BroadwayGirlNYC: The Quiet Season - Winter on Broadway

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January is always slow on Broadway.  Ticket sales slump after the holidays, and limited-run shows close their doors following the tourist rush season.  Snow keeps many locals inside (though not me!), and with the exception of shows that have strong and steady advanced sales or that have the potential to run for years, Broadway seems to hibernate.

It may seem crazy coming from someone who reliably goes to two or three Broadway shows a week, but I actually enjoy the Winter quietude around the theatre district.  Sometimes I go out into Times Square when it's snowing and enjoy the relative silence (the snow muffles much of the sound of the city, and now that traffic on Broadway is limited, it can be quite peaceful and nice).  The shows that do remain running have homey, warm audiences who bond over having made it in out of the cold, and the actors seem especially appreciative -- particularly at the stage door, when they're often amazed by how much their contact means to the fans who stick it out for a photograph or signed Playbill.

The start of the new year represents a chance to reminisce about the beloved shows that we have lost (ahem, Scottsboro Boys) and to rest up for the boom that comes in March, when suddenly we'll be gifted with two openings a week.  

I try to see every musical and play on Broadway.  Needless to say, that can be hard both logistically and financially!  The second half of this year, the shows popped up so frequently that I struggled to keep up (even going to 6 different first previews, I managed to get behind).  Do you realize that I felt guilty when Elling shuttered before I had a chance to see it?  And that I had a serious heart-to-heart with myself about whether to buy a ticket to see Donny & Marie: A Broadway Christmas, wondering if I'd remain credible as the quintessential BroadwayGirl if I missed even that one seasonal revue?  For ten months, I was proud of my achievement of having seen every show that opened in 2010.  I lost that status when Elling closed, and it put me in a funk. Luckily, I put that funk behind me when December ended and a new year had begun.  

2011 presents a new challenge, one I intend to (this time) meet: See EVERYTHING that plays on Broadway this year.  I get to wipe away the gaps in the list from 2010, and start fresh.  And with January being a slow month for new shows (only The Importance of Being Earnest opens this month, on January 13), I have a chance of finally seeing those shows still running that I have missed.

I'm still due to see Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.  I haven't yet booked my HipTix for Earnest, which is already in previews.  And though I have mixed feelings about what appears to essentially be an impersonator show, I've decided I would like to see Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles.  So,those are on my schedule for January. Plus I'm due for revisits to La Cage, American Idiot, Billy Elliot and rock of ages (before it moves).

Then, when the new shows start performances, the game begins again!  How many can I see in first preview?  How will they stack up against the long-running stalwarts?  Which will become my new favorites?  And who will win the coveted Tony Awards?

So don't cry, my Broadway lovelies, even as the curtains go down on your beloved shows.  A new year has begun.  Enjoy the solace of winter, see as many currently-running shows as you can... and then get ready, because there are EIGHT openings in March, SEVEN already scheduled for April, and who knows how many will line up after that.  This year, won't you join me?  Let's all together be Broadway boys and Girls.