Broadway's 10-year run of bumper years is over, after a bad season affected by the events of 11 September and the economic downturn.

During one week in September 2001, 23 shows took just $3.6m (�2.5m), compared with 22 shows taking $10m (�6.8m) during the same week the year before, according to trade newspaper Variety.

The total taken for the entire season stood at $642.5m (�438m), $22.9m less than in the previous year.

The year 2000-1, by contrast, had seen a big yearly increase of 10.4%.

Broadway's last bad year at the box office also came during a US recession, in 1990-91.

That season took about $16m less than the year before, a record for the time of $283.4m.

New shows

But viewed in terms of numbers, the figures look even worse for New York's theatrical community.

The number of people buying tickets dropped almost one million to 10.9 million, below the 11 million mark for the first time since 1995-96.

However, the events of September have not stopped new shows, with seven more new productions opening on Broadway than the previous season's 35.

After the World Trade Centre attacks, the total taken at the box office fell about 10% during the autumn and early winter, despite the October opening of highly successful Abba musical Mamma Mia.