Footlights and Fog: Summertime on Broadway
by Jennifer Altavilla
Ah, the joys of summertime-the time of year when New York is blanketed in a dense cloud of toxic smog. Living may not be easy for native New Yorkers, who tend to escape before the noxious haze settles, but Broadway producers breathe a deep sigh of relief at the first rise in humidity. The arrival of the suffocating summer heat-and thousands of tourists-signals a period of rejuvenation for Broadway.
Traditionally, Broadway experiences two waves of rebirth: during the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year's and in the summer months of July and August. Broadway attendance spikes during those intervals because tourists, both foreign and domestic, want to participate in everything quintessentially "New York." Seeing a Broadway show, like climbing the steps of the Empire State building - take the elevator, it's worth it - or having a hot dog in Central Park, is an integral part of the New York experience.
The correlation between tourism and Broadway attendance is not speculative; statistics prove that the holiday season and summertime are crucial periods for Broadway. According to Variety.com, Broadway's cumulative gross (which includes all plays and musicals running at the time) for the week ending December 30, 2007 was $30 million. The theaters housing the 24 musicals were filled to an average of 86% capacity. However, during week ending on the twenty-fourth of February, Broadway's cumulative gross was only $17,910,138. Theaters-housing both musicals and plays-were filled to an average capacity of only 77.11%.
Although summer has only just begun, the effects of tourism can already be felt in the theaters of Broadway. During the week ending on the twenty-ninth of June, Broadway grossed $20,412,791 and average capacity hovered at 83.55%. Therefore, Broadway grossed approximately $3 million more than it did during the first week in February. The weekly gross and average attendance can be expected to rise starting with the July 4th weekend. Tourists should continue to flock to the Big Apple throughout the summer months up until the third week in August when school begins in the US.
Certain productions should particularly benefit from the steady flow of tourists. Shows that are closing soon, including A Catered Affair, which closes on July 27, and Rent, which ends its historic run at the Nederlander theater on September 4, should see an increase in attendance as the tourism season kicks off. Tony-award winning musicals such as In the Heights-winner of Best New Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Choreography-and South Pacific-winner of Best Revival of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, and Best Leading Actor in a Musical-should also experience attendance spikes. (However, neither show really needs the help, as attendance for both was near 100% during the week ending the twenty-ninth of June.) The Disney trio of Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Mary Poppins should also continue to thrive as eager, starry-eyed young tourists flood the Great White Way.
Perhaps no show needs the extra tourism boost more than Spring Awakening, once a Tony award-winning mega-hit whose attendance was down to 77.7% during the week ending the twenty-ninth of June. Spring Awakening's decline could be explained by the recent departure of its two iconic leading actors, Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele, both of whom have starred the show since its debut in 2006. However, as Spring Awakening caters to the young adult, teen, and tween crowd, attendance can be expected to surge in the coming weeks. Such an attendance spike happened in March, the month of most US university spring breaks. During the week ending February 3, attendance was only at 69.9%. However, attendance rose to 92.6% during the week ending the sixteenth of March, and peaked at 99.2% during the week ending the twenty-third of March. There is no reason to doubt such a rise will occur during the steamy summer months.
A show's success during the peak tourist seasons often determines its ultimate fate. Who knows if struggling shows such as Avenue Q (whose average attendance was 67.7% during the week ending the twenty-ninth of June) and Spamalot (whose average attendance was 78%) will be on Broadway come October. Both shows have experienced lengthy runs-Avenue Q has been running for six years and Spamalot for four years-so it will be interesting to see how their respective producers act if attendance fails to pick up. Will they take a gamble and keep them running through the holiday season or will they close the curtain? Nothing on Broadway is certain, but the fates of shows are certainly clearer once the summer smog disperses.
