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5 Most Beautiful Broadway Theaters In New York

admin — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Broadway theaters have been a destination for New York locals and tourists for many years. Here are five of the most beautiful listed in no particular rank.

American Airlines Theatre was formerly known as Selwyn Theatre. In the 1990′s, the city took possession and it was remodeled and opened again with a new name. Visitors claim the Italian renaissance design is breathtaking.

The Broadway Theatre is one of the most recognizable theatres in New York and arguably the most popular. The first Mickey Mouse cartoon was played here in 1928

Ambassador Theatre has a capacity of around 1,100 it has played host too many famous plays. It also is considered a landmark by the city of New York. Currently it is host to the play Chicago since 2003.

Foxwoods Theatre is a relatively new Broadway theatre only being opened in 1998. It is well known for its auditoriums art deco look as well as many famous Tony award winning plays.

Palace Theatre is another theatre with a long history and beautiful interiors as well as exterior lights on the building. On top of the history and the artistic side of the building, it is rumored to be haunted by a ghost as well.

The above listed are only a fraction of what Broadway has to offer in terms of beautiful theaters.

Broadway’s Contribution To New York City Tourism

admin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Bright Lights Of Broadway – New York City’s Tourism Jewel
There’s nothing like opening night of a new drama or musical on Broadway. There’s nothing like the bright lights of Broadway at night to tempt theater-resistant tourists. The world’s most famous musicals debuted on Broadway. Musicals like “42nd Street”, “Annie Get Your Gun”, “Gypsy” and “Hair” have already had two reproductions. Others are “West Side Story”, the long-running “Fantasticks”, “Cats”, the beloved “Fiddler On The Roof”, “Annie” and dramas like critically acclaimed “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff”, “Phantom of the Opera” or the amazing hi-tech “Spider Man”. Broadway is New York City’s tourism jewel.

The World Is A Stage And Broadway Is the World’s Stage
Several of Broadway’s famed stage plays became material for Hollywood movies. In fact, Hollywood stars often rely on a role in a Broadway show to rev up sagging acting careers. Conversely, many Hollywood stars began their careers with roles in Broadway plays. It’s important not to overlook the numerous directors, producers, choreographers and screen writers who contributed to the success of Broadway. Names like Florence Ziegfield, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Jerome Kern, Arthur Laurents, Arthur Miller and Bob Fosse are Broadway legends.

Broadway Theater’s Most Intriguing And Mind Blowing Statistics

admin — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Broadway! The “Great White Way”! Many startling facts turn up among the glamour and glitz of this Street of Dreams.

The oldest known performer in a Broadway show was a 100-year-old parrot. “Senor Car” appeared in the show The Rope Dancers in 1958.

Longest-running is the romantic musical, The Phantom of the Opera, which celebrated its 10,000th performance on February 11, 2012. It’s also the top-grossing show, having earned 845 million.

Shortest-running was a “mystery farce” titled Moose Murders. It opened and closed on the same night, February 22, 1983.

The most expensive–with a 75 million budget “and most dangerous Broadway show ever is Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which opened on June 14, 2011. Before opening night, five serious accidents befell cast members.

After a tryout of Oklahoma! in 1943, the show was dismissed as “No legs, no jokes, no chance.” It went on to run over 2000 performances on Broadway, and continues to be produced in an average of 600 theaters every year.

Actress Irene Ryan (“Granny” from The Beverly Hillbillies) reportedly suffered a stroke onstage while performing in Pippin in April 1973. She passed away several weeks later.

No onstage births are reported, but Finn Murray-Sweeney was born on Broadway in the back seat of a taxi on April 22, 2011.

A Brief History Of Broadway Theater

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Theatre performances in New York can be traced back nearly to the time of the first colonists in the late 1600s. Record keeping at that time was pretty much nonexistent of course. The first actual stage shows could have taken place starting in 1696 at a coffee shop just south of Trinity Church called The King’s Arms. The first real documentation of theatrics on Broadway occurred in 1732. A group of London actors took over the second floor of a building near Maiden Lane and Pearl Street. They performed a comedy play on December 6, 1732 called The Recruiting Officer. Just look what they started.

More recently, the early 1900s brought electricity to advertisement signs on Broadway. Traffic stopping and eye popping signs gave the area a new nickname: “The Great White Way”. Broadway business peaked in 1927 with more than 70 theatres running. Things were going well until the Great Depression. At that point most people stayed home, that is, if they had a home. Things got a bit better in the 1940s, especially when the show Oklahoma came in 1943. The 1980s brought mega-musicals including Cats and Les Miserables. Currently Broadway is still a prime tourist attraction.

Upcoming Broadway Productions You Must See

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In the next year, families will find a variety of new and classic family-friendly musicals coming to Broadway.
Newsies
Based off of the 1980s movie, this musical follows the story of Jack Kelly, a charming newsboy and the leader of the rest of the “newsies.” The boys only long for happier life, without struggle or hardship, but when publishing gurus Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph raise distribution prices, it hurts the newsies. Fueled with fire, they rally every newsboy in the area to join their cause and strike for what is right. Newsies is playing at the Nederlander Theatre in New York City from March 15, 2012 to June 3, 2012.
War House
Based off of the hit movie, War House features a young boy, Albert, and his horse, Joey, which is sod into the Calvary during World War One. The horse is shipped from England to France and is soon caught in enemy fire. He travels on an unforgettable journey, serving both sides before getting lost. Albert never forgetts his friend and embarks on a quest to bring him home. This musical features a story of courage and friendship, with emotional music. It is playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago from December 18, 2012 to January 5, 2013.
Cinderella
Roger and Hammerstein’s classic returns to Broadway in late 2012. Their spin of the beloved fairytale includes uplifting songs in addition the fun magic of the fairy godmother and the glass slippers. With the classic fairytale elements, both Cinderella and the Prince save each other from cruel events and show that kindness and love conquer all.