Last season, 14.8 million people attended Broadway shows, the highest number since the survey began in the 1984-1985 season, with international tourists making up 2.8 million of those admissions.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
International theater attendees reach record high in Broadway League survey
Last season, 14.8 million people attended Broadway shows, the highest number since the survey began in the 1984-1985 season, with international tourists making up 2.8 million of those admissions.
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This winter, I had a chance to see a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! directed by Daniel Fish on Broadway. As you know, the interpretation of the classic musical has raised strong opinions both for and against. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that it is a piece that would remain in the history of theatre. On the other hand, the musical did not receive good reviews from most of the Japanese websites introducing Broadway musicals. I believe this is not because those posts were written by someone who disagreed with the new interpretation, but it is because those websites are for tourists, who expect to have “Broadway experience” rather than a “theatrical experience” in New York City. This made me re acknowledged how Broadway is such a strong source for tourism as well as a cultural heritage. The most popular show is not always the ones that won the Tony Awards, or the ones received positive reviews from theatergoers. With that in mind, I think it is a crucially important task for the industry to balance the two significance of the Broadway theatre district.
This article includes interesting data. It’s very telling of the Broadway market. While producers may not cater to the audience, I believe there is still an impact to some extent on what shows are getting put on Broadway and what are not. Speaking to how the number of international attendees peaked this year, I think Broadway is definitely a huge feature for New York City tourism, or even American tourism. If you asked my family and friends back at home, I guarantee that many of them would say Broadway is a tourist attraction. I think for tourists, getting the Broadway experience is something worth while to them and this goes the same for other theater districts like the West End in the UK. My family made it a priority when we visited London, to go watch a show at the West End. While tourism may not necessarily be a bad thing, it is part of the reason why shows are still so unaffordable and expensive to watch. There is an extremely high demand. I do feel like commercial theater should be more accessible, especially when there are so many good shows that are important and educational being performed.
I agree with Cecilia that a lot of people would consider seeing a Broadway show a tourist thing to do in NYC. I went to NYC with my family over winter break, I have been many times with my parents but this was my brother’s first time. He generally hates theatre but said he wanted to see a Broadway show because “that is one thing that many tourists do when they visit the city.” Something this article mentioned was that there has been an increase of very popular franchises such as Mean Girls and Harry Potter getting turned into Broadway shows. I do think that turning stories and characters that people already know into Broadway shows makes it easier for people to want to see, but I also really wish there was more original content on Broadway. I think if someone’s first experience to theatre is a story they know and that is what gets them in the door then that is great, but hopefully, they will like theatre for the art it is and then want to go back to see something else (maybe an original work). But then, of course, there is the problem with the ticket prices of shows on Broadway causing them not to be accessible by everyone.
My least favorite thing about theater is how limited the shows are to audience members. Shows are typically very expensive and have a short run where people can't always make it out to see them. I am very happy to hear that more international people have spent time to go see Broadway shows. In 2018, with the number of international people watching shows on Broadway increasing by 3.4% is quite large. Going into this industry, and more specifically Broadway, I hope as I gain experience, Broadway can become more inclusive. As I start to work, I hope my work can be seen by anyone who wants to see it, not just those who can afford a trip to New York and a $150 ticket. I am glad to hear that it is headed in this direction. I hope Broadway can one day reflect the rest of America and I hope to hear more non-white people as well as younger people coming to see shows.
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