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Tuesday, April 08, 2025
New Data Shows West End Attendance Was Higher Than Broadway in 2024
www.broadwayworld.com: Just yesterday, London theatre makers had lots to celebrate at the Olivier Awards 2025. Now, new box office figures from the Society of London Theatre for 2024 highlight the West End’s recent success
3 comments:
Reigh Wilson
said...
This honestly doesn't surprise me that much. Broadway has been in a missive flux for the past few years of shows constantly coming in and out of the season and not being able to last long. Their ticket prices are insanely high and they just aren’t able to attract audiences like they did pre-covid. The West End does a lot more for ticket accessibility and broader marketing of their shows and promoting them through different ways. I also think that audiences in the West End are more receptive to going to see different types of productions that are not just adaptations or jukebox musicals, though I think Broadway shows would have more of that ideology if tickets weren’t so ridiculously expensive. You don’t want to pay 2-300 dollars per person for something that you’re going to take a gamble on enjoying, you’re going to go see that adaption of your favorite movie.
This article makes me wonder if the reason why the West End is doing better than Broadway right now is because they are less commercialized and they focus more on the art of theatre rather than which shows can make the most money. I feel like from what I’ve heard, the West End is a lot more creatively free and does more experimental work whereas on Broadway, the shows really have to cater to tourists and the fleeting nature of trends. I really wonder how shows get produced in the West End and on Broadway and how those processes compare to each other. I feel like everything that is happening right now in the US right now is not helping the industry whatsoever so maybe that is also why the West End is doing so much better than Broadway right now. This article had a lot of interesting insights and honestly is making me slowly think about having a career in London instead.
The fact that West End attendance is higher than Broadway attendance is not surprising to me. I believe there are probably many factors for this, but I think a big one might be the attitudes towards theatre in each country and how commercial theatre is managed. First of all, The US is such a big country and theatre sometimes feels like an exclusive club. A lot of people have never seen a theatre production, or the only production they’ve seen is the shitty one at their kid’s middle school, and the attitudes towards it are somewhat negative or non-existent. The UK seems to have a lot more involvement in theatre, especially with their youth. Since the area is smaller as well, it’s easier to travel to go see a West End or touring production. Additionally, prices tend to be cheaper to see a show on the West End as opposed to the egregious prices of Broadway. Another thing that I think is noteworthy is the types of productions they have on the West End. The West End consistently shows some of the most iconic and popular pieces in musical theater, Les Mis, Phantom, Wicked, The Lion King, Hamilton, but also features new and inventive productions on and off the West End that celebrate what theatre truly is at its core. Londoners seem to be very open to these new pieces as well and since tickets are relatively affordable, there is a ton of support for theatre, even the not big name shows. All of those productions I listed start prices at 30 pounds (around 40 USD), whereas Wicked on Broadway has a starting price of 134 USD. I just find this very interesting, especially considering the statistics the article listed about how cinema attendance and even just general visitor attraction attendance have fallen in the UK, but theatre attendance has risen. Another statistic that I found shocking was that “nearly one and four international visitors to London saw a West End performance.” This shows how integral theatre is to the City of London and its livelihood and the energy surrounding it there. Sorry for writing so many words, my goal in life is to work on the West End one day.
3 comments:
This honestly doesn't surprise me that much. Broadway has been in a missive flux for the past few years of shows constantly coming in and out of the season and not being able to last long. Their ticket prices are insanely high and they just aren’t able to attract audiences like they did pre-covid. The West End does a lot more for ticket accessibility and broader marketing of their shows and promoting them through different ways. I also think that audiences in the West End are more receptive to going to see different types of productions that are not just adaptations or jukebox musicals, though I think Broadway shows would have more of that ideology if tickets weren’t so ridiculously expensive. You don’t want to pay 2-300 dollars per person for something that you’re going to take a gamble on enjoying, you’re going to go see that adaption of your favorite movie.
This article makes me wonder if the reason why the West End is doing better than Broadway right now is because they are less commercialized and they focus more on the art of theatre rather than which shows can make the most money. I feel like from what I’ve heard, the West End is a lot more creatively free and does more experimental work whereas on Broadway, the shows really have to cater to tourists and the fleeting nature of trends. I really wonder how shows get produced in the West End and on Broadway and how those processes compare to each other. I feel like everything that is happening right now in the US right now is not helping the industry whatsoever so maybe that is also why the West End is doing so much better than Broadway right now. This article had a lot of interesting insights and honestly is making me slowly think about having a career in London instead.
The fact that West End attendance is higher than Broadway attendance is not surprising to me. I believe there are probably many factors for this, but I think a big one might be the attitudes towards theatre in each country and how commercial theatre is managed. First of all, The US is such a big country and theatre sometimes feels like an exclusive club. A lot of people have never seen a theatre production, or the only production they’ve seen is the shitty one at their kid’s middle school, and the attitudes towards it are somewhat negative or non-existent. The UK seems to have a lot more involvement in theatre, especially with their youth. Since the area is smaller as well, it’s easier to travel to go see a West End or touring production. Additionally, prices tend to be cheaper to see a show on the West End as opposed to the egregious prices of Broadway. Another thing that I think is noteworthy is the types of productions they have on the West End. The West End consistently shows some of the most iconic and popular pieces in musical theater, Les Mis, Phantom, Wicked, The Lion King, Hamilton, but also features new and inventive productions on and off the West End that celebrate what theatre truly is at its core. Londoners seem to be very open to these new pieces as well and since tickets are relatively affordable, there is a ton of support for theatre, even the not big name shows. All of those productions I listed start prices at 30 pounds (around 40 USD), whereas Wicked on Broadway has a starting price of 134 USD. I just find this very interesting, especially considering the statistics the article listed about how cinema attendance and even just general visitor attraction attendance have fallen in the UK, but theatre attendance has risen. Another statistic that I found shocking was that “nearly one and four international visitors to London saw a West End performance.” This shows how integral theatre is to the City of London and its livelihood and the energy surrounding it there. Sorry for writing so many words, my goal in life is to work on the West End one day.
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