The State of Broadway — Page 2

Theatrefanboy1, I would actually argue Broadway needs to focus on getting locals back in the theater. There has been more and more focus on tourists, but I think producers should be producing new interesting work that on paper might not appeal to the masses. That doesn’t mean liberal or conservative btw, but just something NEW. The best work in the last five years has come from new works by Michael R Jackson, Shaina Taub, Bess Wohl, Bruce Norris, Annie Baker, Tracy Letts, David Lindsay Abaire, Abe Koogler, Nazareth Hassan, Martyna Majok, David Ives, Jeremy O Harris. We have brilliant American playwrights that are not getting an ounce of the attention they deserve. No marketing, no buzz, the press barely talks about them. These writers create the type of thing that New Yorkers actually want to see. Broadway needs to get that audience back. We need strong producers who will actually command and demand attention and bring the people in. I wouldn’t go near musicals given how expensive they are and the quality of writing has not been up to snuff.

What makes you think the city can run a theater better than the owners? Now you want the city/government to decide what shows to put on stage and what not? Wow that’s a scary thought. Theater owners are private entities. The city cannot just take private property without paying for it. Where is the city going to come up with that money?

It’s pretty obvious something is seriously wrong with Broadway. It’s frightening when you have 5-6 shows close before July 4th weekend. Usually shows make their way through the summer before closing. Before this season, I have never seen so many empty theaters in the middle of the summer.

This year for musicals was really weak. I loved Schmigadoon but that show wouldn’t be nominated much less win best musical in a normal year. Outside of Schmigadoon, Ragtime and Lost Boys, this season has been a disappointment.

Only 2-3 musicals look appealing this upcoming season. It seems more plays are being produced because they are cheaper. Then they cast a movie star or well known actor to generate ticket sales of $500+ per ticket. That seems to be the formula on Broadway right now.

Someone mentioned less shows will come to Broadway due to cost and tours are doing better. Regional theaters might be more profitable. Maybe it is more profitable for a show to stay in a major city for a few weeks and move on to the next. I wonder if we will see “Broadway” eventually find its way to another city like Las Vegas, Boston, Chicago, Miami, LA or somewhere else.

It is sad to see Broadway becoming less appealing but even being a regular fan, it’s hard not to see something is seriously wrong.

Fred Mason said: "Theatrefanboy1, I would actually argue Broadway needs to focus on getting localsback in the theater. There has been more and more focus on tourists, but I think producers should be producing new interesting work that on paper might notappeal to the masses. That doesn’t mean liberal or conservative btw, but just something NEW. The best work in the last five years has come from new works by Michael R Jackson, Shaina Taub, Bess Wohl, Bruce Norris, Annie Baker, Tracy Letts, David Lindsay Abaire, Abe Koogler,Nazareth Hassan, Martyna Majok, David Ives, Jeremy O Harris. We have brilliant American playwrights that are not getting an ounce of the attention they deserve. No marketing, no buzz, the press barely talks about them. These writers create the type of thing that New Yorkersactually want to see. Broadway needs to getthat audience back. We need strong producers who will actually command and demand attention and bring the people in. I wouldn’t go near musicals given how expensive they are and the quality of writing has not been up to snuff."

I don't disagree with what you are saying here as well. I do believe that there is also nothing "new" being developed or told in a compelling or interesting way. I feel in recent years its been reliant on revivals, or existing properties, all of which do not support the new works at creations of this generations storytellers and creators. But that issue is not solely a Broadway issue, that is an issue throughout America, and Canada as well. My relations in Canada have consistently said how its easier for a Canadian writer to have their show developed and brought to life in America, than it is in Canada. They have found their to be no support from the industry leaders in seeing through (and developing (so much half-baked stuff is arriving) creations.

There are several factors that need to considered, as well as a few bright spots amid the gloom.

- Costs of Broadway musicals have skyrocketed for a variety of reasons in recent years. It seems like a combination of factors - not all of which can be attributed to greedy landlords or unions. But it is worse in New York City.

