The Broadway Game

About this board game

The Broadway Game is a show-business finance game for 2–6 players, with an approximately 120-minute playing time. First released in 1981, it places each player in the role of a producer navigating the rough-and-tumble world of Broadway.

Producing a show can bring success, but taking it out of town carries real risk. A production may return as a hit, or it may die on the road after receiving bad reviews. The world of theater finance is unpredictable, and every promising production can face a new challenge.

The game’s setbacks and opportunities reflect the drama of the entertainment industry. During play, you may encounter:

• Investors who can pull out
• A union strike affecting your set
• A star who falls ill
• The opportunity to sell movie rights
• A scandal that can rock your production

These possibilities create a theatrical business environment where financial plans can be disrupted by events both onstage and off. The central challenge is to manage your shows while dealing with the unstable forces surrounding a Broadway production.

The Broadway Game was invented in the late 1950s backstage in New York by Ernie Parmentier. Over the years, it became a cult hit played in theater circles from New York to Hollywood. This version is presented by stage and screen star Mike Farrell, offering players the chance to experience the excitement of its show-business setting.

Whether a production becomes a hit or collapses under bad reviews, strikes, illness, investor withdrawals, or scandal, The Broadway Game brings the risks and possibilities of theatrical finance to the tabletop.