" was a bit extreme however in light of recent events, it appears not to be. I fear for how it will affect Broadway.

All I can say that it's a real shame that a show such as The Visit, can't make it north. The score was lush and different, and I still can't get the numbers out of my head. I still hold out hope that one day, it will open on Broadway. It was an interesting, daring and unusual show and I'd love to see both Chita and George Hearn treading the boards again. If only this 'new depression' would wipe out those so-called 'producer seats'!

It happens.

It's happened before.

This isn't a new thing, folks.

The economy WILL pick up...

Broadway isn't going to "die" -- enough with the dramatics!

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For me the scariest possible outcome of an Economic Depression would be the death of challenging material on Broadway. In an age where shows like Caroline, or Change and Grey Gardens can close severely in the red while tourists continue to flock to spectacle-filled and substance-lacking shows like Wicked, what producer is going to be willing to finance a small artistc show on Broadway? We've already seen how difficult it is for niche shows like [title of show] and Passing Strange to survive; even last season's "breakout hit," Spring Awakening, is faltering at the box office.

Maybe this is me being the theatre snob I'm constantly accused of being, but I can't imagine anything worse than a Broadway that insists on form over substance in order to make a profit. The theatre should be challenging and make us view the world and our individual lives with a new perspective that just isn't possible with any other medium. If we continue the current trends of turning to Hollywood blockbusters instead of allowing up-and-coming composers the chance to express themselves as artists, Broadway will be closer to death than anything the economy to this point has done.

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it's weird how right I was.

Don't believe all the hype. This isn't remotely like the 30's Depression and it's not going to be. What it is, however, is economic Darwinism. As someone pointed out earlier in this thread---the weak will die but the strong will survive.

wicked recouped in a year and a month, i believe?

Updated On: 9/25/08 at 11:20 PM

"It is the airlines and hotels that are jacking up prices to make up for debt, so less people overall are traveling and those that do are paying the price."
"I was so excited to get cheap airfare to come see some shows, only to find out the hotel prices have doubled and tripled in the last six months. This may be my last trip for a while."

I'm a student but budget well and money is not an issue and I have come to Broadway twice a year for the last eight years or so. I'm coming next week, and had prearranged to stay with a friend and thought maybe I'll stay in a hotel for a night... just for comforts sake... anyway... the prices were shocking... shocking from about a year ago. So much so, there's no way I can justify coming back to NYC until the prices go down or I win the lotto. 300 dollars a night at the Red Roof Inn? At the Hampton? It's not economically realistic for me... and I'm a devoted fanatic. I've been priced out of the market.

kmc

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Wicked took one and a half year to recoup? I thought they made a million per venue per week!

Anyhoo, if majority of BW shows fail to recoup, how come there are still new shows every year? Surely investors must have noticed the trend. Do BW shows get some sort of subsidies or something from the government?

And I totes agree about the exorbitant prices for accommodation- that's what is preventing me from going to NYC this summer. Despite the fact I would willingly splurge on say 10 BW shows.


"For me the scariest possible outcome of an Economic Depression would be the death of challenging material on Broadway. In an age where shows like Caroline, or Change and Grey Gardens can close severely in the red while tourists continue to flock to spectacle-filled and substance-lacking shows like Wicked, what producer is going to be willing to finance a small artistc show on Broadway"

Perhaps a move towards minimalist staging for small artistic shows? Start with lower costs and recoup faster. Tourists are going to flock to spectacle filled and substance-lacking shows anyhow, its the regular theatre goers that determine the fate of the smaller bw and off bw shows.

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Below is an article from USA Today. It's pretty poorly written and has few new details to those on this site however it's the first I have seen on this topic other than the New York Times.

The user comments to the article are funny but pathetic and I don't expect much intelligence from people anyway.
Economy acting out on Broadway attendance