December 22, 2008
Between the closings of Xanadu on September 28th and Hairspray on January 18th, 150 musician jobs will be liquidated from the New York City theater industry. This does not include the musician positions in the limited-run or seasonal productions of Christmas Spectacular or Liza at the Palace.
This number represents over one third of the musician workforce currently on Broadway (407 total musicians prior to the closing of Xanadu).
The break-down is as follows:
| Show | Closing Date | # of Musicians |
|---|---|---|
| Xanadu | 9/28/08 | 6 |
| [title of show] | 10/12/08 | 1 |
| Legally Blonde | 10/19/08 | 18 |
| A Tale of Two Cities | 11/9/08 | 18 |
| Grease | 1/4/09 | 8 |
| Gypsy | 1/4/09 | 26 |
| 13 | 1/4/09 | 7 |
| Young Frankenstein | 1/4/09 | 26 |
| Spamalot | 1/11/09 | 18 |
| Spring Awakening | 1/18/09 | 7 |
| Hairspray | 1/18/09 | 15 |
| Total | 112 days (3.5 months) | 150 jobs |
257 musician jobs in the most popular or newest Broadway shows remain active after the current round of Broadway show closings, including 2 of the largest pits on Broadway, South Pacific and Phantom of the Opera.
| Show | # of Musicians |
|---|---|
| South Pacific | 32 |
| Phantom of the Opera | 32 |
| Shrek | 24 |
| Lion King | 24 |
| Wicked | 24 |
| Little Mermaid | 19 |
| Billy Elliot | 18 |
| Mary Poppins | 17 |
| Pal Joey | 16 |
| Chicago | 14 |
| In the Heights | 13 |
| Jersey Boys | 9 |
| Mamma Mia! | 9 |
| Avenue Q | 6 |
| Total | 257 jobs |
Some of the current show closings are a result of the natural ebb and flow of the theater market – for example A Tale of Two Cities opened in September to scathing reviews and poor attendance and posted its closing notice soon after. Others have commented that shows such as Hairspray, which has run since 2002, have simply run their course.
Most producers and news outlets, however, point to a troubled economy and a smoldering tourist market as the impetus for the current round of show closings on the Great White Way.
Several new shows have been postponed or canceled, and musicians will have to wait until February for the next round of Broadway shows to begin previews.
| Show | Previews | Opening Date |
|---|---|---|
| Guys and Dolls | 2/3/09 | 3/1/08 |
| Hair | 2/10/09 | 3/5/08 |
| West Side Story | 2/23/09 | 3/19/08 |
| Rock of Ages | 3/20/09 | 4/7/08 |
| 9 to 5 | 4/7/09 | 4/30/08 |
| Spider Man | TBA | June, 2009 |
| Vanities | Postponed | Postponed |
| Godspell | Canceled | Canceled |
The number of musicians that will be hired for upcoming shows has not yet been made public.
David J. Hahn
David J. Hahn is a Broadway conductor and keyboard player. He co-founded MusicianWages.com with Cameron Mizell in 2008. Visit his new project, Songwriter.fm and sign up for his songwriting newsletter.
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