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Andrew Lloyd Webber has spoken out about the precarious state of Broadway in the wake of the early closing of his revival Cats: The Jellicle Ball.
“Broadway is more than a street or a collection of buildings. It is an idea—and one of the greatest cultural ideas America has given us,” the composer wrote in a lengthy X thread on Tuesday morning.
“That idea is now in dire danger. I beg everyone with the power to protect it: come together before it is too late.”
Yesterday, it was announced that despite receiving three Tony awards this year, Lloyd Webber’s Cats: The Jellicle Ball would close after just five months on Broadway, with its final performance slated for 8 August.
The show cost a reported $18m to create, but failed to recoup despite audience popularity and around $1m in weekly grosses due to the high costs of running a musical in New York’s theater district.
In a four star review, the Guardian praised the “revolutionary verve” of The Jellicle Ball, adding that it was “a mighty testament to what is possible when producers look past the traditional scope of Broadway and bring in fresh talent to widen the aperture of commercial theater’s gaze”.
“The painful truth is that, with things as they are, bringing almost any new show to Broadway makes little financial sense,” said Lloyd Webber.
“The costs are immense. Creators, writers and directors are often forced to accept minimal royalties simply to get work staged.”
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, 46 musicals have opened on Broadway per a New York Times report last year, with a total cost of around $800m to bring to the stage. New musicals such as Tammy Faye, Boop! and Smash opened with big budgets and huge fanfare, but were all cancelled after less than four months of opening.
“Many now survive on a fixed weekly fee rather than sharing properly in the success of the work they helped to create,” said Lloyd Webber. “How can the next generation build a life in theatre under those conditions? Young creatives cannot live on goodwill alone.
“The situation is scarcely better 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 the instability recognized by Lloyd Webber, Broadway’s 2025-2026 season grossed a record $1.91bn in ticket sales, led by popular new productions such as Every Brilliant Thing starring Daniel Radcliffe.
Meanwhile, Lloyd Webber’s Evita revival starring Rachel Zegler recently announced a Broadway transfer after a successful run in London’s West End. The show will open at New York’s Winter Garden theatre in spring 2027.
“Of course, Broadway’s established hits remain profitable,” wrote the composer. “But 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.”
Lloyd Webber ended his thread with a heartfelt statement about his hope for the future of the New York stage. “I am still as in love with Broadway as I was as a teenager,” he said. “I want future generations to experience that same sense of possibility.”
“Theatre owners, unions and producers must come together urgently,” he added. “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.”
