Not everyone, thankfully.
There are plenty of folks with the cash and the gumption and the taste for something great and white up on the Way.
But when I ask people who’d rather go to funerals than to a Broadway show just what it is that keeps them away, here are the most prevalent reasons:
(1) It costs too much money.
“I’m not going to mortgage my house and kids to see some drekky bible musical done on the cheap when I can just go to church and throw a buck in the basket.”
(2) It’s gotten way too bland.
“You don’t find adventurous theater there anymore. Everything seems to be pre-approved, familiar, and drained of spunk and spirit. Even off-Broadway, it’s hard to find really adventurous theater. So I’ll just stick to TV, thank you. And yes, I’m aware of my own ironies. They would make a great show, actually.”
(3) Too many revivals!
“I just saw a production of Glengarry Glen Ross, didn’t I?
“And do we really need another Cyrano? Another Heiress? Another Into The Woods?
“I agree with the #2 people! Broadway has more repeats than the Antenna channel these days.”
(4) I don’t want to sit with icky folks from the midwest and their kids, all dressed in soiled T-shirts, slurping on sodas, and noisily talking/texting throughout the show.
“The show on the stage is bad enough.”
(5) I hate the sight lines, entrance applause, gunshots, people sneaking photos, overpriced merch, and lack of an intermission.
“Otherwise it’s really fun.”
(6) It costs too much money.
“Did I mention that already? I mean way too much! Not worth it! Not in this economy! Why pay a ton of money to see something I just saw five years ago? Nope, staying home with my CSI. It’s the real ‘circle of life’.”