KEEP BROADWAY'S LIGHTS ON
New York magazine|October 23 - November 5, 2023
Theater landlord Ef inkel can prop up a struggling musical— and maybe an entire industry.
CHRISTOPHER BONANOS 
KEEP BROADWAY'S LIGHTS ON

THE BEST WAY TO semi-reliably make money on Broadway is to own a Broadway theater, and the Shubert Organization has 17 of them, far more than any other entity. Among them are several of the most desirable big houses for musicals, such as the Winter Garden and the Majestic. That puts a whole lot of cards in the hand of Bob Wankel, Shubert's CEO. He doesn't seem to make decisions based on individual taste: No one on Broadway could tell you what a Shubert show looks or sounds like. But he has an eye for what can turn a profit and the patience to wait out a slow start-a combination that has, in turn, helped Broadway survive the jitters of the post-pandemic recovery.

This story is from the October 23 - November 5, 2023 edition of New York magazine.

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This story is from the October 23 - November 5, 2023 edition of New York magazine.

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