It’s just not
possible.

There’s no
salt water.  No sand.  No surf.  Nothing.   

I was in Las
Vegas a couple of weeks ago, a city with more live entertainment than most
states!  There are magic shows, topless shows, animal shows,
impersonators, and even a few Broadway musicals. As I stared at the marquees
for all these different types of shows it dawned on me how important it is to
consider your location when deciding where to produce your show.

The elements
necessary for a successful show in Las Vegas vary wildly from the elements necessary
for a successful show in New York City.  You don’t see Thunder
From Down Under here.
You don’t see people who make F-16s disappear or Elvis impersonators sitting
down in Broadway theaters year after year, like they do in Las Vegas.  And
vice versa!  How many Broadway shows have we now seen struggle to plant
roots in the Vegas desert?

Why?
Because they are different locations, with different elements that make up
their landscape.  And if you don’t have the necessary elements to build a
specific type of structure, you’d be foolish to try. 

Broadway is a
very specific place.  And not every show can be built here.
Sometimes, because it has a reputation for being the “pinnacle” of
success for the theater industry, people make Broadway their ultimate goal,
without analyzing the landscape.  It becomes the default end of the
journey . . . like the Olympics for amateur athletes.

But it doesn’t
have to be.  There are a bunch of other options to Broadway.  There’s
nothing wrong with Vegas, or a regional theater, or Europe, or a children’s
theater, in case you realize that your show might be more of a beach house than
a skyscraper. 

Because a show
running somewhere else is better than a show not running on Broadway.