16 Broadway Shows Closed In January 2009, Which Was An Unprecedented Number of Broadway Shows To Close in One Month and Was Over a Third of All Broadway Shows
When all hell broke loose on Wall Street in the low-motion market crash in the Fall of 2008, nobody was surprised to see struggling shows like A Tale of Two Cities and Xanadu close their doors. But what also happened in January 2009, was over one third of all the shows playing on Broadway closed; not only is this unprecedented in the history of Broadway, but it's downright shocking.
16 Broadway Show Hits Closed in January 2009
A show like 13 closing is not unexpected because it's a new kid on the Broadway block and has been having trouble finding an audience. But big hits like Grease and Young Frankenstein, as well as Tony winners Boeing Boeing and Spring Awakening, will also be among the dead by the end of January. Long-running favorites Hairspray and Spamalot are shutting down as well.
On January 4th alone, at least eight shows will conclude their runs. Gypsy won't go down until March 1st, but there will probably be even more closings announced before then. The 39 Steps, Avenue Q, and August: Osage County have all been rumored to be joining the others on the chopping block. The beginning of 2009 is shaped up to be a Broadway Show bloodbath.
Scheduled Broadway Show Closings of 5 Shows
- All My Sons
- Dividing the Estate
- Equus
- Irving Berlin's White Christmas
- Slava's Snowshow
Unscheduled Closings of 11 Broadway Shows
- 13
- The 39 Steps
- August: Osage County
- Avenue Q
- Boeing Boeing
- Grease
- Gypsy
- Hairspray
- Spamalot
- Spring Awakening
- Young Frankenstein
Limited Run Shows Are Among Those Set To Shutter
Not all of the upcoming Broadway show closings are a surprise. Several of the plays and musicals that will be closing soon were limited runs to begin with.
All My Sons, Dividing the Estate, and Equus were always scheduled to close near the beginning of the year, while Irving Berlin's White Christmas and Slava's Snowshoww ere strictly holiday engagements.
Furthermore, January is notorious for being a difficult month on Broadway, especially for shows that are already financially struggling. But even taking this into consideration, the number of closing shows is unusually and disturbingly high and has many people wondering if Broadway is about to go through some kind of depression.
How Will Broadway Survive This Slump?
Broadway has been through hard times many time before and bounced back with gusto. Broadway survived the Great Depression in the 1930's which shuttered many NY businesses.
More recently, Broadway dealt with the difficult post-9/11 period, in which the theaters were dark for several days and continued to experience financial setbacks along with the rest of New York City's tourism industry.
Past Broadway Inactivity Has Rebounded In Long Term
Many of Broadway's theaters have gone through long stretches of inactivity, especially in the '30s, '40s and '50s; several served as TV studios during tough times, and many were even converted into movie houses.
This could happen again. Producers will be more wary of risking their money on expensive productions, leaving theatergoers with fewer choices and many Broadway theater professionals without employment.
Fortunately, if history is any indication, Broadway will weather the storm and eventually come out better than ever.
