Opening out of town...

I was having dinner with a friend the other night, who observed to me that Broadway had essentially become irrelevant to New Yorkers (Manhattanites in particular). Because she is an avowed "disliker" of musicals, I took that observation with a little grain of salt, but it turns out that after all she was probably right. An article in today's NY Times highlights a League of American Theaters and Producers report that shows that New York City residents account for only 16.7 percent of Broadway ticket sales.

That is a sad fact I think, but I guess not really surprising in view of the predominance of the star-driven musical as the catalyst for Broadway ticket sales. Apart from The Producers there really hasn't been a Tony Winning Best Musical worth the title in years. There have been fine plays of course, but these are increasingly not viable in the current commercial Broadway environment. It seems like these are better off, from a financial (and dare I say, artistic) standpoint Off-Broadway.

I'm doubly saddened after watching Rick McKay's Broadway - The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There. I cried watching this, not only for their dedication for their craft and the thrill of performing, but also for what we have lost. (Sorry to be a pessimist today)