Broadway Ticket Sales Are Plummeting. The Fix? We Turned That Big Chart We Made Upside Down

by Zach Raffio. @zachraffio,

NEW YORK, NY - Broadway ticket sales have hit historic lows in recent months, with many shows playing to half-full houses and earning less-than-breakeven average ticket prices. 

We went to our neighborhood printer Bill’s Sign Shop (#ShopLocal) to have a big chart made so that we could take a better look at the numbers, but then it hit us: we could just turn that chart upside down, and the numbers would actually be pretty good.

You see, the chart - which is big, so that everyone could see - shows the box office numbers going down over time. But if we turn that upside down, it works to almost “reverse” this trajectory, bringing every show back into the green. In this case, innovation really does equal dollar signs.

This quick fix could be the saving grace for this fall’s new shows, should they get off to a slow start. New musicals like Wanted and Galileo face an uphill battle with a decrease in tourism post the COVID-19 shutdown. 

In fact, we made a second really big chart at Bill’s (he always gives us a good deal) just to highlight the decrease in audience statistics. Luckily for the theatre industry, the same hack works here: we turned that big, sturdy, well-made sign upside down, and now the houses are fuller than ever.

But could this one little trick really be the way to reestablish Broadway as the juggernaut it once was? We asked a professional to check in.

“Yes, this absolutely could be the thing that saves everything. It’s simply a genius idea to turn the stuff upside down,” said Broadway icon Hugh Jackman, in a video interview promoting Deadpool & Wolverine that we dubbed over in iMovie. “While I have your attention,’ Hugh continued, “you should also check out Bill’s Sign Shop in Ridgewood. He always gives The Broadway Be-I mean, me, Hug Jackson, a good deal.”

So, Broadway, we hope you’re listening. Rather than trying to bring in new audiences or welcome back old ones with sincerity and truly great work, you could just turn your big colorful sign upside down, take a step back, and get ready to rake in the dough. Then use that dough to #ShopLocal.

*At the time of publishing, Bill’s Sign Shop was acquired by private equity firm Only Small Signs Inc., who plan to turn it into a combination Data Center/CityMD that doesn’t take your insurance. #ShopOverlord #SayThankYou #blessed