rip broadway

No, Broadway isn't dying. But it sure feels like it is.

Off the top of my head, I can think of at least nine shows that closed this month (January): Hugh Jackman- Back on Broadway, Billy Elliot, Lysistrata Jones,  An Evening With Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, Follies, The Mountaintop, Relatively Speaking, Chinglish, and On A Clear Day You Can See Forever.

Although that quantity seems daunting, there are a lot of different factors to consider.

Many of those shows had limited engagement runs, which means they knew they were going to close in January when they first began performances. Other shows, however, were greeted with much less enthusiasm than they had expected, and were forced to close their doors earlier than they would have liked.

Unfortunately, dying shows are part of the cycle of theatre life. Last year, for example, 14 shows closed in one week alone! And to look at the positive side, at least 20 shows are confirmed to open within the next few weeks/months. Those numbers aren't so bad, right?

Out with the old, in with the new! Here's to a great spring season in 2012.