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Monday, January 16, 2023
‘It’s a hard time’: why are so many Broadway shows closing early?
Broadway | The Guardian: With ineffable talents and six Tony awards, Audra McDonald is box-office gold. But not this time. Not even she could save Ohio State Murders, a play that gave its author, Adrienne Kennedy, her Broadway debut at the age of 91.
3 comments:
Allison Schneider
said...
I think what I found most interesting in this article was the type of shows people wanted to go see. When learning about people’s patterns in history, I always think it's interesting what type of media and entertainment people tend to lean into. But, I sometimes forget that we are now in history. I suppose it makes sense that people flock to shows and stories they know and are comfortable in. The entire world right now is moving rapidly, and society is quick to adapt to changing situations and cultural moments. It makes sense that people would want to pause time and enjoy a story they know as if it was the first time. The world is so vicious and dangerous it makes sense people would want to go for a good fun time instead of for more thought provoking and challenging stories. As long as stories have been around, they have been used to escape reality. It makes sense, that when reality is insanely harsh, people would turn to entertainment that is as least possible to the real world.
While I know that shows closing is an integral part of broadway and the theater industry as a whole, it is still very sad when shows close, especially beautiful works that did not run for nearly as long as they deserve. Tourism is a vital part of broadway and as much as I appreciate how tourism is keeping Broadway alive, I find it so sad that shows that are so much deeper, more meaningful, and simply beautiful pieces of work are forced to close because they don't appeal as much to tourists looking for flashy lights, big musical numbers, and everything that makes shows more "touristy" and less original. As much as I love shows that are fun, flashy, and touristy, shows that make me think and are more meaningful are so much more deserving of a long broadway run in my opinion. Nevertheless, I am very excited for new shows to open and for the upcoming season of Broadway shows.
I know that shows opening and closing and new shows taking their spots is a part of how Theater Works and especially how Broadway works. But it does seem like the turnover rate is just getting faster and faster. Shows seem to be closing a lot quicker than they have before. It is interesting to read about what people think might be causing shows to close much earlier than they originally planned. I also think it is interesting to see how what audiences want to see when it comes to Broadway shows has changed especially since the pandemic hit. I will be interested in seeing how what the audience wants changes over the coming years, if it changes at all. And if audience interests do not change then Broadway will have to adapt even more to keep up with what audiences want to see which will be interesting to witness.
3 comments:
I think what I found most interesting in this article was the type of shows people wanted to go see. When learning about people’s patterns in history, I always think it's interesting what type of media and entertainment people tend to lean into. But, I sometimes forget that we are now in history. I suppose it makes sense that people flock to shows and stories they know and are comfortable in. The entire world right now is moving rapidly, and society is quick to adapt to changing situations and cultural moments. It makes sense that people would want to pause time and enjoy a story they know as if it was the first time. The world is so vicious and dangerous it makes sense people would want to go for a good fun time instead of for more thought provoking and challenging stories. As long as stories have been around, they have been used to escape reality. It makes sense, that when reality is insanely harsh, people would turn to entertainment that is as least possible to the real world.
While I know that shows closing is an integral part of broadway and the theater industry as a whole, it is still very sad when shows close, especially beautiful works that did not run for nearly as long as they deserve. Tourism is a vital part of broadway and as much as I appreciate how tourism is keeping Broadway alive, I find it so sad that shows that are so much deeper, more meaningful, and simply beautiful pieces of work are forced to close because they don't appeal as much to tourists looking for flashy lights, big musical numbers, and everything that makes shows more "touristy" and less original. As much as I love shows that are fun, flashy, and touristy, shows that make me think and are more meaningful are so much more deserving of a long broadway run in my opinion. Nevertheless, I am very excited for new shows to open and for the upcoming season of Broadway shows.
I know that shows opening and closing and new shows taking their spots is a part of how Theater Works and especially how Broadway works. But it does seem like the turnover rate is just getting faster and faster. Shows seem to be closing a lot quicker than they have before. It is interesting to read about what people think might be causing shows to close much earlier than they originally planned. I also think it is interesting to see how what audiences want to see when it comes to Broadway shows has changed especially since the pandemic hit. I will be interested in seeing how what the audience wants changes over the coming years, if it changes at all. And if audience interests do not change then Broadway will have to adapt even more to keep up with what audiences want to see which will be interesting to witness.
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