Economic Lessons from Broadway
The Great Gatsby and Merrily We Roll Along teach tradeoffs, entrepreneurship, and more
It’s one of the most exciting months of the year for theatre lovers. The Tony nominations happened last Thursday and the Tony Awards are in early June. Over the next month, I’ll have several posts on Broadway related topics. To start, I’ve added two new songs to Broadway Economics that I wanted to share here as well.
New Money vs. Old Money in The Great Gatsby
The first song to highlight is New Money from The Great Gatsby (currently on Broadway). New Money teaches lessons on entrepreneurship, social class, and the divide in attitudes among those who gained their wealth through entrepreneurial ventures vs. those who inherited it.
Tradeoffs in Merrily We Roll Along
“Franklin Shepard, Inc.” from Merrily We Roll Along brilliantly illustrates the economic tension between artistic integrity and commercial success. The song highlights the opportunity cost of creative pursuits – Charley values artistic fulfillment, while Frank prioritizes financial gain. This concept reflects the economic challenges in the entertainment industry while balancing profitability in expression.
As I mentioned, more posts related to Broadway and theatre in general are coming this month, so please subscribe to keep email updates.