NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Is it possible for Broadway to lead New York’s economic comeback?
Broadway officially reopened on Saturday with Bruce Springsteen kicking off a new run of “Springsteen On Broadway,” and Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, says the energy is helping bring life back to New York City.
“I was there for Mr. Springsteen on Saturday night, and you could almost feel the energy coming up from the floor, there was just so much excitement – so much so that Mr. Springsteen had to ask us to hush so the show could go on,” she said.
It was the first full production show since the pandemic shut Broadway down 15 months ago, but officials say now that the curtains have risen again, the city is coming back to life.
In this week’s In Depth Podcast, we explored more about New York City’s recovery, first speaking with Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance, who says Broadway and Times Square’s recovery will be a symbol of New York City’s recovery.
“Symbolically, we reflect the city to the world. The empty Times Square was symbolic of the pause and the pandemic, and a robust energized Time Square is symbolic of our resilience and our resolve,” Harris said. “We're seeing that resilience and resolve play out every day and each week we exceed our numbers and move forward from the pandemic.”
He notes that even though the area is such a small section of New York City, it’s the heart of the city’s economy and tourism industry.
“We are the economic engine of the city. We are the little engine that could. We are 0.1% of the city's land mass and 15% of the overall economy,” Harris said. “But, the city cannot recover without a Times Square recovery and Times Square is going to recover.”
We also spoke with Paul Barney, a managing partner of Hurley’s Irish Saloon in the Theater District, who says they are already seeing life return to the city’s streets.
“We’re extremely positive— heading in the right direction 100%,” he said. “You could see it on the streets there's more life, which is wonderful. And with Broadway, Mr. Springsteen has just opened up his show on 44th Street and that's kind of given Broadway a real jump start, a shot in the arm. There's excitement now on Broadway and it's really showing signs of coming back and I would never bet against New York.”
He says Hurley’s is excited to start welcoming back large crowds like they used to prior to the pandemic, and he is personally excited to see New York City come back to life.
“We got a third-floor beer garden, a two-sided bar and a beautiful dining room and outdoor seating on the first floor,” Barney said. “But, other than that, I'd love to see more people come and visit to New York and the Tri-State area. Come in for a weekend, spend the night at a hotel, support the hotels, the local bars, restaurants and shops. We all really need a little support, and you'll find that everybody's really appreciative of all the extra business that is coming in. And we all gotta think positive and on the bright side. We're gonna be back and New York's gonna be just fine.”
You can hear more about New York's recovery on our In Depth Podcast. Find it on the Audacy app, or wherever you listen to podcasts.