Broadway grossed a record $603 million in the 1999-2000 season. “We’re talking about the average cost of a musical being $8 (million) to $10 million, and the average cost of a play being $1,250,000 or a million and a half. So it’s no surprise that many producers are now saying that unless they can identify some component that will give them a broad popular audience, they’re not going to take a chance.” – USA Today