Industry Insiders Share Thoughts on the Broadway Season and Hopes for 2024

2023 is on its way out, and a big, beautiful Broadway season is waiting in the wings. Before it takes centerstage in 2024, BroadwayWorld is taking a pause to reflect on this past year in theatre, surveying dozens of Broadway insiders.

Responses came from companies/organizations like AKA, Serino Coyne, DKC/O&M, MTI, Broadway HD, ARTHOUSE, Situation, Spotco, New 42, Broadway Records; regional theatres like Paper Mill Playhouse and Barrington Stage Company; and creators and producers of some of the hottest shows on Broadway.

Here's what they had to say about 2023...

Since last January, 36 shows have opened on Broadway, including 15 musicals, 18 plays, and 3 special enagements. 26 of those shows were new works and 10 were revivals of beloved classics. The first production to open in 2023 was Pictures from Home (February 9) and the last was Appropriate (December 18). Which of those shows stood out most to the people who keep Broadway running?

When asked which pieces of theatre they most enjoyed in 2023 (that they were not involved with), the most frequent answer was the acclaimed revival of Merrily We Roll Along, which is now running at the Hudson Theatre. Other productions with multiple mentions inclded Jaja's African Hair Braiding and Some Like It Hot, which technically opened in 2022.

Everything has it's season, and in 2023, 45 Broadway productions took their final bows- most significantly, The Phantom of The Opera, which concluded its epic 35-year run on April 16. Most Broadway shows of course, do not last nearly as long... 

When asked which shows they thought didn't get a fair shot in 2023, the most frequent response was Here Lies Love, which sadly concluded its critically acclaimed run in November after 150 performaces. Other shows mentioned included New York, New York (110 performances), Dancin' (65 performances), Fat Ham (95 performances), and Grey House (64 performances).

Looking ahead, 18 new shows will arrive on Broadway in the coming months- the first being Prayer for the French Republic, which opens on January 9. The final show of the spring season, barring any last minute additions, is slated to be Mother Play, which opens on April 25. Another five produtions have been announced for later in 2024, most of which not yet having a theatre or opening dates set.

Which of the incoming class are industry insiders most excited to see? According to the survey... just about everything. The most-mentioned shows were all musicals, including The Notebook, The Outsiders, Hell's Kitchen, Suffs, and Cabaret.

Where is there room for Broadway to grow in 2024? When asked what Broadway's resolution should be for the new year, most shared insightful wishes for the industry's continued growth. One of the areas most memtioned was reaching more diverse audiences and being generally more accessible. 

"We have so much work to do to better reach and engage traditionally underserved communities in and around the New York area," wrote Situation's Rian Durham. "Reaching these audiences is paramount to the longevity and success of our industry, and it is my sincere hope that every production and every industry colleague pushes their thinking and efforts to truly engage and develop the next generation of theatergoers."

Spotco's Sarah Marcus Hansen added: "Broadway should continue to evolve with the times, expanding both the makeup of the audience in the theater and the communities represented on stage."

Others chimed in with hopes for focus on art and quality over the bottom line.

"I’d love to see us develop more of an open heart toward the idea of excellence, and how to invite audiences in. In this moment of worry about how we will keep going, I’d love to see us embrace those values," wrote playwright Theresa Rebeck. 

"[Broadway should] be more welcoming of audiences! Especially post pandemic, we forget how much effort it takes for some people to take an outing to Broadway," wrote Nella Vera. "Find ways to make it easier and more welcoming to find information, purchase tickets, and attend."

Jim Glaub, Founder of Super Awesome Friends, wrote: "[Broadway needs to] be more kind. Kinder to our audiences, our staff and our neighbors. We're in this together!"

And perhaps no one spoke to the hope for Broadway's future better than President and CEO of New 42, Russell Granet. "That everyone who loves Broadway should take a young person to the theater and then ask them their thoughts about what they just saw," he wrote. "There is nothing more powerful than helping to instill a theater-going habit in a child. Great theater engages us all, but only if we see it."