Thread by @crampell

Even if they're allowed to sell every seat in the house, at prices most people already can't afford ($60/ticket for the top row of the balcony), most B'way shows lose money. How on earth could they make the economics of this work?

https://twitter.com/HESherman/status/1367251636301750273

Take a long-running show that already recouped its investment, Book of Mormon. The last week it was open, it grossed $929,168, with nearly every seat sold (98%). That's $116,146 per performance.
Average ticket price was $112.67; top ticket was $477.50. broadwayworld.com/grosses.cfm

I don't know what it costs to operate the show. Has a large cast. This Crain's article says that the first year the show opened (2011), expenses averaged $634,052 weekly. Presumably higher today. Let's conservatively say $700,000, or $87,500/performance crainsnewyork.com/assets/pdf/CN1…

So to break even, with a maximum audience of 100/show, tickets would have to cost $875.00 on average. Again, most recent average price (week of March 8, 2020) was $112, and top ticket sold for $477

To make as much as it had been making before, with audience capped at 100, average ticket price would have to be $1,161.46. Obviously that seems unlikely

Now, maybe you can find 100 people willing to pay those prices for a few shows...but not really sustainable. Maybe you can get someone (landlord, cast, stagehand, etc.) to take a haircut. But would have to be a big haircut