And while this musical benefited from positive reviews and three Tony Awards last year, several theater producers and directors said the show's recoupment was as significant as it was unlikely, given the tough subject matter, lack of star performers and shrinking audience in a grim economy.
It was left to the performers, therefore, to shrink the space between them and their audience.
Spectacular, hydraulically powered scenery has a way of shrinking the performers who stand before it.
Abundant dancing returns in the final "Summa," in which, one by one, the group shrinks, leaving two performers — Ms. Halzack and Mr. Trusnovec — behind.
Of course, if Mr. Fallon took over as host of "The Tonight Show," pressure for ratings would increase, probably shrinking the room for obscure performers.
To play Truman Capote – a diminutive gay man with a high baby voice and ornate gestures – the stocky, deep-voiced performer seemed actually to shrink and levitate.
The big independent producers and high-rating performers get the lion's share of a shrinking pot, along with prestigious projects such as Planet Earth.
The hotel suite shrinks, the armchair pinches and the harried performer has been at rest for too long.
As concerts go, one scheduled for Sunday is no shrinking violet: it will have some 2,000 performers, 200 sites and an expected live audience in excess of 100,000, plus 300,000 watching on television or listening on radio.
The popularity of jazz, however, declined greatly by the beginning of the 20th century, with an aging and shrinking audience, though the city continued producing local performers and hosting a vibrant jazz scene.
