Things have not been looking good for Broadway. From crazy ticket prices, to audiences forgetting about theater etiquette, to now, long-running shows closing. First, on Aug. 25, it was announced that SIX: The Musical would play its final Broadway performance on Jan. 3, 2027. Thousands of theater kids were shocked by this news, as SIX: The Musical had been running on Broadway for five years. Then, another long-running show was hit as well: & Juliet. The production team announced that & Juliet would play its final show on the same date as SIX.
The story of & Juliet follows the aftermath of the iconic Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet, but it poses the question: “What would’ve happened if Juliet survived?” From there, we go on a journey with Juliet as she tries to find her place in the world after losing the “love of her life.” The musical is known not only for its story, but also for being a jukebox musical. That’s right, & Juliet is a jukebox musical, which is a musical that turns well-known pop songs into Broadway songs. So, imagine you’re watching a jukebox musical, and you hear them singing “All Night” by Beyoncé, but a Broadway version. I’ll give more of my opinions about jukebox musicals at a different time. Besides that, it’s very shocking that so many long-running shows are closing their curtains. It has me questioning the future of Broadway.
It’s been such a tough time for Broadway, especially now that a show can close early due to a multitude of factors: financial reasons, lack of popularity, or the arrival of a new Tonys season. Shows need to close to make way for newer ones. However, when it comes to shows that have been running for more than two years, it worries me. If shows like Moulin Rouge, SIX, or & Juliet, which have all been on Broadway for quite some time, are being forced to close their curtains, it makes me nervous that shows like Wicked could be next. Financially, Broadway has not been doing so well. Ticket prices have skyrocketed to keep productions profitable. Not only that, but stunt casting has been such a ginormous topic in Broadway, as I have discussed in a previous article.
Overall, this news has been scaring me so much for the future. If Broadway cannot keep its long-running productions profitable, what is going to become of live performances? I really enjoy seeing new shows, but sometimes there will be days when I want to see Wicked, even if I’ve seen it 10K times. Hopefully, Wicked won’t make that announcement anytime soon, but given how Broadway has been looking lately, it may happen.