The Neon Lights and Stars Are Bright on Broadway

Broadway sales flourished this year, grossing $943.3 million compared to last year's $937.5 million. With 43 shows opening during the 52-week period, attendance may have been slightly down, but the 2008-2009 season was impressively profitable, reported Associated Press.

This is the highest number of plays and musicals opened in one season since 50 were produced during the 1982-1983 run.

Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of the Broadway League, said, "If you put on a great show, people will come, even in the midst of an economic downturn."

Founded in 1930, the Broadway League is an industry trade association comprised of over 600 members, including theater owners, producers and general managers. They provide goods and services to 240 plus cities across North America, according to broadwayworld.com.

By reviving such Broadway classics as West Side Story and Hair, the Broadway League is largely responsible for the season's success. Performances by stars like Katie Holmes, Angela Lansbury, James Gandolfini and Susan Sarandon also contributed.

The 2009-2010 season is highly anticipated. Hollywood A-listers Daniel Craig, known best as James Bond, and Hugh Jackman, the ever-popular Wolverine, are reportedly set to star in the Broadway play, A Steady Rain. The pair will play Chicago cops whose friendship is put to the test after domestic disputes evolve.