Is Broadway suffering the recession?

I thought I heard that Broadway IS hurting; it's hard to imagine that it is not. :(

Broadway's doing much better in this downturn than it did in 2001-2002.
http://broadwayworld.com/grosses.cfm

Tina
(Brooklyn broker)

Interesting. Counterintuitive. Makes me wonder if New Yorkers are still largely in denial.

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20090419/SMALLBIZ/304199983

It helps that this has been an exceptional season on and off-bway.

I moved my car to a garage in midtown because the rates were so so so low. I asked the garage manager how he could offer that price, and he told me that because so many Broadway shows are closed, their business has been destroyed. They are desperate just to get cars in the lot.

Broadway has all these openings because so many shows closed!

It was record numbers of stuff closing. If they lower rents just to fill the spaces, not unimaginable that they'd get stuff to fill it. Some of it is off broadway stuff that was probably just offererd super cheap rates... like Rock of Ages.

So, all in all, NOT a good thing IMHO.

I think you're thinking of January, when a bunch of shows closed - some of them early, some of them on schedule. But since then a number of hit shows have taken their place: God of Carnage, Exit the King, Hair, Rock of Ages (yes, it's true), West Side Story.

Rock of Ages isn't a new show, it just moved from off-broadway. God of Carnage is a critical superhit, but its not quite box office crazy... hence all the TV ads to fill the seats.

And you named 4-5, double digits closed.... can't remember the exact number (15?) but it blew my mind when I heard it.