NYP: Broadway sings New York’s blues as crime, costs slow post-COVID comeback — Page 2

“Violent crime is down. Period.”

Huh? What numbers and dates are you referring to?

Wick3 said: "I think Broadway is doing fine when clearly there are investors willing to gamble $$$ on new productions each year.

That article compared this past season with 2018-2019. It didn't mention back then there was an outlier called Springsteen on Broadway that had an average ticket price of over $500! If you took that outlier away, I think the 2023-2024 season fared the same if not better than 2018-2019.

Here are some stats that Ken Davenport posted on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2023-24-broadway-season-over-how-did-we-do-ken-davenport-j5p2e/

If you can't open the link, here is the data from that article:

2023-24 Broadway Season Statistics

Total Gross: $1,539,278,706

Total Attendance: 12,287,708

Total # of Playing Weeks: 1,471

Average Ticket Price: $125.27

How did that compare to the 2023-23 season?

2022-23 Broadway Season Statistics

Total Gross: $1,577,586,897

Total Attendance: 12,283,399

Total # of Playing Weeks: 1,474

Average Ticket Price: $128.43

So, last season looked like this compared to the previous one:

Gross: DOWN 2.46%

Attendance: UP .04%

Playing weeks: DOWN .20%

Average Ticket Price: DOWN 2.49%

In other words . . . the #s were flat. Barely a change.

Which is . . . not great. We’re supposed to be in a recovery phase. And we were flat. And remember, Broadway expenses escalate much higher than inflation every year (union contracts go up annually, advertising rates, etc, etc). That means: a flat year is a financial regression.

Now, and more importantly, let’s compare this past season to 2018-19.

2018-19 Broadway Season Statistics

Total Gross: $1,829,312,140

Total Attendance: 14,768,254

Total # of Playing Weeks: 1,737

Average Ticket Price: $123.87

So, here’s the big question . . . here is the answer to “How is Broadway recovering post-pandemic?”

Drumroll please . . . here is how this past season compares to the last complete pre-pandemic season:

Gross: DOWN 17.22%

Attendance: DOWN 18.34%

Playing weeks: DOWN 16.58%

Average Ticket Price: UP 1.12%

Three of the four major indicators of Broadway’s financial health are down.

And the last is flat.

This data, and the “flat” data of this past year to the year before it, tells me that the recovery has stalled. And the return to the “health” we had prior to the pandemic is going to take much longer than anyone expected.

Add in the aforementioned hyper Broadway inflation we are feeling right now, when expenses are 10-20% higher . . . and we’re seeing an approximately 30% swing in the bottom line . . . then you add a gross that’s down 17.22% and expenses that are up around 15% . . .

No wonder more shows are closing quicker.

No wonder fewer shows are recouping.

Unfortunately, based on historical data . . . the current year that we’re in is only expected to get a little worse. The research shows that we have a “down year” every four years . . . that coincides with the Presidential Election and the Summer Olympics. (See this post for that analysis.)

So it’s going to get a little rougher.

Davenport goes on to discuss possible solutions, and in that discussion he made this observation:

Second, we must get the Suburban Audience back. The local market outside the city is down a whopping 30+% from pre-pandemic levels. They are reluctant to return for a whole bunch of reasons, from the perception of crime, to the cost of commuting into the city, and the fact that their habit of theatergoing was broken for 2+ years.

I grew up in 70’s -80’s NYC and had to worry about being propositioned or having my gold chain snatched or perhaps my purse stolen. Today I fear brain damage from a brick up side the head or worse a beheading from one of those machetes. It’s definitely scarier. I get much more excited now when I attend theater events outside of Times Square.

The cost of the tickets doesn't feel that crazy to me (given all of the ways to find discounts, etc) but if you don't live in NYC (and can't drive in), the hotel costs right now are insane!! and with the airbnb option gone, it's gotten even crazier....

"no one is saying broadway is doomed

but it is not currently pre-covid healthy

no one is saying crime in new york city is as bad as it was in the 1970s and 1980s and early 1990s

but it is not currently late 1990s to 2015 safe

not every liberal idea is evil as that newspaper might imply

but bad policy is bad policy

and new yorkers on the ground are feeling it and noticing it in their neighborhoods

and some but not all tourists have seen and heard what the conditions are like

add to that sticker shock from ticket prices and you have a large enough portion of potential tourists who are not buying tickets to broadway shows that it is directly impacting the productions coffers"

Excellent post, I totally agree with all of your points.

BorisTomashevsky said: "“Violent crime is down. Period.”

Huh? What numbers and dates are you referring to?"

You should be capable of doing an internet search to find the answer. I don’t know if you are capable but you should be capable.

Matt Rogers said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "“Violent crime is down. Period.”

Huh? What numbers and dates are you referring to?"

You should be capable of doing an internet search to find the answer. I don’t know if you are capable but you should be capable."

You should be capable of not being a complete POS every day of your life. I don’t know if you are capable but you should be capable.

Jordan Catalano said: "That article sounds like a Fox News segment. But (and Christ it pains me to say this) there’s truth in it. Hotels right next to me are homeless shelters looooong after we were told they would be and additional buildings are still used to as shelters, although they’re not for migrants (at least from what I can see every day). While theneighborhood isn’t nearly as safe as it used to be, it’s not the hellscape thst article wants it to be (and I say that after two consecutive days of stabbing at Duane Reade). We certainly aren’t being helped by this God-Awful Mayor we have and I count the days until we can boot his ass out. I just always say imagine where we would be if we could have had Maya Wiley win that election."

You realize, of course, that Fox and the NYP are owned by the same 95-year-old Satan?

I believe theatrefan4 is referring to Newburgh. A town upstate that does in fact have a higher crime rate than NYC. I lived in Rhinebeck for a few years, not far from Newburgh. And, I have a strong memory of driving through the town and even then feeling unsafe.

Now, two things, one is I work on Broadway, and every time I am leaving my theatre to head home, I see tons of people walking around with playbills in hand from various shows. I think things will slowly come back. Keep in mind that due to the pandemic many Broadway bound shows were delayed in their process to get to Broadway.

And, yes, with NYC the way that it is one shouldn’t let their guard down. But, that’s always been the case. But, the thing that isn’t helping the perspective of a potential tourist is that whenever there’s a story about NYC on any of national news broadcasts it is to highlight an assault or physical altercation on the subway etc. But, that’s all people see and know too. So I’m sure that gives them pause.

NY1 reporting congestion pricing is indefinitely suspended !

Updated On: 6/5/24 at 10:49 AM

spicemonkey said: "“Be on guard of your surroundings, walk briskly and know where you are going before you leave so you do not look lost”


in the richest country in the world, in the cIvIlIzEdworld, why do ppl have to do things like this? Why can’t we enjoy taking a slow walk peacefully in the Greatest City in the World."



Because those of us who live and work here have places to get to, and we don't have time to navigate around your meandering asses. We will curse you, and strongly consider pushing you into oncoming traffic.

Updated On: 6/5/24 at 11:40 AM