Broadway vs. Off-Broadway

[NewYorkTheater]

I was just piecing together the offerings in Spring 2013 for Broadway and Off-Broadway, and was struck by the contrast.

There are plenty of celebrities making their Broadway debuts - Tom Hanks, Shia LaBoeuf, Cyndi Lauper -- but fewer than half of the 19 shows with both opening dates and theaters so far are in any way original works

Yes, there are also celebrities Off-Broadway: Vanessa Redgrave, Jesse Eisenberg, Edie Falco -- but the real celebrities seem to be the playwrights: Annie Baker, Amy Herzog, Richard Greenberg, Richard Nelson, Rajiv Joseph etc. Is it my imagination, or has it been years since we've seen so much relatively new talent getting one production after another of new plays? (Admittedly not musicals that I see.)

Broadway Theater Spring 2013 Guide:
http://newyorktheater.me/2013/01/02/broadway-theater-guide-spring-2013/


Off Broadway Spring 2013 Guide

[PalJoey]

Pippin will sell.

[jv92]

Not only will Pippin sell, but it will SELL. (And I mean sell.)

I find Rajvi Joseph a tad overrated. I don't know why he keeps getting produced. Not a bad playwright, but not a particularly wonderful one.

Out of everything Off-B'way this season, I'm looking forward to FAR FROM HEAVEN at Playwrights Horizons the most. Good songwriters, a (I think) good idea for a musical, great leading lady. I hope it...sells. No really, I hope it works.

[NewYorkTheater]

The advantage of Off-Broadway is that it doesn't have to "sell" as well to be a success. Look at Geoffrey Naufft's play "Next Fall" which was a hit by most measures at Playwrights Horizons, and didn't fare so well after it transferred to Broadway.