The New Form of Bribery on Broadway

Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

This was published in the OnStage Blog Newsletter on November 10th, 2023. To get exclusive commentaries in your inbox, subscribe to the newsletter here

I recently saw an up-and-coming theatre influencer on TikTok rave about a soon-to-open Broadway show. I was confused as to why this person was overwhelmingly praising what he saw, especially since the show hadn't even begun previews yet.

But I saw that what had happened was that the production had invited this influencer to a rehearsal and encouraged him to discuss it on his social media accounts.

As expected, especially given that this is someone new to get this level of access to the Broadway industry, he gave the show praise to almost unrealistic levels at this stage - going as far as calling it the favorite to win the Tonys next year.

But what else was he going to say? After all, as a rising theatre influencer, producers had just given him special treatment. Was he going to rip the show apart? Not likely.

And thus begins the new form of bribery happening on Broadway. Producers know that these influencers can help word of mouth about their upcoming shows, so they are going out of their way to give them special access to earn positive feedback.

While some social media influencers have more ethics and standards than others, most are trying to build their audiences in any way they can, and agreeing to the whims of Broadway producers is surely one way to do it.

I’ve been invited to my fair share of rehearsals and performances and other types of events in hopes that it would mean that we would cover the show positively; I always decline those invitations.

And it’s not because I think I’m better than any of these TikTok influencers; most have much better insight into theater than I do. Too many of them, however, sell out their integrity to be invited to a show's rehearsal. And to give producers credit, they know fully what they’re doing. They know that they can buy positive opinions by giving upstart influencers opportunities for widespread content.

For instance, I saw one influencer who is usually pretty tough on shows yet gave overwhelming praise to a show that closed quickly simply because they were invited to the red carpet opening night.

Most influencers will say that these producers do not encourage them to say positive things about the show or give guidelines on what can be reported. Still, many of these people love the attention they get from these Broadway power players so they will play the game.

And if I’m being honest, are these methods of ensuring some level of success for Broadway shows a bad thing? Is trying to get marketing on social media an unwise decision? The answer is no.

My only hope is that as these influencers gain audiences and evolve their contact, they do not sell out their integrity to gain more access or better treatment by Broadway producers.

We need as much transparent and truthful opinions about the state of theater as possible.