Broadway producers hoping gamble pays off

New York

MANY top Broadway producers don't invest money in their own shows, given that most close at a loss. They trust their tastes and instincts, not focus groups. And they rule out some Broadway theatres as too big.

But a pair of newcomers, Howard and Janet Kagan, who made a fortune on Wall Street, are going in other directions with their much-loved, but modest-selling Broadway revival of On the Town this season.