Don’t Cry for Broadway Yet: It Was a Very Good Year

Broadway had a record year where it counts--at the box office--and an upsurge in productions, too, according to figures released this week by the League of American Theaters and Producers.

Combined figures for both Broadway and the road topped $1.24 billion, with New York shows grossing $436 million and touring companies adding another $810 million. Some 9.4 million people saw a Broadway show, up from 9 million the previous year, but still under the 10.8 million who attended during the 1980-81 season.

The number of shows opening on Broadway also climbed, rising to 38 last season, compared to 29 the previous year. Touring shows gained too, increasing from 16 to 21.

“Overall, Broadway is getting a little livelier again,” said producer Elizabeth McCann, represented on Broadway last season with a revival of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” “New York is basically a better place than it was a year ago. But the figures are deceptive because there is a mixture of profit and nonprofit productions.”

The season, which ended May 26, closed with an exceptionally strong lineup of shows including revivals of “The King and I,” “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “A Delicate Balance” and “An Ideal Husband,” as well as such new works as “Rent” and “Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk.”

“In some respects, it was a very good season because you had two very interesting musicals,” said McCann, referring to “Rent” and “Noise/Funk.” “Like ‘A Chorus Line,’ they didn’t have any scenery or any costumes to speak of. You saw a very strong statement there: The material and the performers are more important than the scenery, and that I think is significant. You also had a pretty strong lineup of plays this year.”