Is Broadway facing a bonanza or a bloodbath?
The next two months are packed with new productions — 18 are scheduled to premiere in March and April — as the industry still struggles to adapt to the new and more demanding realities of a post-pandemic theater era.
There will be a dizzying array of options for potential ticket buyers. Approximately 38 performances are scheduled to run on Broadway in early April (the exact number will depend on any unexpected closures or openings between now and then).
“From a consumer perspective, we are excited about the wide selection on Broadway,” said Deeksha Gaur, executive director of TDF, the nonprofit that operates TKTS’s discount stands. Anticipating that confused tourists will need help figuring out which shows to see, TDF is already sending staff in red jackets to check out performances and updating an extensive cheat sheet as staff prepare for questions , what the new shows are about and who stars in them.
But the density of late-season openings — 11 plays and musicals over a nine-day period in late April — has producers and investors worried about how these shows will find enough ticket buyers to survive.
“On the one hand, it's incredible that our industry is holding up and that there are so many new works on Broadway,” said Rachel Sussman, a lead producer of “Suffs,” a musical about women's suffrage that will be released in mid-2019. April.
“On the other hand,” Sussman added, “we are still recovering from the pandemic and viewership is not yet back to full strength, so there is concern across the industry about whether we have the viewership to sustain all of these shows.” It’s one of those things that only time will tell.”
Here are some answers to questions about the spring season.
Which new show is right for me?
Looking for a favorite pop sound? Alicia Keys offers “Hell's Kitchen”, Huey Lewis offers “The Heart of Rock and Roll” and The Who is represented with a revival of that band's rock classic, “Tommy”. There's even a fictional piece behind the music, “Stereophonic,” which combines songs from an Arcade Fire alum with narrative echoes of Fleetwood Mac.
Love literature? Try musical adaptations of “The Great Gatsby,” “The Notebook,” “The Outsiders” and “Water for Elephants.”
History buffs might consider “Suffs,” about the fight for women’s suffrage, or “Lempicka,” about an artistically and sexually adventurous painter whose life was rocked by 20th-century geopolitics. Those interested in recent events might check out “Patriots,” an eerily timely play about the untimely death of a Putin critic.
And for those looking for some old-fashioned musical theater cheer, “The Wiz” is a new version of the 1975 musical “The Wizard of Oz,” which visits New York after a tour of 13 American cities.
(And those are just the new productions coming to Broadway, in addition to the shows already open. There are also a number of shows opening Off Broadway this spring – generally with different economic models, since most of these venues are nonprofits are. While most Broadway productions are commercial. But all have yet to find an audience.)
Why are all these shows starting at the same time?
Do you know how many of the best films open late in the year, right before the Oscars deadline? The same thing is happening on Broadway, but on a different calendar: The deadline for qualifying for the Tony Awards is April 25 this year, and so the openings are closer to that date.
The Tony nominations will be announced on April 30 and the ceremony is scheduled for June 16. Producers believe that being part of the Tony conversation, with the associated media coverage and social media attention, will help them sell tickets. Many also believe that opening close to the deadline helps keep their shows fresh in the minds of Tony nominees and voters.
Another factor: Summer, when New York is flooded with tourists, is often a lucrative time of year for Broadway. Shows that open in the fall need to last a long time to capitalize on summer traffic, but shows that open in the spring don't.
How strong is the preference for spring openings? There are expected to be 35 Tony-eligible plays and musicals in the 2023-24 Broadway season; More than half (18) are expected to open in the final two months of the 12-month season.
Is April more of a focus this year than most?
What's happening this year is a version of what happens every year – many trade shows open in April and many industry insiders are voicing their concerns.
“It's crazy, but it's also seasonal madness – every year we say more shows open in the spring than ever before, and sometime between July 15 and Labor Day we say more shows than ever close go,” said Brian Fenty. the CEO of TodayTix, a mobile ticketing app. “Within a show or two, it’s pretty normal.”
This year's April openings seem to be a little more focused on the final days of the eligibility period. Adam Feldman, chief theater critic at Time Out New York, conducted a statistical analysis of openings over time and concluded that seasons are getting darker. This year, two dates even have two openings each – a breach of traditional Broadway etiquette, although not unprecedented.
“It's terrible – it just puts a tremendous amount of pressure on publicists, journalists, photographers and the public,” said Carole Rothman, president and artistic director of Second Stage Theater, which opens Paula Vogel's “Mother Play” on the final day of the grant period, the same day “The Great Gatsby” opens. “The question is what does that mean in terms of visibility – how do you get attention for all the games that are starting in a very short period of time?” she said. “And who’s going to have time to build word of mouth? It’s especially difficult with musicals.”
The conventional wisdom is that the crush of openings represents a huge marketing challenge at a time when it is already unclear how best to reach potential ticket buyers.
“It's hard to stand out and get attention when there's a premiere every night,” said John Johnson, lead producer of “Stereophonic” and executive producer of “Lempicka.” “Whether it’s your reviews, your advertising, or awards season, there’s just going to be so much noise come April.”
Do all these openings mean Broadway is back?
Not really.
There are certainly reasons to celebrate. The large number of openings is a reminder that, contrary to some of the most pessimistic predictions made at the height of the pandemic, there are a lot of shows in the pipeline and investors claiming to be willing and able to finance them .
But total attendance so far this season is 16 percent below what it was at the same point in 2020, and overall box office revenue is down 15 percent.
The persistence of hybrid work means there are still fewer commuters looking for after-work entertainment in Midtown, and rising production costs are making it harder for shows to achieve profitability.
Broadway audiences post-pandemic are younger and more diverse than pre-pandemic, and that's a positive development for an industry worried about the demographics of its audience. But one reason for the postponement is that suburban theatergoers have not returned in significant numbers, despite the rebound in tourism.
“It's no secret that we're still missing an important part of our audience,” said producer Sue Frost, who isn't opening a show this spring but is instead focusing on directing global productions of “Come From Away.”
Broadway has long been a brutal business, with far more shows failing than succeeding, and this season has been tough, especially for new musicals. Four of the six new musicals that have opened so far have already ended as financial flops, including “Once Upon a One More Time,” “Here Lies Love,” “Harmony” and “How to Dance in Ohio.” And the producers of the planned one-person comedic play “My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?)” took one look at the crowded spring, reconsidered their plans and announced less than three weeks before previews began that they doing so would postpone the race.
On the other hand, the season has gone quite well in terms of plays and musical revivals – success stories so far include “Merrily We Roll Along”, a huge hit; “Gutenberg!” to move it to a non-profit house and to extend its circulation.
Wait. Thirteen shows opening in April and the Tony nominations being announced on April 30th? How is that possible?
There is a 60-member Tony nomination committee made up almost entirely of theater artists who are expected to see every Tony-eligible performance. And they are expected to watch all of these shows before voting on the nominations; If they miss a show, they have to withdraw.
Nominators say they are used to the April scramble, but this year it will be unusually challenging.
“When I saw the list of confirmed announcements, I thought, 'Oh my God!' That's a lot!” said Kamilah Forbes, a Tony nominee and executive producer of the Apollo Theater. Forbes said there will be a period in April when she will see a show every night.
“Look, I’m always for more art,” she said. “You just hope that every show finds its audience.”
Pun Bandhu, an actor who is also a Tony nominee, said he had to turn down work to ensure he could see all the shows before the nominators met to vote.
“Basically you have to clear your calendar,” he said. “I see it as a great responsibility and honor to be a nominator, so I do what it takes and of course I love theater. But I’m also happy that this is my last year.”