Every week, James L. Nederlander performs his version of “Undercover Boss.” He dons a baseball cap and sunglasses and stands in line, looking like a typical tourist as he waits to get into “Wicked,” “Hamilton” or any of the other shows playing at one of the nine Broadway theaters he owns.
“I want to make sure the patrons are having a great experience,” he says. “I want to see if the person taking the tickets is courteous. Are the concession stands clean. Is there trash on the floor. You need to sweat the little things.”
As president of the Nederlander Organization, Nederlander is a third-generation Broadway impresario, which has given him a front-row seat to the theater industry’s boom and bust times. And five years after the business had to shutter due to COVID, he thinks that audiences have finally returned in force, pointing to the record $1.89 billion in sales last season. But Nederlander also knows that producing a show has never been costlier, and making a profit could get even harder if a tax credit that helped Broadway get back on its feet is allowed to expire.
What makes you optimistic about the state of Broadway, and what makes you pessimistic?
People are coming again. I’ve heard a lot about ticket prices being too high, but if people want to see something, they pay. Seeing Denzel Washington, George Clooney or Kieran Culkin in a show is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for a lot of people.
How big will the impact be if the Broadway tax credit expires?
It means having to raise another few million dollars depending on the show, and it’s hard to raise money right now. That’s quite a tightrope you’re going to need to walk. Does that mean some shows won’t come or will go to Off Broadway? I’m not sure. We’re trying to get it extended. I’m hopeful it will be.
There have been hit shows, but we haven’t had a new blockbuster since “Hamilton.”
It just seems like we we only get those every 10 years or so. And COVID didn’t help. You have shows like “Moulin Rouge!” that are still running, but it’s true that nothing has hit on the level of “Hamilton.”
Leslie Odom Jr. is returning as Aaron Burr for the 10h anniversary of “Hamilton.” Will other original cast members come back?
I hope they will. It’s a brilliant idea, because the tickets for Leslie are through the roof.
What’s the biggest mistake people make when it comes to bringing something to Broadway?
Imagine someone asking you what your show is about? The elevator pitch can’t be too complicated. I learned a big lesson on a play I produced called “Irena’s Vow.” It was a beautiful true story and Tovah Feldshuh was in it, and she was fantastic. But it was about this woman who rescues 12 people during World War II. She lives with an officer, and that officer is a Nazi. That’s a lot to ask of people. If Glenn Close was in it, maybe people would come.
A common complaint is that the bathrooms, particularly for women, aren’t big enough and the lines during intermission are too long. Can anything be done?
No. We have updated our bathrooms, and I’m sure other theater chains have too, but these theaters were built a long time ago. You can modernize them, but you can’t physically make them bigger because there are issues with the historic nature of the buildings. Maybe you make the men’s rooms smaller? But then you have the same issue with lines there.
You’re not a fan of the bike lanes in Times Square. What’s the issue?
They’re disruptive and intrusive. To put one in front of the Neil Simon Theatre is ridiculous. You get 1,500 people a day going to a show, and you’re not looking for bikes or these electric scooters that are going 40 miles per hour. I’m all for people biking, but this is dangerous.
What’s your white whale? Who have you been trying to get to Broadway?
McCartney. Pink, I would love. Spielberg has produced things, and I’d love to see him direct a show. Leonardo DiCaprio, I met with him and I met with Scorsese. I keep trying. I don’t give up, because you never know when someone is going to catch the bug.