Broadway is struggling to find its rhythm after the pandemic

Times Square is a bit different these days. Although the ticket touts and Elmo impersonators still jostle tourists, something is missing: for the first time since the 1970s, there are no Andrew Lloyd Webber shows on Broadway. The musical-theatre titan’s latest Broadway offering, “Bad Cinderella”, flopped (much as the original production had done in London), closing after just 85 performances. And after 35 years, the chandelier fell on “The Phantom of the Opera” for the final time. Higher running costs after the pandemic took it to the point of no return.The disappearance of a classic old show and a prominent new one is part of deeper troubles facing New York’s theatre industry. The Great White Way has been struggling with rising costs and smaller audiences. Attendance numbers are down by 17% from before the pandemic (see chart), and box-office returns were down by 27% in real terms in 2022-23 compared with 2018-19 (theatre seasons start in the summer). The Broadway League, the industry’s trade association, does not expect audiences to return to pre-pandemic levels until next year or even later.