Power
Power in the world of musical theater comes in two forms: financial, as in the people who can afford to front the money to put on an expensive show, and creative, or the people who actually write, direct, and star in those shows. Guess which one actually has the power?
We'll give you a hint: money.
While having the ability to move people through song and dance will take you far in this town, it will only take you as far as the people who actually make the shows think you can take them.
This is the power of the producer—they can make a show, but they can't make a show a success without having talented people involved. They definitely need to hire a lot of people to make their vision come to life (and hopefully turn a profit). They just don't necessarily need you.
The relationship you have with producers will always be less My Way and more "Please, sir, may I have some more?" For the most part, you're just happy to be here, cashing a regular paycheck, and earning enough union hours to qualify for health care.
A few lucky and talented performers get to the top of the heap and acquire an entourage of lawyers, agents, caterers, and masseuses; but for every Nathan Lane, there's a few hundred Noone Inparticulars working for tips in a bar in Brooklyn while staring at their phones, waiting to be told that they matter.