Broadway, along with London’s West End, is perhaps the world’s most highly regarded and best-known area for stage plays and musicals. The story of theater in this area of New York, which can be traced back to the 18th century, now has its own museum.
It all probably began in the 18th century, quite a bit further south than it is today, with a comedy called “The Recruiting Officer.”
It’s said to have become the first professionally performed play in New York in 1732, staged in a small theater near the southern tip of Manhattan.
Over the centuries, the theaters grew in size and number and, due to lack of space, moved further up the island, along Broadway near Times Square.
”Show Boat,” “The Ziegfeld Follies,” “Hair,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Lion King,” “Rent” and “Hamilton” – One hit production after another cemented Broadway’s status as a cultural phenomenon in the 20th and 21st centuries. For many actors, singers, directors and fans, it was the place to be.
Now, Broadway has opened its own permanent museum for the first time – the “Museum of Broadway,” located right next to Times Square.
"We created this museum to honor Broadway: Its legendary history, its brilliant artists, its tireless preservationists, and its invaluable supporters,” co-founders and Broadway producers Julie Boardman and Diane Nicoletti said.
"You’ve never seen Broadway like this before!”
Observers hope the museum will breathe new life into Broadway after the industry took a massive hit during the pandemic. Theaters remained closed for 18 months, many people lost their jobs and numerous shows did not reopen or closed after a few months after reopening.
While nearly 15 million people went to see a Broadway play or musical in 2018-2019, it was just under 7 million when it reopened in 2021-2022.
But some hit shows like “Hamilton” continue to do well and numerous new shows have recently been added – for example, a revival of the comedy classic “Some Like It Hot” – so there is also a lot of optimism around Times Square for the future.
The Broadway Museum doesn’t have a lot of space, but it can fit a lot in it: An outline of the history of theaters in New York, a behind-the-scenes exhibition on the work that goes into plays and musicals, as well as entire rooms dedicated to major shows like ”Rent,” “Hair” and “Phantom of the Opera.”
The latter is the longest-running show on Broadway and is set to stage its last performance in February after around 35 years.
Visitors can also expect lots of art, music and costumes, including the dress in which Hollywood star Meryl Streep made her Broadway premiere in the 1975 play “Trelawny of the ‘Wells.’”
”People think all these things just disappear,” said costume curator Michael McDonald. “They’ll be amazed.”
