u/D0ntTryMe

Broadway performer salaries seem to be one of those “open secrets” in entertainment to me because unlike film/TV/sports, we rarely talk about the numbers publicly even though Broadway grosses are literally posted every week.

We already know for sure that:
- Broadway minimums are a little over $2k/week now
- Hits can gross well over $1M-$2M+ weekly
- Celebrity casting spikes grosses
- Many principal/star salaries have leaked here and there over the years

For example, the Nabulungi principal actress during peak Book of Mormon (basically the third lead/supporting lead actress of that show) was making $40k/month, which works out to like $500k/year. Given that, it wouldn’t be shocking if the stars of the show were making well into seven figures annually during that era, and these were Broadway performers, not household-name celebrities.

Obviously ensemble/swing/principal/star salaries are all wildly different, but I do feel like Broadway fans vastly underestimate how much the top tier of performers on major hits can actually make when a show becomes a cultural phenomenon.

And then you have someone like Daniel Radcliffe, who isn’t just Broadway famous and is a big time Hollywood guy. Merrily became one of the hottest tickets out there, and now Every Brilliant Thing already recouped pretty much immediately despite being a one man show. At that point are we talking low millions? Mid single digit millions profit participation/backend deals? Do these people just get huge weekly guarantees.

I know this topic borders on broadway “TMZ” a little, but I do think the economics side of Broadway is interesting and people rarely discuss it openly compared to literally every other entertainment industry.

At this point I’m honestly curious what people think the true top end of Broadway compensation actually looks like on mega-hits and mini-hits (both celebrity and non-celebrity driven runs).

Which recent-ish Broadway shows do you think have a real chance to become long-term, GOAT-tier shows in the same way as Wicked, Hamilton, Chicago, The Book of Mormon, and Disney?
I feel like there’s a pretty clear gap between: shows that are successful for a few years vs shows that become true, lasting staples of Broadway.

I honestly thought Moulin Rouge! might have had that trajectory, but now that it’s closing after 7 years, I’m not sure it quite makes that “classic juggernaut” tier.
SIX also felt like it had momentum for a while, but it’s starting to look like it will end up in a similar lane.

To me, Hadestown feels like the strongest recent line to draw where you could argue this might actually be a modern classic. Maybe not a Wicked-level megahit, but something with real staying power and plenty of fans and tourists that consistently want to see it.

Then you have shows like MJ and & Juliet that feel like they could run for a crazy long time just based on the strength of their built-in music/cultural appeal - but I’m not sure if that alone makes them “classics” in the same sense.

So I’m curious how people feel about some of the newer successes that are starting to get traction:
- The Great Gatsby
- The Outsiders
- Maybe Happy Ending
- Operation Mincemeat

Do any of these feel like they have a legit shot at becoming long-term classics? Or do they feel more like strong runs that won’t quite reach that level?

Also open to any shows even newer than these that people think might have that kind of success.