Andrew Lloyd Webber has issued a stark warning about the future of Broadway following the early closure of his revival Cats: The Jellicle Ball. In a lengthy X thread on Tuesday, the legendary composer described Broadway as an idea in 'dire danger' and urged stakeholders to act before it is too late.
Broadway's financial crisis laid bare
Despite winning three Tony awards this year, Cats: The Jellicle Ball will close after just five months, with its final performance scheduled for 8 August. The show cost an estimated $18 million to produce and, although it drew strong audiences and weekly grosses of around $1 million, it failed to recoup its investment due to the high operational costs of running a musical in New York's theater district.
Lloyd Webber wrote: 'The painful truth is that, with things as they are, bringing almost any new show to Broadway makes little financial sense. The costs are immense. Creators, writers and directors are often forced to accept minimal royalties simply to get work staged.'
Post-pandemic Broadway struggles
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, 46 musicals have opened on Broadway, with a total production cost of approximately $800 million, according to a New York Times report. High-profile new musicals such as Tammy Faye, Boop! and Smash launched with large budgets and significant publicity but all closed within four months of opening.
Lloyd Webber highlighted the plight of creative professionals: 'Many now survive on a fixed weekly fee rather than sharing properly in the success of the work they helped to create. How can the next generation build a life in theatre under those conditions? Young creatives cannot live on goodwill alone.'
Investors and the next generation
The composer also noted the challenges for investors: 'Many count themselves fortunate if they recover even part of their money. Without investors willing to take risks, and artists able to make a living, where will Broadway's next generation of shows come from?'
Despite these difficulties, Broadway's 2025-2026 season grossed a record $1.91 billion in ticket sales, driven by popular productions such as Every Brilliant Thing starring Daniel Radcliffe. Meanwhile, Lloyd Webber's revival of Evita starring Rachel Zegler, which had a successful run in London's West End, will transfer to Broadway in spring 2027 at the Winter Garden Theatre.
A call for unity
Lloyd Webber acknowledged that established hits remain profitable but warned: 'Broadway cannot survive creatively or commercially on three old shows. New and daring work must have a future — whether on Broadway itself or in new forms such as Masquerade, now nearing a year in New York.'
He ended his thread with a heartfelt plea: 'I am still as in love with Broadway as I was as a teenager. I want future generations to experience that same sense of possibility. Theatre owners, unions and producers must come together urgently. Every part of the industry has a stake in finding a solution. Without action, Broadway risks rivalling Hollywood's empty soundstages: increasingly dark theatres where bold new work once lived.'
