A sojourn through the theatrical world of Broadway
You probably have heard of Broadway shows. But have you experienced one? These are breath-taking and a sheer delight to watch! Broadway plays and musicals have been a significant part of many people's lives for long now. Some notable Broadway plays include Victor Hugo's Les Misérables (1985), Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (1986) and Winnie Holzman's Wicked (2003). Do you know how this art form came into being? Well, it all started with Broadway Street. Curious to know more?
A street becomes a theatre district
Broadway is a street in New York City starting from State Street at Bowling Green and then passing through Manhattan and Bronx. It further continues another 18 miles through the Westchester County towns of Yonkers, Hastings-On-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington and Tarrytown before coming to an end north of Sleepy Hollow, New York! Quite broad, right? That is exactly why the British named it Broadway in 1664. This street eventually expanded to include the art style that dominated its blocks. But how did this happen?
Well, the actors and managers Walter Murray and Thomas Keane founded the first prominent theatre in New York in 1750. They created a resident theatre company on Nassau Street with a seating for around 280 people. After this, several theatres started popping up along the Broadway Street throughout the 19th century.
What makes a theatre ‘Broadway theatre’?
A Broadway theatre is one that’s along the Broadway Road in New York City's Theatre District and has 500 seats or more. There are now 41 Broadway theatres, each with a long history of ground-breaking productions and illustrious actors. Broadway primarily features musicals and a few plays. Is it possible to view Broadway outside of New York City? Simply put, no. A performance is only a Broadway show if it takes place on the Broadway Street. Does that imply that there are no excellent theatres elsewhere? No, not at all. It is common to produce plays that have already been on Broadway. Although they aren't officially Broadway shows, it doesn't mean they aren't great.
The birth of Broadway
The development of Broadway cannot be credited to a single person. Theatres were present in New York City as early as the mid-1700s, but in the late 1800s, most of them moved uptown to what is now known as the Theatre District. Throughout the 18th century, Shakespearean plays and ballad operas such as John Gay's The Beggar's Opera were performed on stage. Over time, transportation improved, poverty dropped and the neighbourhood became a critical theatre production centre. As a result, there were more viewers, which led to the opening of more theatres and by the end of the 20th century, the name 'Broadway' had come to refer to the New York theatrical arena.
The Hudson (1902), Lyceum (1903) and New Amsterdam (1903) are a few of the oldest Broadway theatres in Manhattan’s Theatre District that are still in use today! Want to know about the very first Broadway production ever? It was a five-and-a-half-hour-long musical The Black Crook by Charles M. Barras, an American actor and playwright. It ran, then let me tell you: this musical ran 474 performances in 1866 alone!