Big Take The New Economics of Broadway
9 snips
Jun 6, 2025 
Chris Rovzar, an arts and luxury editor at Bloomberg Pursuits, joins Daryl Roth, a Tony Award-winning producer with over 130 shows to her credit, to dissect Broadway's financial landscape. They discuss skyrocketing production costs and how celebrity-driven casts are reshaping ticket sales. The paradox of success and failure in Broadway is highlighted, revealing that flops can out-earn hits. As Broadway evolves, they explore the need for artistic creativity to attract younger audiences and the impact of rising ticket prices on theater tourism.
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High Costs Challenge Broadway
- Costs to mount Broadway shows are extraordinarily high, including union labor, theater rent, and production expenses.
- These high costs create a prohibitive base level that producers must overcome to recoup investments.
Dorian Gray's Mounting Cost
- Daryl Roth produced The Picture of Dorian Gray at a cost of about $8 million.
- Bringing a show to Broadway is a financial high wire act, with many shows not recouping their investment.
Broadway's High-Risk Reality
- Only about one in five Broadway shows make their money back, making it a high-risk business.
- Long-running musicals offer the best chance for producers to sustain income and create more work.
