Cheyenne Jackson stopped by HuffPost Live on Friday to discuss "Eyes Wide Open," his new show at New York's famed Carlyle Cafe, and the state of Broadway today.
Asked by host Josh Zepps whether Broadway is in a "good place," the seasoned actor pointed out the good and the bad:
If you're speaking just fiscally, obviously it's the most successful year. Every single year it keeps topping itself. I have mixed feelings about some of the bigger shows in just that the ticket prices are so expensive. ... It's so hard for tourists, when they come here, to pay upwards of $200 a seat. That's the hard part. But as long as people will pay it, then producers will go ahead and charge it. That's my biggest gripe right now.
Jackson added that the "rich and booming" off-Broadway scene offers alternatives to pricier shows.
Zepps also asked the actor about the idea that audiences are willing to accept risky, unique plays more than musicals that are perceived as "challenging." Jackson agreed that musicals have less room to experiment.
"People, when they think 'musical,' they think, 'Okay, I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna turn off my brain, I just want to watch the dancing boys and girls and be entertained by this spectacle,'" Jackson said. "I do, I think it's a double standard."
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