Is New York over? It’s a question that’s hotly debated these days. We will return to this question from time to time over a number of episodes in the months ahead. Last week we hosted two experts from the Manhattan Institute to look at the future of subways. On this episode, we take a look at Broadway. The industry of live theater and arguably the beating heart of midtown Manhattan, Broadway has become big business — and a big employer; it’s central to New York City’s economy.

But on March 12, the lights on Broadway went dark. The ecosystem of employees and employers that populate this live theater ecosystem scattered.

To help us understand the short history of Broadway’s economic boom and where it goes from here, post-Corona, is a writer, public intellectual, and culture critic, John Podhoretz. John is editor in chief of Commentary Magazine and host of Commentary’s award-winning daily podcast, he’s a columnist for the New York Post, a book author, and was a film critic for the Weekly Standard.

When will Broadway return? What would it take to bring it back? And what will Broadway look like when we get out of this mess?

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  1. Doctor Robert Member
    Doctor Robert
    @DoctorRobert

    Who would have thought that Broadway brougth so much benefit to the city?  One presumes that this does not take into account Lincoln Center (which is almost on Broadway) with its NY City Ballet, NY Philharmonic and Met Opera.  Then there’s the sporting arenas.

    The return of mass-audience events will be an important and, one expects, largely ignored aspect of our civilization’s recovery from the viral panic.

    • #1
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