Is Broadway in a recession, Or is it a bad year for New Muscials?

[joe5]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 11:23am

Why are the grosses so bad this year? Could it be a combo of things. Recession and weak year for muscials. I haven't seen so many new shows with such bad grosses. Only the favorites seem to be selling well (JB, Wicked). And I really don't think a Tony. Is going to help any new show this year. Any thoughts....joe

[Fosse76]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 11:26am

Bad product. There hasn't been one notable musical this season. This was the season of plays.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 11:26am

I think it's a wonderful year for new musicals.

Just because a show is good doesn't mean it's going to sell.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 11:35am

I think it's safe to say that overall, the musical revivals and the plays have been much better than new musicals this season. Part of that might be that there are more than twice as many plays as there are musicals.

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 11:38am

I don't think there are a lesser number of GOOD musicals this season, maybe less musicals in general. But usually we're lucky if we 3-4 genuinely good shows, which we seem to have this season.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 11:43am

Well - are you asking financially or artistically?

No, there hasn't been a BLOCKBUSTER musical this season, such as WICKED or JERSEY BOYS. I don't think that matters so much.

New musicals this season that I thought were decent-to-outstanding: XANADU, PASSING STRANGE, IN THE HEIGHTS, NEXT TO NORMAL (and I hear ADDING MACHINE and A CATERED AFFAIR were on the plus side, too).

So CRY-BABY and GLORY DAYS were the negatives, compared to the others. Not a bad season at all.

[joe5]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 11:46am

Financially, Capn.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 11:49am

Would have helped if I read your post and not just the title, lol.

Again, no blockbuster this year, but just wait until next year. Three words: SHREK. BILLY ELLIOT.

[Dancin Thru Life]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 11:56am

Believe it or not, spending money on Broadway shows is a LUXURY to many people.

In times of general economic recession, the first expenses to cut are the luxury items.
Fewer people can afford to buy as many show tickets as often as they did before, or are at least more conservative in their buying decisions.
It's not necessarily a judgment on the quality of the shows -- merely the financial state of the country.

"Theater folk" often look only at the "small world" picture and forget that there is a whole other, bigger, (yes, some would even say more important! Yikes!) world out there! There's no reason the new shows wouldn't suffer the same way other businesses suffer during the same tough times.

My guess is the ticket money went to either their gas tank or their dinner table!

The new shows might just be a victim of economic timing...

Or they really may just suck. It's gonna be hard to prove either way!

[Steve2]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 12:06pm

Thanks Dancin Thru Life. I read that people are cutting back on "luxuries" like Starbucks coffee, restaurants, etc. It would not be surprising if Broadway is being hit as well, especially at $100+ ticket prices. I thought Cry-Baby's $54 pricing strategy during previews was a smart move. An article in today's paper about even Las Vegas feeling the pinch of lack of spending.

[BroadwayBen]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 12:19pm

I don't think the general public is interested in any of the new musicals this season, with the jury still out on the Tony winner. (NO prediction here.) I think they are all niche musicals that don't have a broad appeal. Given the subject matter, did anyone expect A CATERED AFFAIR or PASSING STRANGE or IN THE HEIGHTS to be a "blockbuster." JERSEY BOYS had a title of the State next door, and told the story of a group that sold MILLIONS of albums to the boomers. It has a very broad appeal. LITTLE MERMAID is a beloved film. GREASE has endured for 30+ years.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 12:38pm

I second the economy in general. People can not afford even a discounted musical (which is still pricey) due to the economy. Therefore, people are going to be very choosy with their entertainment dollars. A show with mixed reviews might not get an audience of people looking for a guaranteed good time. There just isnt money for people to take chances.

[hubee]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 12:59pm

I think the economy has more to do with it than the actual musicals.

Which in my opinion are fine. There isn't a breakout like Jersey Boys or amazing like Spring Awakening but In the heights and Passing Strange are pretty awesome and Xanadu is a hoot (if maybe a bit too cultish for the public?).

