Black Broadway: THE $1.89 BILLION CULTURAL RETURN

KMOB1003 • may 31, 2025 BY SONARI GLINTON, ECON GRIOT

As the Tonys approach, the industry’s biggest night is a chance to ask who gets the spotlight—and who built the stage. Audra McDonald’s success isn’t just artistic; it is the fundamental economic anchor of modern Broadway.

This analysis, based on intersectional economics, dissects how Black-led shows are driving a billion-dollar comeback and why systemic gatekeeping remains the industry’s central drama.

Creator: Gilbert Flores |Credit: Variety via Getty Images Copyright: 2024 Penske Media

Audra McDonald’s Impact on Modern Broadway

I first saw Audra McDonald in Carousel, the Cameron Mackintosh revival with colorblind casting in the 1990s. Specifically, seeing a Black woman fully inhabit a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein role shifted the chemistry in my brain. It was more than the casting—it was her voice, soaring above the chorus. Crucially, McDonald’s shows routinely break box office records, and she anchors a Broadway season that has shattered earnings projections.

If you’ve followed my reporting or my Substack, Vanilla is Black, you know I spend a lot of time at the intersection of race, culture, and economics. Ultimately, Broadway is where those forces collide, inside a black box and under a spotlight.

The Systemic Dismissal: LuPone, Lewis, and the System

‘I knew that if I survived this, I could survive anything,’ LuPone says about her time starring in the hit Broadway musical Evita. (Axel Dupeux)

I’ve long admired Patti LuPone, a brilliant diva known for her sharp tongue. However, when you read the recent New Yorker profile, it’s clear she’s either unaware of herself, or doesn’t care. Consider this: She’s fought co-stars, producers, and even audience members. Now imagine if a Black actress did just one of those things.

To begin with, LuPone dismissed veteran actress Kecia Lewis, who confronted her about noise complaints, snapping: “She’s done seven shows. I’ve done thirty-one. Don’t call yourself a vet, bitch.” After the controversy, more than 500 prominent figures in the theater world signed an open letter condemning LuPone’s remarks, calling for greater accountability.

Enter Carla Stillwell: The Veteran on Black Excellence

Kecia Lewis made her Broadway debut at 18 years old in the original company of Dreamgirls

By the time LuPone dismissed Kecia Lewis, actor, playwright, director, and founder of the Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Art, Carla Stillwell, was not surprised. “Anybody who has done one show on Broadway is a veteran,” she told me. “To dismiss that is so disrespectful.” Indeed, Lewis is a Broadway legend, having originated roles in Dreamgirls and Big River.

Stillwell put it bluntly: “Patti LuPone has had twice as many opportunities as a woman like Audra McDonald or Kecia Lewis… because the work was created for her to flourish in as a white woman.” Ultimately, despite Lewis’s talent and longevity, she’s only now getting her due because Black women have had so few opportunities to lead in American theater.

Broadway’s Record-Breaking Season Was Built by Black Talent

Broadway’s 2024–2025 season reached a historic high, grossing a record-breaking $1.89 billion and drawing 14.7 million attendees. In fact, many of these record-breaking grosses came from new, original Black-led works that didn’t rely on stars or IP.

The recovery wasn’t driven by revivals. Instead, it was powered by productions like MJ the Musical, Fat Ham, and Ain’t Too Proud—new stories that brought in new audiences. Stillwell summarized the economic reality: “Black women are the largest spending power in this country after white men. We’ve always been the revitalization of any industry on the brink. Therefore, Broadway’s comeback? That’s us.”

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