There are two queues outside "Springsteen on Broadway" at the Walter Kerr Theatre. One is a winding line of people waiting to go through TSA-like security. The other is an amorphous scrum by the stage door hoping to glimpse Bruce Springsteen when he arrives.
It's not easy getting a ticket to Springsteen's limited Manhattan run _ or even getting into the theater with a ticket because of its strict rules, including no cellphone usage until the curtain call.
With fewer and fewer original musicals on the horizon, Broadway seems to have figured out a way to attract theatergoers: Turn to well-known music that baby boomers love. Sparked by the enduring success of the Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons' biography "Jersey Boys" and the Abba-propelled "Mamma Mia," this past Broadway season saw musicals featuring the songs of Jimmy Buffett, Donna Summer and Springsteen.
The formula is working for Broadway _ the 2017-18 season pulled in $1.7 billion, up 17 percent from the previous season.
It's keeping visitors happy, too, whether they nab tickets to "Springsteen on Broadway" or follow along as three actresses portray Donna Summer (from child to disco queen to diva supreme) in "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical."
The Buffett vehicle, "Escape to Margaritaville," closed July 1 but will hit the road next year.
Here's a closer look at those three musicals.
