Broadway’s plays are struggling to draw this season

By MARK KENNEDY

AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK

This spring, J.T. Rogers’ new play traveled only a few small steps but it was a huge leap for a playwright.

His “Oslo” – a fascinating look at a key moment in Middle East diplomacy – transferred from the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater to the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Since both are housed in the Lincoln Center Theater complex, it was really a simple move upstairs.

But since the larger Beaumont is considered a Broadway theater, Rogers got to celebrate making his Great White Way debut. And he did it with something rare this season: A play actually drawing theatergoers. A three-hour play.

“We have a thousand people a night, eight shows a week in a 1,200-seat house,” said Rogers, who has built a reputation for making big, global themes accessible. “I’m sorry, but this is unbelievable.”

“Oslo” is one the few financial bright spots for dramas on Broadway this season. New or revival – well-reviewed or not – most plays are hemorrhaging cash, pockmarked with empty seats and relying on discounts.

This season – the 12-month period that ended May 21 – was both the least attended and the lowest-grossing for plays in at least five seasons. In 2012-13, some 2.4 million people attended plays, pushing their take to $198 million. Only 1.8 million saw plays this season and they earned just $154 million.

Overall, however, Broadway continued to see record profits, buoyed by blue-chip musicals like “Hamilton,” “Wicked” and “The Lion King.” Box offices hit a new record of $1.45 billion for the season – up 5.5 percent from last season’s previous record. Unlike plays, musicals have been progressively earning more each season, this year pulling in $1.28 billion.

The lean times have been felt from a revival of the classic “The Cherry Orchard” starring Diane Lane to the high-tech, immersive “The Encounter.” While there were a few bright spots – the starry “The Front Page” fall revival, for one – they were the exception. Some plays have earned only 14 percent or 17 percent of their potential weekly earnings. Last week, only two managed to break the 60-percent mark – “Oslo” being one.

Grabbing a best play Tony Award nomination hasn’t necessarily helped. “Indecent” has rarely cracked more than 30 percent of its box office potential.

Dramas have traditionally played second fiddle to musicals on Broadway and this year there was a glut of 13 new musicals, the most in five seasons. Few of the 10 plays this season generated a must-see vibe, whether it was due to their lack of tourist-friendly razzle-dazzle or their tough topics.

The four Tony nominated best plays – all are by playwrights making their Broadway debuts – have all gotten critical raves but may be daunting to some would-be patrons looking for a fun night out.

“Sweat” explores how the shutdown of a factory leads to the breakdown of friendships. “Indecent” is a look at the true story of a controversial 1923 Yiddish play. “A Doll’s House, Part 2” is a sequel of a Henrik Ibsen play and “Oslo” is about the dance of diplomacy.