Broadway, the story behind an iconic New York district

NYC & Company/Joe Buglewicz

 In the center of Manhattan, West 40th Street to West 54th Street, from 6th to 8th Avenues, stands the historic district known all over the world as “Broadway”.  Broadway is the place in New York City where you can see the superstars of the American theater perform a live stage show, in a small theater setting.  The area includes restaurants, hotels, shops, street artists, New Year’s Eve’s “Times Square” and so much more, but most importantly for patrons of the arts, it holds approximately 40 professional theaters known for their fantastic shows.  

The theatre culture in New York City saw its beginning in the late 1700’s during the decade when New York was the capital of the United States.  Many of the high society crowds interested in supporting the arts would go to operas or plays.  Minstrel shows crafted by circus creator, P.T. Barnum were for the middle classes of the 1800’s and it was in 1906 when white lights were installed along the thoroughfare, giving the area its nickname “The Great White Way”.  Burlesque and vaudeville became popular in the early 1900’s until the threat of Hollywood picture shows took the attention away from live entertainment.  The theater district persevered and the shows of the mid 20th century broke records with Oklahoma! being one of the longest running shows for its time at over 2000 performances.  In the 1970’s and early 80’s, the midtown Manhattan district became a run-down place known for x rated movie theaters and peep shows, until a campaign fund to “Save the Theatres” revived the district.  Producers such as Jerome Robbins, Steven Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber created shows that the public lined up to see, bringing back the culture that we know today where live stage performances are the hottest tickets in town.  Currently, revivals of the shows On the Town, Fiddler on the Roof and CATS! can be seen along with juke box musicals Jersey Boys, Motown and Million Dollar Quartet; not to be overshadowed by the amazing new musical productions of Waitress, Kinky Boots and the hardest ticket in town to get, Hamilton.

No matter what you go to see on Broadway, whether it’s a play or a musical, classic Shakespeare or the latest hit show, the theater district of New York City is like no other anywhere else in the world.  Broadway public relations representative and up and coming producer Ryan Ratelle describes it like this: “Working on Broadway can be exciting, thrilling, challenging and exasperating all at the same time.  The fast paced world is constantly changing, bringing new experiences to audiences from all over who arrive in New York City to be entertained and enlightened.  You can never tell which show will be a runaway hit or what will be a flop, until the show goes live, but you are always guaranteed an experience you will never forget.”