My sister and I were really excited when it was announced Jordan Fisher, an actor we both really like, was going to be the new star of Hadestown on Broadway. One day during winter break we both decided that, despite having seen Hadestown a few times, we’d buy tickets for my last day in New York so we could see Fisher in that role. Although we had heard rumblings he sometimes sits out performances, there was no public info on a planned absence (SeatGeek informed us a couple other cast members were out that night), so we purchased the tickets. Upon showing up to the theater a few days later, I looked at the announcements sign and noticed there was another name playing the role of Orpheus. I’m sure he’s a phenomenal actor, but we had only decided to come to the show this time to see Fisher. Thus, we made the decision not to stay for the show, and were disappointed to learn there was no refund available.
Despite my very bullish opinion on the outlook of shared experiences in entertainment, I understand live theater is in a dangerous position. According to the Broadway League, attendance dipped drastically during the COVID pandemic and has yet to fully recover:
Factoring in the high prices and the decline of movie theater demand, this trend is at risk of continuing for the long term. One draw Broadway has had is the chance to see your favorite stars live, and this has been something they’ve smartly been pushing to potential theater goers. Over the past few years we’ve seen Hugh Jackman, Lea Michelle, and plenty of other big stars coming to the stage and selling a lot of tickets. As with other forms of entertainment, stars are the best way to sell tickets. Seeing real stars in person telling a story by expressing their emotions in person is magical!
However, as my story at the start shows, there are issues that can come with live people instead of screen recordings. We’re dealing with human beings and human bodies. There’s a lot more uncertainty around live performance that the theater companies will need to deal with in order to survive. Production companies need to find a way to incentivize people to continue to want to see their favorite stars act and sing. To do this, they must tackle the uncertainty problem of dealing with live actors: what to do if they can’t go on a given night. This has been a significant problem in sports, particularly in the NBA, and the theaters need to come up with their own (and hopefully better) plan to deal with their “load management” problem.
My first suggestion is to offer ticket insurance for shows with star protagonists, similarly to how airlines offer it. They can upcharge by a few dollars on each ticket, with the understanding that if their lead actors can’t go and the guest decides not to show up they can retrieve a refund. Insurance is generally a good business for the insurance company, and I know I’d be willing to pay a little bit extra to add this protection. This would drive up revenue even more for star-filled shows, and in the long run they would likely be able to withstand the occurrences of refunds while ensuring happier customers. It would make it so I no longer wonder if buying tickets to a show to see my favorite stars is worth it with the risk of nights off. After all, the streaming services they’re competing with never have the risk that Jeremy Strong won’t show up for en episode of Succession, but they do have that risk with Enemy of the People.
Coming from a sports team with an extremely robust performance and recovery department, I also think they should invest more in those types of employees to protect the health and fitness of the stars. Investing more in their health could be beneficial for their availability and longevity, and could lead to an amazing experience for everyone involved. Even planning out rest days in advance could be useful. The more preparation and insurance involved, the better for all sides.
That night at Hadestown, I also wondered if it would be smart for some big budget shows to have alluring understudies as well. Whether they be full time cast members or someone who has another entertainment role and is ready to fill in, perhaps having a well-known understudy could soften the burden of an absence. Would I be as upset about Lea Michelle getting sick on a Friday night show if Cecily Strong filled in? Perhaps not!
I LOVE live theater. I think there’s nothing better than seeing and feeling the actors tell the story in person. However, I understand the downsides of this medium. In the past, people geared towards movies vs live shows when they realized they can get the exact actor they want each time they see the movie and get consistency in performance. Live theater can be a magical experience, but the production companies need to tackle this weakness proactively before one of their best shots at avoiding a catastrophic downturn becomes a real problem.
Live entertainment sees a large boost from the presence of stars. People have always loved storytelling, and the most consistent medium since the dawn of humanity has been live productions of stories. It’s a natural issue that human beings can’t be at peak performance at all times, and this is something the production companies need to account for. Sports leagues have been tackling this problem for years, as the absence of stars has brought down attendance in various areas, most notably the NBA. I would love to see Broadway get on top of this problem before it’s too late.