New York City’s Broadway scene was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Broadway theaters shut down on March 12, 2020, and reopened briefly during summer 2021 but again had to suspend operations due to surging cases of the virus and its variants. Broadway officially reopened in September 2021, and its theaters have since been putting on shows with minimal interruptions.
The 2021-22 Broadway season ended on May 22. The following is a breakdown of the season’s standout shows and box office figures.
Attendance Down 54 Percent from Pre-Pandemic Record
The 39 Broadway theater venues took in a combined $845.35 million during the 2021-22 season. While this is a substantial figure, it’s down 54 percent from the $1.83 billion those venues generated during the 2018-19 season, which was the last complete season before the pandemic. That season also marked an all-time high in box office revenue. Typically, the Broadway League releases box office figures for each production, but the organization chose not to this year due to a variety of factors.
“This decision is based on many factors, including both the staggered roll-out of returning and new productions, and anticipated variations in performance schedules,” a Broadway League representative told Broadway World. “The data will not be comparable with previous seasons. Our current plans are to resume reporting of grosses in the 2022-2023 Broadway season.”
The Broadway League did, however, release attendance figures for the 2021-22 season. Approximately 6.73 million people attended Broadway shows, which was also down 54 percent from the 2018-19 record of 14.77 million. One positive sign moving forward is that 82 percent of available seats were filled last season.
Delayed Start
Declining box office revenues for the 2021-22 season isn’t necessarily representative of a major decline in interest for New York City’s theater scene. The season started 10 weeks late due to the pandemic-related shutdown and, as such, was only 42 weeks instead of the usual 52. Moreover, not all productions began immediately once Broadway reopened. Only 30 of the 39 venues were showing plays or musicals by November 2021, and two other venues were under construction.
While Broadway avoided additional shutdowns during its 42-week season, 16 of those weeks featured COVID-related cancellations. Some productions were forced to close in December and during the New Year’s holiday, which is among the most lucrative periods of the year for Broadway.
An Uptick in the Final Week
Another positive sign for Broadway moving forward is the attendance during its final week of the 2021-22 season. All but three shows (Mr. Saturday Night, Tina, and The Minutes) recorded a week-to-week increase in ticket sales during the week ending May 22. Overall, Broadway grossed $33.35 million, up almost 10 percent from the prior week. Similarly, attendance was up 4 percent to nearly 82 percent capacity.
Fifteen shows grossed more than $1 million during the week, including Hadestown and The Music Man, both of which played to 100 percent capacity.
Standout Shows
The 42-week 2021-22 Broadway season featured 56 shows (34 debuts, 17 reopened shows, and five return engagements), including 29 musicals, 24 plays, and three special productions. Longtime Broadway favorites like The Book of Mormon, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Come from Away maintained their status as must-see productions on Broadway, while several original productions made a great first impression.
The 2022 Tony Awards, held in June to celebrate excellence in theater during the 2021-22 Broadway season, highlighted some of the best original plays and musicals in each respective category. Best Play nominees included Clyde’s, Hangmen, The Lehman Trilogy, The Minutes, and Skeleton Crew. Called one of “the best new plays on Broadway in years” by Variety, The Minutes, authored by Tracy Letts, examines democracy in action through a small-town city council that is disrupted by a newcomer who begins asking the wrong questions. It has been called a blend of Parks & Recreation and The Twilight Zone.
Best Musical nominees, meanwhile, included Girl from the North Country, MJ, Mr. Saturday Night, Paradise Square, and SIX: The Musical. Written by and starring Billy Crystal, Mr. Saturday Night is based on a 1992 film that Crystal also starred in and wrote. The film was a box office flop, but the musical grossed at least $650,000 during all but one of its first eight weeks at the Nederlander Theatre.
End of Vaccine Mandate
Broadway attendance and box office revenue may also have been impacted by a drop in New York City tourism and vaccine mandates. The Broadway League, however, announced on May 1 that many theaters would stop checking the vaccination status of prospective theatergoers. It also announced that it was extending the mask requirements through the end of May with plans to update as needed. Some shows, including The Music Man and Macbeth, were forced to cancel performances in prior months due to positive COVID-19 cases among the cast.