That s how Hamilton creator Richard Rodgers addressed a sold out crowd from the stage of the Theatre on Monday evening as one of the hottest shows on Broadway left empty after the COVID -19 pandemic forced the Great White Way to go dark for 18 months.
' I don t want to take live theater for granted ever again, Miranda said to thunderous applause. Theater lovers were thrilled to be back in the room where it happens following the longest shut down in Broadway history.
Broadway is the heart and soul of Hamilton, said Jill Furman, Boston producer, at Yahoo Finance Live. And the fact that there s so much interest and so much pent-up demand is a great harbinger of things to come''. Many different shows, including fellow Broadway juggernauts The Lion King, Wicked, and Chicago, raised the curtain on Monday.
Newly implemented COVID 19 protocols didn't appear to deter theater diehards who came out, masked with COVID vaccination cards in hand, to see live theater.
Furman said that the COVID considerations definitely add to the overall cost of mounting a show. COVID protocols are very expensive, she said. We do weekly testing and everyone involved with the show has to be vaccinated. It is a lot to manage, but safety is our number one priority. There are also added costs for upgraded ventilation systems in theaters, sanitation stations, masks, and other precautions.
I really do think that there's kind of intentionality now when people are coming back to Broadway that they want to say something, they want to do something that's going to make a difference in the world, even if it means the difference is giving someone 90 minutes and a big smile on their face, she said.
One tradition, which is old but missing in Broadway s big comeback — the much valued autograph signings after the show, which actors are known to do when they exit the stage door. Intermission and theater concessions are also gone — at least for now — to avoid congregating in and around the theaters.
Optimism for the re-opening of musicals and plays brings much needed revenue not only to theaters, but also to surrounding businesses, including area hotels and restaurants.
The entire industry was devastated and it feels like we see the light at the end of the tunnel, said Furman.
Launching a Broadway show is not for the risk-averse. Musicals usually cost approximately 10 million and plays cost about half that amount. Und there's no guarantee to get return on investment. The latest figures reveal just one out of every five shows show recoup their investment. Despite those odds, producers are lining up to bring their passion projects on stage.
We've got some new investors, and we raised money for 'Freestyle' and it went swimmingly, said Furman, who is also about to start tapping investors for the female-led Suffs, a musical about the women who were working to get the 19th amendment passed.
In the year before the pandemic, a record 14.8 million people attended a Broadway show — that s more people than the combined attendance for New York area sports teams including Mets, Yankees, Rangers, Islanders, Knicks, Liberty, Giants, Jets, Devils and Nets, according to the Broadway League. This attendance translated into an industry grossing $.83 billion.
It may prove difficult to live up to this kind of performance during pandemic. The Broadway League is so concerned about revenue that it won’t disclose box office grosses this season - giving the impression that there's no business like show business.