Money Talks: There’s no business like it
Money Talks from The Economist
The Economist
4.4 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 21 December 2023
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We raise the curtain on the business of New York’s iconic theatre district. Broadway has been struggling with rising costs and falling sales since the pandemic, but its financial drama started much earlier. The economic plot just doesn’t make sense. Will the lights go out on the Great White Way?
Hosts: Alice Fulwood, Tom Lee-Devlin and Mike Bird. Guests: The Economist’s Stevie Hertz; actor Leanna Rae Conception; Megan O'Keefe, executive vice-president of production company No Guarantees; Broadway investor, Ken Willman; Oliver Roth, CEO and producer at OHenry Productions, Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ Equity; and Lee Seymour, producer.
Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, this episode of Money Talks is available to listen to for free, |
| 0:05.0 | but if you want to listen every week, you'll need to be an economist subscriber. |
| 0:09.0 | For full detail, search online for Economist Podcasts Plus. |
| 0:13.6 | Try Royal Opera House stream this Christmas for just one pound and |
| 0:21.0 | watch enchanting productions including The Nutcracker. |
| 0:24.8 | Enjoy unlimited access to over 80 extraordinary ballets, operas and exclusive behind-the-scenes features. Sign up for Royal Opera House Stream now with your first month for just one pound. |
| 0:35.0 | For details, visit R.O.org. UK. |
| 0:40.0 | offer. One pound for the first month after 14 free days and 999 a month thereafter cancel anytime |
| 0:45.7 | T's and C's apply. |
| 0:47.0 | The Economist. |
| 0:56.0 | Despite its fast-paced reputation, some things in New York are meant to stay the same. |
| 1:01.9 | The Met, the Bagels, and until 2023, there being Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 1:07.8 | musicals on Broadway. But his new show Bad Cinderella was a flop. |
| 1:15.0 | It closed after just 10 weeks. |
| 1:17.0 | Almost 20 million dollars had been invested into the show, |
| 1:20.0 | but before its closure was announced, |
| 1:22.0 | only half of the seats were full. |
| 1:25.0 | And after 35 years on Broadway, Phantom of the Opera also closed. |
| 1:31.0 | It was the longest running show in Broadway history, but since the |
| 1:35.1 | pandemic weekly costs have gone up by 15%. With audience numbers not coming |
| 1:40.5 | back fast enough, the show could not go on. That means for the first time |
| 1:46.5 | since the 1970s, there are no Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals on Broadway. It's a sign of just how challenging times have become for new |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Economist, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Economist and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.