Sue's News

Banking on Star Power

September 27th, 2010

It’s no secret that Broadway has become obsessed with celebrity buzz and loading marquis with big names (usually in revivals). This practice is nothing new, and there’s nothing revelatory here.

It’s also no epiphany to state the obvious, that when stars leave, box office slides, usually landslides, and shows close, even more quickly than producers would have liked.

I’m just wondering how long producers are willing to keep this up? Or how long they feel they can sustain this cycle? Headliners are a big investment of time and money, as well as audience interest. And while it works for the first year a star is willing to establish and stay on in a certain role, once that star is ready to leave, where is a show supposed to go from there?

I’m no banking or investment genius… But doesn’t it make sense to build a solid long term investment, that might build slowly over time, but returns the greatest dividend (in this case a longer run), than a short term investment with high initial dividends that then fizzle out?

Something in the current equation just doesn’t seem like a good bargain to me.

–Sue

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