Anyways, if you look back in the 90's, most of them were TERRIBLE (The Civil War? Jeckyl and Hyde? etc etc) and Sunset Blvd only competed with one other for BEst new musical at the time. I think it's gotten better recently IMHO, we just haven't had the Wicked or JErsey Boys breakout this year but that's more rare than we expect.

Im not sure why so many people are complaining its such a terrible year for musicals when they should look back at the years and see the sometimes lack of choices for Best New Musicals for the Tony's. I think it's a pretty decent year actually. (Then again, I actually liked Glory Days at the Signature)

Of course, the other thing is that there are more "smaller" musicals (kinda like the indie movies taking over the Oscars) and not every new musical is some major bloated musical, which personally, I think is a good thing.

[thatgirl712]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 1:29pm

Hope this isn't true.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 2:58pm

It's a less than stellar season. Young Frankenstein and Little Mermaid were the only new musicals with name recognition and both received mixed-to-negative reviews. Little Mermaid is fortunate enough to be a new Disney family musical, so it should do pretty well on its own despite the poor reviews. Broadway belongs to the tourists now, so new shows have to have major marketing campaigns to keep up the necessary exposure to stay in the public view, especially nationwide coverage since it won't be New Yorkers keeping the show alive month after month. If "Passing Strange" does not become a buzzword in the media across the country, then people are not going to plan to see the show before they go on vacation, which makes it less likely they decide to see it after they get there. Hopefully, the Tonys will help a little.

The plays are doing well for plays, but still not astounding numbers other than perhaps Macbeth. I would say it is the musical revivals that are proving to be on average the most financially and critically successful this season. Unless Young Frankenstein is really raking in the big bucks, which I doubt or Mel would probably publish the numbers.

[BillyE]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 4:49pm

It's just a bad year for new musicals, indeed!
I'm just really looking forward to Billy Elliot and Schreck!
and a revival of No No Nanette.

[perfectliar]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 5:01pm

hubee - It's funny that you said most of the 90s musicals were horrible and then only named two Frank Wildhorn shows as examples. The bad shows extend much further than him lol.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 6:13pm

Why is the TKTS line always long?

People are looking for a bargain. Constantly raising prices will eventually kill off the Golden Goose that lays the golden eggs.

Ixnay on the Wildhorn bashing. Carry on

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 6:19pm

In times of recession people stick with what they know. This means the long runs and the revivals. Its not a comment on the new musicals quality, but its hard time in the American economy to find a new customer base. That includes theatre.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 6:20pm

They won't find a new customer base when they are pricing the old customer base out of the picture.

[hubee]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 6:32pm

perfectliar... oops. haha.. i hadnt meant to just name Wildhorn shows. they just came to my head at that moment... haha..

i think it's just bad timing that we are finally getting a bit more adventurous (at least for Broadway) on Broadway just as the recession is hitting and people are sticking to what they know.

At this point, it's basically the same as movies and TV. the popular vs what's actually good which in times of plenty (uh. what am I a pilgrim?), the actually good has a little more room to thrive. Still, I have hope.

Because I do NOT want to see Paris Hilton in The Apple Tree.

I do agree though that ticket prices need to be a bit more reasonable, or at least have some sort of lower priced ticket available, even if it's the last few rows so that there are a varied number of prices.

Updated On: 5/6/08 at 06:32 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 6:33pm

Paris Hilton in The Apple Tree?

How about Lindsay Lohan in Funny Girl?

[hubee]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 6:37pm

shudder. It's bad enough the Lohan is going to ruin my beloved Ugly Betty...

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 6:50pm

Awful year for musicals in terms of advancing the artform. Broadway is still doing great in terms of long-running shows. Nothing this year will run much longer or become a blockbuster in terms of worldwide productions (even Mermaid seems doomed). I think in any other year the musicals being praised this year wouldn't fare as well.

[localonedude]

Posted: 5/6/08 at 9:22pm

Yeah there's just a recession on broadway ! The world revovles around broadway..