- Capitalization costs. This is related to the first, of course, but it means that expensive, ambitious shows need to make big money for years. That’s hard to do even for shows that appear to be hits, which is why I am less optimistic than some about the prospects for much-anticipated musicals like Warriors and Paddington. High-profile revivals usually start strong (Evita will; The Sound of Music probably will, though as a Lincoln Center production it’s in a different situation). But the revivals can’t afford to fade, because a show like Evita is dependent on its star’s drawing power for the year she is in it. That didn’t happen for Sunset Blvd.

- Foreign tourism is down for reasons we all know, and that hurts musicals more than plays. New Yorkers are seeing plenty of shows, I have read, but that’s an exhaustible resource. To really thrive, musicals are now more dependent than ever on domestic tourists.

- A dark cloud: Maybe Happy Ending. I may be overstating this, but the box office struggles of last year’s Tony winner for Best Musical makes me feel gloomy. This wasn’t an arty or niche show like some recent winners. It felt like the kind of musical that could run for a few years and recoup, despite its higher costs, because it is emotionally resonant and easy for tourists to grasp and enjoy. But that hasn’t happened. I think the decline of foreign tourism has really hurt the show. The musical should have been able to survive the departure of Darren Criss, who isn’t that big a star, but it has pretty much collapsed. It’s not a great sign for original musicals.

- Silver linings? The national tours of Kimberly Akimbo and Suffs both recouped, with the former recouping the Broadway production too. This suggests there is still an audience out there for Broadway musicals. The Broadway part was just promotion. The money was made on the road.

- Off-Broadway. Is that a solution? Is any show making money that way except for Little Shop of Horrors? I realize this can work for new plays that are licensed and produced all over the country. Has it ever worked for musicals?

BentleyB said: "The cost of coming to the city is crazy. We would come 4 to 5 times per year for the past 20 years. This past year we have not come because hotels, flights, restaurants, and tickets are through the roof."

This has been a very real factor for us as well. Going back about five or six years, my husband and I wouldn't hesitate to fly to NY for 3-4 nights for anything that interested us, and we did this 3-5 times per year. Now, the cost of a hotel, airfare, and dining are ridiculous. We would like to see Cats and a few other shows again before they close, but for the first time I'm actually wondering whether I can truly justify the cost for the expected enjoyment of the experience.

SteveSanders said: "I just browsed through my 20+ years of Telecharge orders. It was only 10 or 15 years ago when advance discount codes were readily available for so many shows, dynamic pricing had yet to become so commonplace, and premium was usually one subset of center orchestra.

You could get great seats for a significant number of shows with starry casts for $100-$150 without much effort. Some random excerpts:

$125: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (2020)
Center Orchestra Row D

$139: The Ferryman (2019)
Center Orchestra Row G

$103: Oh Hello on Broadway (2017)
Center Orchestra Row O

$89: Mandy Patinkin and Patti Lupone (2012)
Center Orchestra Row L

We'll obviously never get back to those times given how much conditions have changed. But when prices twice these amounts are the norm for seats in less desirable locations and for shows that don't have a "must see" vibe or word of mouth, it becomes so much easier to spend your monies elsewhere, assuming you even have them."

So you spend your money elsewhere. There are people who do and will spend money to pay twice that amount. There are few things in life that you are guaranteed. Theater, sporting events, concerts, those are luxury, big ticket items. Sometimes you can afford them, sometimes you can't. And you find other things to be passionate about, while maybe saving for a big trip to see theater in the future.

I don't know much about the business of Broadway. I'm a huge film buff, and the film industry is going through its own version of what's happening in the theater world. I think the answer is both complicated and simple. Complicated in that we've gone through a perfect storm of cultural changes that we're still in the middle of, and while I think we will eventually correct into a new normal, we're not there yet. Covid, culture wars, streaming, and accessibility of vast amounts of cheap entertainment have changed the business model for all sorts of art forms in ways no one seems to have yet figured out how to account for.

