While the pandemic drew the curtain on live musical theater for some time, so far this year, Broadway seems to be successfully calling back audiences.

Musical chairs

Despite reports that NYC’s hallowed stages and theater halls are stalling, weekly attendance figures from The Broadway League via IBDB show that April was actually pretty strong for audience turnout, averaging just under 300K attendees per week — up ~20% from the the same period in 2022 and only ~6% less than in 2019.

Although cumulative annual attendance for the 2022-23 season was still down ~17% from its pre-pandemic peak, a flurry of new show openings in April — including 12 premieres in the space of just 9 days — drove figures up to levels that may suggest a return to (show) business as usual.

Setting the stage

April typically sees a bump in Broadway attendees, since the deadline for the Tonys at the end of the month brings a deluge of show openings in a rush to qualify for the awards.

However, notwithstanding more spectators in seats than most other post-pandemic months, this April’s launch frenzy came against a backdrop of skyrocketing operating costs. Indeed, many Broadway productions now take months to break even — if they do at all — and limited, star-studded shows have, in many cases, overtaken musical mainstays in turning a profit.

In result, the turnover rate for shows in the 41 theaters comprising Broadway is now much higher, and, as such, the continuation of NYC’s Covid-originated theater tax subsidy program — which has given more than $100M to commercial Broadway giants like Disney’s The Lion King over the last 3 years — is in the spotlight for neglecting nonprofit productions.