Less Broadway In Less Than A Month

As the economy constricts, Broadway is feeling the pinch rather quickly. In the first two weeks of January, ten shows will draw the curtain for the last time. January 4th sees 13, Young Frankenstein, Boeing-Boeing, Grease, and Hairspray closing their shutters while blockbusters like Wicked, Jersey Boys, and The Lion King continue to rake in huge box office totals. It's not surprising that the hits will remain solvent through the current economic climate, but the high-roller-takes-all world of Broadway is still killing rather critically-acclaimed, moderately successful productions left and right. However, circumstances haven't kept Billy Elliott from becoming an instant smash hit with audiences and critics alike, nor has it hindered the box office takes of Mary Poppins and the Little Mermaid.

Would All My Sons have survived if people weren't hell-bent on seeing the big four when they come to New York? Probably not, and so it seems understandable that they're shuttering on January 11th, the same day as Spamalot, whose closing date was moved up a week from the 18th, which is coincidentally when Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening will go to sleep forever. Also, through no fault of their own, Slava's Snowshow and White Christmas will go out as the holiday season fades into frenzied urban memory. Unlike American Buffalo's short and inauspicious run, the impending Broadway closes represent a last chance to see some really fantastic productions that--under better global circumstances--would have had long, celebrated runs.

Tags:   13, all my songs, billy elliott, boeing, broadway, chicago, closing, final performance, grease, hairspray, jersey boys, lion king, mary poppins, new york, snowshow, spamalot, spring awakening, white christmas, wicked, young frankenstein

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Posted on 12/8/2008 ( Permanent Link )
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