| Do we have too many shows running in a season? | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 09:54 pm EDT 08/15/17 | |
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| With the closing of so many new musicals, and most of the plays of the season already having closed their limited or open runs... I can't help but wonder if it's not only the fault of the material not finding the audience for it or marketing, etc... but rather... given that there is a pretty limited audience for broadway theater (compared to movies, let's say) especially willing to pay anywhere near the prices producers need audiences to pay to make money, it seems like *most* people buying broadway tickets are seeing 1-4 shows a season. Let's just say there's a large amount of the audience that sees 8 things a season, even at half price (I see at least 20-30 a season I think but I rarely pay more than $50 a ticket and almost never over $85). But there are SO many things to see with both plays and all the musicals - new and revival... I am willing to bet if this season had half the musical open, they would all be doing better at the box office and for longer. I'm not saying there should be a limit to the shows that open... i'm just considering the supply and demand... and dare I say I think it's possible, for broadway, they are producing too much product in a given season. For example... I didn't see A Bronx Tale. There were too many others I wanted to see (many that are the ones closing - Great Comet, War Paint, Groundhog Day, Bandstand etc)... and I don't have the time and money to take a chance on a show i'm not drawn to when there are many I am. However if War Paint and Groundhog Day weren't out this season, let's say, I almost definitely would have tried A Bronx Tale... because I love musicals and theater and Menken and love to see as much as I can and be up on things before Tonys. And maybe Bronx Tale is a bad example because it's doing fine without my money, but i'm just using a show I didn't see as an example. Again - I say the more the merrier. BUT the economics of Broadway are complicated, and it seems like, if you consider how much $$ it takes to mount and run a show, and how long it has to run and how much it has to charge/make to be able to run, not to mention marketing, and that cast members are generally still underpaid, it's a lot... so if most new shows seem to close within 3-6 months, then this is a very discouraging business proposal... which means less chances taken, which means less writers seeing a career in theater as possible, which means less great and original material, less great performers who can really do the stage, etc etc... it seems destine to fail. And then you have the issue of rising ticket prices... yes, they happen because people will pay it for the must-see shows, but across the board everything rises and is more expensive to patronize, making the audiences less varied and closing out people who used to be casual ticket buyers. So it becomes a situation of broadway being only for those who can afford to see shows, or those who can afford to see ONE show (doesn't do much for broadway or theater)... while at the same time there are so many shows opening and closing with no chance of making money let alone returning investment. So do the shows get cheaper to make or do the tickets get cheaper to buy? Do seasons offer less choice to corner the market, or do prices and costs have to vary more? Or none of that happens and things keep going as they have, and it'll be whatever it is. |
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| Previous: | re: Advice, Please -- Event listings in NY - garyd 10:33 pm EDT 08/15/17 |
| Next: | Maybe too many big hits at once - mikem 07:01 am EDT 08/16/17 |
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