While theatre is a medium that is performed and celebrated around the world, the capital of it all is in the Broadway district of New York. It is the goal of most playwrights and composers to get their show on Broadway so that they can achieve mainstream appeal and win a Tony Award. However, what people may not realize is that Broadway has a rich and complex history that deserves to be heard. That is why the Museum of Broadway is finally here. At 145 W. 45th St, New York City, New York, in the heart of the Broadway district, this museum shows everything that Broadway has to offer and then some. The Museum of Broadway opened to the public on Nov. 15 and has already seen many eager theater fans wanting to learn more, including myself. Tickets cost $43 each, except the first Tuesday of every month where tickets are $25 each, and I believe the visit was worth every penny.
When you first step into the exhibits of the Museum of Broadway, you are greeted by the Playbill room. This is a wall with playbill posters for every show that is currently on Broadway, along with descriptions of the shows underneath.There are even QR codes for you to scan if you want to buy tickets. While it is not a dramatic way to start the museum and feels like advertising, it was kind of cute and shows how Broadway is thriving today. After that room, visitors are brought to another room to watch a short film about the history of Broadway. It talked about how Broadway became what it is today, how it moved around a lot, all of the troubles it has gone through, mostly economically, and how Broadway is optimistic for the future. It was a fairly informative video and it made me realize that I never really thought about where Broadway came from, so I liked watching this video. After the video, the museum really began.
This is not the type of museum where people can really bounce around and decide what path they want to take. There seemed to be a general path that was expected of visitors, and it was a path that went chronologically, from the beginning of Broadway to the present. It was like going on a theatre journey through time, and it really showed how theatre has evolved over the past century. The museum starts at the early days of Broadway, with shows like “Ziegfried Follies” and “Oklahoma!”. Shows like these had their own little sections that showed classic props and costumes that were used in either the original productions or revivals. The little rooms were decorated like you stepped into these shows. There were some blurbs on the wall about these musicals and their cultural impact. Each era of Broadway also got its own little section on the wall talking about the important achievements in theater at the time as well as the prominent playwrights. For instance, the early days started with playwrights like Eugene O’Neill and early actors like Fanny Brice. There were also photos on the wall of this time, which I felt made each exhibit feel like a time capsule of theatre history. Before going into this museum, I was not that familiar with old and early Broadway compared to the more recent shows, so I liked that I got to explore this side in an interesting way.
After the earlier Broadway shows, the museum goes into the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, which was the beginning of some innovation on Broadway. The walls talked about the age of comedic farces in terms of plays and the rise of Stephen Sondheim in terms of musicals. This was also the beginning of some fun photo opportunities found in the museum. You could take a picture behind a soda bar that you might find in “West Side Story,” swing on a pretty pink swing like a flower child in “Hair” or sit at a table with cake for Bobby’s 35th birthday in “Company.” All of these photos make for great mementos of your time at the museum. There were also some videos playing at certain exhibits in the museum so that people could see what the shows were actually like. This includes dance routines from “West Side Story” and advertisements for “The Wiz.” It was also cool seeing some photos from this time, as you get to learn about some famous actors that did plays on Broadway that you may not have realized. The blurb of this time was filled with topics about how Broadway was expanding from its early days. It seemed that these shows were more bright and colorful than the previous era of musicals, which made it all fun for the eyes to take in. You don’t even feel like you are learning as it is all in such a vibrant environment. It is like someone wrote you a story, and that story had a song and dance number.
After this era, the ’80s and ’90s came along. This brought some new plays by August Wilson and Neil Simon as well as some new musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The era was fairly experimental as we reached the end of the century. This era of shows in the museum also highlighted the AIDS epidemic, which was affecting a lot of the theatre community. One of the only plays that was specifically highlighted in this museum was “Angels in America,” a two-part seven-hour play that showed what it was like to be a gay male in the height of the AIDS epidemic. Right after this, the musical “Rent” was highlighted, which also dives deep into this topic. There was also some recognition of Broadway Cares: Equity Fights AIDS, a charity that has been connected to Broadway for a long time and you will often see it advertised after a Broadway show. This museum wants to honor the good work done and show how Broadway has touched so many lives in important ways. While there were other plays and musicals for this time period, the giving back is what really stood out in this area.
Then came along the shows of the 21st century, which were a little different in terms of exhibits compared to the other years. There were some special show exhibits, like a chair and microphone set up for “Spring Awakening” and an intricate model of the Gershwin Theater for “Wicked.” However, the rest of the 21st century section had a timeline of shows from the era. From 2000 to the present, and past the present with room made until 2025, there were pictures on the wall from around five to six big productions for every single year. It shows musical and play evolution for modern times. As you walked along this wall, you would see some modern shows that were able to reflect the times they came from. From “The Full Monty” to “Six,” it was all there. After the timeline, there was a display of all sorts of costumes worn in these modern Broadway shows. This includes Idina Menzel’s costume in “Wicked” and Hugh Jackman’s costume in “The Boy From Oz” and so much more. Broadway has a storied history that has brought thousands of shows, and the hits will just keep on coming.
Alright, so we have gone through all of the years, the museum is probably over by this point. But wait, there’s more. The museum is mostly about what the people see when it comes to Broadway, but the behind-the-scenes matters as well. After going through all of the shows, the next exhibit is about the making of a Broadway show. It talks about everything that goes on behind the scenes, from the stage managers to the casting to the sound to the costumes and so much more. There are a lot of moving parts that make a Broadway show successful, and the people that are in charge of these parts deserve some respect. This exhibit was filled with video interviews of behind-the-scenes people to hear their side, and important items for each part, like different scripts or lighting boards. While this area was not as flashy or as captivating as the early exhibits about specific shows, it would not be right to celebrate Broadway if it was not all of Broadway that was being celebrated.
Ever since I was a small child, Broadway has been an important part of my life and I feel lucky that I have been able to see so many wonderful shows. I have been waiting for a museum like this for a long time and I am glad it is finally here. I had a lot of expectations, and it did not disappoint. It was a thrilling experience that helped my love for Broadway grow. That being said, you don’t have to walk into this museum as a Broadway or theatre lover. This is a museum for anyone who has even a little bit of curiosity about this world. It can be informative for people with any amount of Broadway knowledge. I have described a lot of this museum to you, but it will be completely different to actually experience it. So if you find yourself in the New York area soon, and you think you want to know more about Broadway, buy some tickets for The Museum of Broadway. Or at the very least, buy a fun shirt or mug in the gift shop.
