Theater is big business

Now that the new Broadway shows have opened, there’s an opportunity to reflect on the past season. Awards have been handed out — sometimes appropriately — recognizing talent and creativity. However, theater politics and the desire to boost tickets sales are often the prime motivators for Tony voters.

Among the handful of profitable shows this season are those that featured high profile movie and television stars. In fact, the celebrities’ mere presence almost guaranteed ticket sales. So Hamlet starring Jude Law, A Steady Rain, a weak show featuring two ‘hunky’ leading men (Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig), and A View From The Bridge, with Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson, packed the houses. Fences (Denzel Washington) and Red (Alfred Molina) are selling out now, generating profit for their backers. It is smart business, and some of the recent nominations and awards make good business sense, as well.

Broadway producers are not known to be risk-takers. Mounting a Broadway show, especially a musical, is very expensive. It took a degree of courage for producers of the show Memphis to open on Broadway with two relative unknowns. When Chad Kimball and Montego Glover, the stars of the show, were both nominated for individual awards, it was little surprise that neither of them won, since their competitors were film and television celebrities. For Best Actress in a Musical, the talented Glover lost out to Catherine Zeta-Jones who seemed genuinely shocked that she won. Although Zeta-Jones is very good in A Little Night Music, her role doesn’t seem as challenging or demanding as Glover’s.

Even The Tony Awards show itself is big business and nominating the beautiful Zeta-Jones also guaranteed the attendance of her movie star husband, Michael Douglas.