Broadway sings New York’s blues as crime, costs slow post-COVID comeback
NY Post
The Trump verdict last Thursday overshadowed a far more disturbing portent for New York: yet another daytime attack in the heart of Times Square, the second in a month, this time a machete assault outside a McDonald’s at 45th and Broadway.
New York’s failure to control crime — regular crime, not Trump crime — is slowing its tourism recovery, as new statistics from Broadway’s theater industry show.
Like New York overall, Broadway is having a slow rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just ahead of the Tony Awards in mid-June, the Broadway League has released annual stats for the playing year that ended last month.
Through May, annual attendance was 12.3 million people — nearly 17% below the 2018-19 level of 14.8 million. Revenue was down 16%, to $1.5 billion.
Though a few blockbuster shows — “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Hamilton” and “The Lion King” (still) — command nosebleed ticket prices of $200 and up, costs overall aren’t deterring visitors.
