Andrew Lloyd Webber responded to the early closure of “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” by arguing that Broadway musicals are in crisis. In a lengthy social media post on Tuesday, the composer warned that the high costs of putting on shows are making it difficult for creators to make a living and worrying investors about supporting original works.

“Without action, Broadway risks rivaling the empty stages of Hollywood: increasingly dark theaters where bold new plays once existed,” Lloyd Webber wrote.

“Movie theater owners, unions and producers must urgently unite,” he added. “Every part of the industry has an interest in finding a solution…Broadway is more than a street or a collection of buildings. It is an idea, and one of the most important cultural ideas that America has given us. That idea is now in grave danger. I plead with all who have the power to protect it: unite before it is too late.”

It’s a powerful message from Lloyd Webber, one of the most successful composers in theater history, and it comes as others have sounded the alarm about the health of musicals. Last season, six original musicals debuted on Broadway, a sharp drop from the 14 or 15 that premiered in the previous two seasons.

“Cats: The Jellicle Ball” had some of the best reviews of the year, with critics praising the decision to repackage Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” as a dance competition that pitted drag performers against each other on the runway. Initially, the show earned between $900,000 and $1 million a week, a respectable figure. However, sales fell sharply after “The Jellicle Ball” lost the Tony Award for best revival of a musical to “Ragtime.”

“Sunset Blvd.” by Lloyd Webber. was revived in 2024 on Broadway by director Jamie Lloyd in a stripped-down version that won a Tony for best revival and Nicole Scherzinger’s lead performance. However, the program failed to recover its investment.

“The painful truth is that, as things stand, bringing almost any new show to Broadway makes little financial sense,” Lloyd Webber wrote on social media. “The costs are immense. Creators, writers and directors are often forced to accept minimal royalties simply to be able to put their work together.”

“Of course, established Broadway hits are still profitable,” he added. “But Broadway can’t survive creatively or commercially with three old shows. Bold new work must have a future.”

Despite their frustration with the economics of Broadway, Lloyd Webber and Lloyd will bring “Evita” to Broadway next spring with Rachel Zegler. A 2025 production of the show was a huge success when it debuted in London. But the composer seems reluctant to commit to other Broadway productions. In an interview with Variety linked to “Evita,” Lloyd Webber suggested he might not stage his next musical, “The Illusionist,” in New York.

“I’ve been worried about Broadway for a long time, because people can’t really get their money back and most of these shows have limited runs,” Lloyd Webber said. “It’s a brave person who brings something to Broadway now.”