I was chatting with a potential Broadway investor recently. After some back and forth, they ultimately decided against investing. Totally fine . . . this happens all the time.  (Raising money for Broadway shows is like auditioning is for Actors – you get a lot of nos . . . but you keep asking because you believe in what you’re doing . . . and eventually you’ll get a yes.)

But then came the kicker. They said: “Hey, if you ever find one of those Hamiltons, I’ll absolutely invest in that.”

Cue the sitcom laugh track.

Because here’s the irony: if I had pitched this same investor Hamilton before it was Hamilton, I can almost guarantee they would have said, “That’s the craziest idea for a musical I’ve ever heard. A hip-hop show about the guy on the ten-dollar bill? No way that’ll work.”

And of course, we all know what happened next. Hamilton didn’t just work. It rewrote the rules of Broadway—and it will continue to work for decades. (Did you see last week’s grosses? Check this out!)

The truth is, the most successful shows in Broadway history almost always start with someone saying: “Wait . . . how is that going to work?”

Maybe Happy Ending: A quirky, unconventional show ABOUT ROBOTS that surprised everyone with its runaway success.

So, to my friend, the potential investor waiting for the next Hamilton, here’s the reality: you’ll never know which one is “the big one.” There’s no crystal ball, no secret formula.

What you can do is this:

Invest in what you love.

Invest in artists who love what they do so much, they’ll never stop . . . so if it’s not this one that’s the big hit, it’ll be the next one. 

And of course, never invest more than you can afford to lose.  🙂

Broadway’s greatest hits weren’t obvious. They were risks. And the people who believed in them early? They’re the ones still laughing today . . . but not with a laugh track.

If you’re looking to learn more about Hamilton from the producer’s POV, consider getting Tony Award winning producer Jeffrey Seller’s memoir, “Theater Kid”.

And to learn more about investing on Broadway, click here to get my book, Broadway Investing 101: Play Your Part on Broadway.  

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