Broadway Trends: April 2024

Hello Everyone,

This post I thought I could talk about some trends I have noticed on Broadway recently. These are just my own observations, not backed with much research. 

Themed Bracelets:

In the past two weeks, I have gone to see three shows, and all of them were selling little beaded bracelets. Now, this is something I am LOVING! If you saw my The Outsiders post, you will know how much I loved that show. Being able to bring a little piece of it with me every day is so nice. The Frozen one was part of a charity, so there were several different designs to choose from. I decided on the Let It Go bracelet. At the Notebook, they were also selling a bracelet. Priced at $30, this one did not come home with me. We loved the show, but did not necessarily love the design of the bracelet enough to buy. At the Outsiders, priced at $25, we loved the clear green beads and the beloved Stay Gold letters. As I wear this bracelet today, I love looking down, and being reminded of the wonderful time I had. It is much more subtle than wearing a t-shirt, and feels a lot more personal. Overall, I am very happy this is becoming popular.

Subtle Openings: 

Now this is the name I have decided to assign to this type of start. I am not an expert, so if there is an industry term I am not familiar with, please feel free to let me know. What I am talking about here is when actors enter the stage before the lights go off, and after a while the show starts without warning. For example, during The Outsiders, Ponyboy enters the stage, very casually about ten minutes before the show starts. He sits down, takes out a spiral notebook, and sits quietly for about 5-10 minutes. When he first got there, I assumed the show was starting, but it didn't. When the show finally did start, it was subtle. Ponyboy just started talking, and the lights followed. In the Notebook, the shows starts a little quicker, but in a similar manner. A nurse walks onto the stage pushing a cart. The lights are still on, and unless you were paying attention, you would not even notice. I find this very interesting. I especially enjoyed it in The Outsiders, but you can read more about that in my review post. It really added to the character. I hope to see more of this across new and exciting shows.

Closure:

Again, this post is not filled with a lot of research. However, I have noticed that many of the shows I love have been closing. Starting with Some Like It Hot, to Kimberly Akimbo. I find this particularly fascinating because two extremes going on right now. It seems like a show either runs for many years, like Hamilton, Aladdin, Wicked, Lion King, or Chicago. Now this is not meant to shame these shows. I have seen Aladdin, Wicked and Lion King and enjoyed them immensely. The other option seems to be closing nearly right away. Going back to Kimberly Akimbo, I loved it, and so did the Tony's, so why were the tickets sales so low? This is not a question I can answer right now, but this is a trend I am hoping The Notebook or The Outsiders breaks.