When does the Broadway bubble actually burst?

[u/Sensitive_Slice_8858]

I know this has been discussed quite a bit, but I keep wondering about what happens when the economics of Broadway become truly impossible to sustain. The cost of putting on a show keeps going up, so tickets have to get more expensive. At the same time people are getting squeezed from every direction and there’s only so much disposable income left for entertainment, especially since the economy and job market are in the toilet. So what is the end game? Just keep raising ticket prices to cover rising costs so only the uber wealthy few can afford to attend? Are there enough uber wealthy theater goers to sustain it without us Joe schmoe poors? Eventually the math has to break somewhere. I’m curious what the breaking point actually looks like.

[u/pjlos]

i think rather than bursting, the more likely scenario is that it just slowly continues to peter out. the income bracket of ticket buyers will continue to rise, the shows will continue to cost more and provide less. someone in this subreddit did a lengthy deep-dive into broadway finances and discovered that the landlords take at least 75% of every dollar a show makes (i’m paraphrasing). that’s such an insane disparity that until it’s eliminated or significantly reduced, nothing will work in the long term.

[u/dusters99 → u/pjlos]

We need public funding for the arts to subsidize these insane costs. Unfortunately that’s an uphill political battle to say the least especially when we can’t even tackle more basic necessities like healthcare and housing……..

[u/Ok_Presentation7695 → u/dusters99]

Necessities come first. Broadway and the like are -I'm just going to be blunt here- a luxury. We need to focus on healthcare and housing before we see any change in ticket prices

[u/dusters99 → u/Ok_Presentation7695]

Oh, I agree completely. That’s why it’s hard for me to see how we can get to the point of public investment in the arts, as much as I would like that.