Broadway producers don’t love them. They hate it when a musical comes from a non-profit theater company yet competes for the same Tony Award that the producers fight for. A Tony Award can mean the producers will pay back their investors and maybe even turn a profit. A Tony failure can mean ruination. The stakes just aren’t the same for non-profits.

An aside: Sometimes, it’s hard not to enjoy New York Post-style theater —  well, let’s just call it “theater commentary.” It often provides another answer to my question above:

A third musical revival – Sunday in the Park With George – seems to be fading, largely because Tony nominators and voters think the Roundabout skimped on the orchestra, which sounds as if it’s made up of a kazoo and a couple of combs wrapped in wax paper.

Grease, the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. Its producer, would-be TV personality David Ian, is an orange-colored Visigoth.”