But it's also simple in that people are willing to get out of the house and pay more for entertainment if you give them something they want to see. Barbieheimer proved that movies with unique ideas and auteur styles can sell. Shows like The Lion King, Hamilton, Death of a Salesman, etc. are packing them in when most all other shows are floundering. Hell, I planned a trip to NYC for this weekend just to see Death of a Salesman.

I don't have any answers, but as a starting point I do think the streaming T.V., movie, and theater industries should stop trying to shove mediocre crap on audiences who don't want it.

PJ Adzima made a great video that I think really adds to this discussion: I think it’s officially time for a new golden age of off-broadway

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DayG4w0Tbbv/

At the end of the day, a good slice of this comes back to the “Big 3” landlords and their collective greed. Rent is exorbitant and it’s not like investors have an unlimited pool of money to pull from to hop onto productions’ bandwagons.

I’d be shocked if change of any kind happens in this industry and with these higher-ups, but crazier things have happened before.

Updated On: 7/17/26 at 11:48 PM

Even with lower tickets prices, that does not ever guarantee an audience. Sure, maybe for the first few months. But that's not sustainable in the long run. So I'm not sure what the solution is either.

I think one solution we may have and I think one I’ve been noticing a lot more in the past few years, is a kind of new golden age renaissance for Off-Broadway…it was, is and has always been the fertile ground where you can make bold daring artistic risks we’ve seen in the past like Jellicle Ball, Mexodus, Oh, Mary!, Weer but even for current and upcoming shows like Guila, Slam Frank, Benjamin Button, Hole!, Midnight, the Spring Awakening revival, Shifters etc. and then keep them off broadway and turn them into hit shows that can run and thrive and make a profit off-broadway…

Until actual systemic change of any kind happens in this industry, we're just gonna have to leave Broadway as we know it behind.


As for creatives I’ve been closely following PJ Adzima and his production studio/company Stage Time Studios and I think they’re really onto something…a clubhouse, studio, education center and third-space where artists can actually create and collaborate on the next groundbreaking piece of American entertainment. It’s like Warhol’s Factory for the 21st century

Updated On: 7/17/26 at 11:36 AM

In this case, that's not true at all. The biggest reason is that the landlords ARE the producers and shape where the show's capital goes. Beyond that, they are also the people who determine all the rules governing Broadway (The Theatre Wing and the Broadway League) - it's all the same people. It runs so much deeper and worse than that but they are always negotiating with themselves. The people who get hurt are basically: everyone else.

bwaysloppywriter said: "Fred Mason said: "Landlords don’t owe anybody anything. The only recourse producers have is to stop producing or to build their own theaters. Landlordsusually get a percentage of the box office which means they also have skin in the game, it’s not a rental fee adding to the running cost. Pointing fingers at them is a little bit of a scapegoat for much deeper issues like lack of audience interest."

You think they have no role in that? They choose whichcapitalized productions get a Broadway theatre.I concede they have slim pickings sinceshows ofcommercial value without a star attached are harder and harder to capitalize in the first place. But it wasn't long agothat shows could capitalize at a lower number, which always ended up creating this backroom pageant of producers jockeying for a theatre and trying to curry favor with landlords to get chosen. But I'll set aside that hornet's nest to address why landlords have a major role in audience interest or the lack thereof: the customer experience. It's been astutely noted elsewhere that they market Broadway asa premium experience, but what you get is podunk.

Why do they put off refurbishing theatres for as long as possible? And why is it that when they actuallydo refurbish, the seats are still uncomfortable,the sight lines are still terrible, and the ushers still don't enforce etiquette? I'd be curious if they've ever studied how to actually make a better experience, like determining the minimum number of seats that would need to be subtracted in order to offer decent seats with adequate legroom and full sight lines. I can't imagine it would force many theatres to dip below the regulated 500-seat-or-more size mandated, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they shouldn't accept any responsibility for their role in a lack of audience interest and we should just keep licking their boots."



FLASH/FRED have you started yet ANOTHER burner account user name just to argue against yourself??

MODS -- his BS is getting so tiresome. Why is he allowed to continue doing it??

Updated On: 7/17/26 at 02:54 PM