All That Chat - re: " While a night out at the theater used to be a staple for cultured American men, fewer shows are grabbing them these days."

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re: " While a night out at the theater used to be a staple for cultured American men, fewer shows are grabbing them these days."

Posted by:	FriendofDorothy 11:59 am EDT 03/30/14
In reply to:	" While a night out at the theater used to be a staple for cultured American men, fewer shows a ... - MockingbirdGirl 11:17 pm EDT 03/29/14

I think there are several reasons why the number of men going to the theatre is down, at least as a percentage. First, and this is the biggest reason, there are a million other ways to spend your time that there weren't years ago. It's affecting movies & TV audiences as well. Second, relative to average income, a night at the theatre (let alone including dinner and drinks) is now a major purchase. Third, the subject matter of most shows don't have the appeal to straight men that they have for women and gay men. Even kids have a lot more shows crafted with them in mind than men do; and it's usually moms who bring the kids to a show. Low brow comedians and leggy showgirls are also not a staple in every show anymore. Fourth, men formerly would go out on regular dates with their wives. Now they might for their anniversary, but not weekly. My grandparents reliably went out to dinner every Saturday and went into the city once a month, every month, to see a show. For 30 years. So did their friends. I don't think anyone does that now. Lastly, at least as it affects Broadway, women are travelers in much bigger numbers than men, so with a large portion of tickets being sold to tourists, it only stands to reason that women would make up a very big share of the audience.

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