Brittany Levithan

New York City, the greatest city in the world debatably! In 2012 alone, 52.7
million tourists came to visit the Big Apple (NYCgo.com). But what are all these tourists
doing coming to NYC besides to get their famous I heart NY t-shirt? There are hundreds,
if not thousands of attractions that draw people to come to the city that never sleeps!
Most people may want to visit the famous Time Square, the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11
memorial or the many upon many museums located in the city. But lets face it, a trip to
New York City is not complete without taking a walk down or seeing a show on the
world renowned Broadway!
Broadway is located in Midtown Manhattan in New York Citys Theatre District. It
runs right through the heart of the legendary Times Square! The Broadway you know
today is not the way Broadway that started out. In fact, it wasnt even called Broadway!
It was originally called Long Acres Square and was changed to Times Square in 1904. It
was called Times Square after the very popular newspaper called The New York Times (
McBride,). Every story has its beginning and Broadways was in the late 1800s. During
this time, there was no television or even radio to keep people entertained! So what
were people to do? Going to see a play was the answer. Although, plays both big and
small could be found all around the country, nothing could compare to the plays put on
in the heart of New York City!
The Broadway theatre district was modeled after the success of Londons West
End theatre district. One of the first plays on Broadway was in the American theater; the
theatre that is now home to Disneys The Lion King! This play was called The Prodigal
Daughter and tickets could be purchased for fifty cents! New Yorkers were thrilled with
the location of this play right in the center of everything.
The first large and elaborate play brought to Broadway was in 1913 and it was
called the Ziegfeld Follies! This show featured singing, dancing and comedy variety acts
with jaw dropping sets and costumes. A large part of this shows success was due to the
new subway station at Times Square. Now people had a way to get from different areas
of the city to see the famous Follies. Composer Irving Berlin wrote the songs in the
Follies. His songs were sold for ten cents a piece (Kantor, 2004 )!
As times changed for our country, so did the theatre that was played in this
famous district. For example, in 1918 when the USA entered World War One, many of
the plays were based on patriotism. When the Jazz period in the twenties came about,
Jazz was incorporated into the plays. During this area, woman were changing their
image; both physically and mentally. Women wanted to become equals to men and
plays showed this change. The theatre district has a great way of adapting to peoples
needs (McBride).
During the twenties an actor Al Jolson became very famous for his character,
Black Face. Black face was a white man portraying a black man by rubbing black paint all
over his face and acting out stereotypes. During this time, people would enjoy his
shows and thought he was a brilliant comedian. Now a days, people see this act as a
disgusting display of racism! Al was also known as a diva. He would do such things as
turn on the faucets in his dressing room when another performer was getting applause
because he though he was the best( Kantor, 2004)! Black Face became a very popular
thing in theatre. White people would dress up as black face for plays.
During the 1930s when the stock market crashed, the Great Depression was in
full swing. The Depression greatly influenced NYC theatre district. Many Broadway
performers and writers decided to go to Hollywood to try out the up and coming film
industry. If this was not bad enough, people started to become actors in plays as a job to
feed their families instead of doing it for the love of the art. New Yorks theatre district
was in a slump. The comedic plays during this time were a good escape for people
during this era, for those who could afford it that is.
During World War Two, often the lights up and down Broadway had to be turned
off to avoid foreign airplane attacks. However, this could not keep the theatre down
because the district was in its golden age (Broadway.com )! One of the biggest things to
happen to Broadway at this time was the teaming up of Rogers and Hammerstein.
Anyone who knows anything about music or theatre has heard about this dynamic duo!
They wrote such hits as Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, The Sound of Music, The King
and I, Carousel, Cinderella and South Pacific just to name a few ( Kantor, 2004).
Moving into the fifties, popular plays included Peter Pan, The King and I and
West Side Story. West Side Story was a modern spinoff of Romeo and Juliet and two
star-crossed lovers. This play in this time period was one that pushed boundaries. It was
the first time such things as murder and rape were portrayed on a stage. The producers
were taking a huge risk but the response was phenomenal. It was one of the most
successful plays at that time. The sixties had its own boundaries to push. The play Hair
was not only the first time actors interacted with the audience but there was also
frontal nudity, which was new to Broadway.
In the seventies though nineties, Times Square became a stop for perverts. The
street was covered with strip clubs, nude magazine and sex shops. This put an impact on
the theatre district because people did not want to bring their children to a place like
this. Broadway needed a new play to bring back the spirit of the old Broadway and the
answer to this was A Chorus Line. Popular plays to follow during this time were Sweeney
Todd, Les Miserables, Grease and The Phantom of the Opera. Of course we cannot
forget to mention the longest running Broadway play of all time, Cats!
In the early 2000s, cooperate companies wanted to start to dip their fingers in
Broadway. One of the biggest contenders was the Walt Disney Corporation. They
started with the Beauty and the Beast and the famous play The Lion King. The only
problem with this was how are people going to take their children to see a Broadway
production with sex shops all around? Mayor Rudy Giuliani promised the Disney
Company that he would take care of this matter and he did! Disney has produced other
Broadway hits such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Tarzan, Marry Poppins, Newsies, etc.
A new struggle came in 2001 when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center
killing thousands of people. Discounted tickets could be purchased at the second world
trade building as well as the booth that still stands today in the center if Times Square.
People were afraid to come in to NYC after that and the theatre district took a hit.
Mayor Giuliani included in a speech just a week after the attacks to go see a
play.(Kantor,2004). Although, it may have sounded heartless, his point was that New
York is a Strong city and we can come back from anything!
Broadway today even has its own awards show broadcasted nationally; The Tony
Awards. Every single day actors with high hopes head to Broadway appropriately called
the Street of Dreams. Today one of the number one things to do when you visit New
York City is to see a Broadway Play! Some of todays most popular hits include Wicked,
Kinky Boots, Matilda, the Book of Mormon, Motown, Cinderella, Pippin, Chicago and
Jersey Boys. So next time your travels bring you to NYC, see a Broadway play but dont
forget where it all began!













Works Cited
Broadway Musicals. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2014.
Kantor, Michael. Broadway; The American Musical. 2004
McBride, Murdoch. "Is Broadway's Future Up in the Air?" Back Stage 8 May 1998: 3.
Popular Culture Collection. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.

The Official New York City Guide to NYC Attractions, Dining ... (n.d.). Retrieved
September 19, 2014.