NEW YORK, April 22 (UPI) -- Product placements and endorsements, long common in U.S. television and the movies, seem ready to make inroads into the world of theater.
Advertisers, looking for new ways to attract increasingly distracted consumers, are turning to Broadway and are being welcomed by producers who need the extra cash to offset rising costs, reports the New York Times.
In the original 1966 version of "Sweet Charity," a waiter in one scene asked a customer, "A double Scotch, again, sir?"
In a new version set to open at the Al Hirschfeld Theater, the waiter asks, "Gran Centenario, the tequila?" the Times said.
Others entering the field include Hormel Foods, Hilton Hotels and Resorts and Turtle Wax.
Critics worry about blurring the line between art and commerce.
"It's sad to see Broadway become part of the marketing machinery, turning into another vehicle to help marketers bombard us with ads," said Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert, a nonprofit organization in Portland, Ore.
