The Straight Play Makes A Comeback

This is an unspeakably thrilling thought for those actors (AKA me) who dream of Broadway glory but would sooner die than sing in front of people.

The Globe and Mail recently published an article on how the biz is doing on Broadway--long story short, not so well. But it turns out that straight plays with limited runs (and, frequently, unfortunate big name casting choices) are actually doing quite well. While many big musicals have closed in recent months, including several that had just recently opened, the plays are close to recouping their production costs! This is excellent news...more here.

It makes sense, if you think about it. Plays are generally more intimate affairs. Everything is scaled down. Including the price tag. So to keep one running is less expensive. Granted, they are somewhat harder to market, which leads to certain big stars being on stage who have no real business being there. But they fill seats. A necessary evil, I suppose.

At any rate, I think this is a silver lining, n'est-ce pas?