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January and February are notoriously difficult times for theatre during a good year, but with the added issue of Covid, this winter has been one of Broadway’s hardest in recent years. However, Broadway grosses for the first week of February reveal that attendance is slightly up as the Omicron surge falls – and when it’s hard enough to fill seats, any improvement matters.
While these numbers may seem small, it is a major improvement over the January numbers, where houses were struggling to be filled halfway. Ideally, these numbers will trend upward as the industry struggles to recover.
Broadway Week promotions have been extended for some shows, possibly contributing to the increase in grosses. Also, only 19 shows are currently playing, half of Broadway’s 41 theatres, a direct result of Omicron’s Broadway massacre of the winter, giving a smaller sample size. Compared to the other shows whose runs were tragically cut short, the remaining productions reflect strong titles before Covid, such as Hamilton and Wicked. And with new shows coming, like the opening of MJ, the Michael Jackson musical, and the anticipated revival of The Music Man, the numbers will hopefully get better.
Compared to pre-Covid numbers, the shows are obviously doing worse, but truly they cannot be compared. February 2022 is vastly different from February 2020 and it would be misleading to pretend it is anything but. The theatre industry is an entirely different world than it was just before shutdown two years ago. But even the smallest increase as shown here can be a sign of better days to come.
The Music Man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, which opens February 10, is sure to be a draw to audiences. As more people get vaccinated and the Omicron surge fades away, this could lead to more tourism returning to the NYC area and thus, greater attendance at shows. Returning hits like Beetlejuice and other anticipated shows such as the revival of Funny Girl or even the shows that are currently on hiatus may also increase attendance.
The industry still has a long way to go until fully recovered. It’s not just theatre – everyone is struggling to bounce back, fighting off new waves. Broadway seems to be doing better, though. Fewer performances are being cancelled like they were a month ago. The industry is still trying to figure out how to return safely, much less return in great, pre-Covid numbers. It seems like things may be starting to get better, and as weather warms up, it may lead to Broadway’s numbers improving, or at least getting close to how things were before shutdown.
While obviously nothing is in the clear just yet, Covid cases in the NYC metropolitan area are down compared to a month ago, and hospitalizations are down too. As long as these numbers continue to trend downward, Broadway numbers can trend upward.
These figures are reported by the Broadway League, shown as a whole for all productions instead of for each individual show as in pre-Covid times.
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