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Broadway Musical Theatre. A 250 Year New York City Tradition.
The most fabulous and spectacular musicals are at home on Broadway. And live theatre has been part of New York’s make up for 250 years. The first New York theatre was built in 1750. The New York theatre experience has evolved considerably since its early beginnings. Theatres offered Shakespeare in the early days, and by the mid-1800’s the popular minstrel shows had gained a following. Operas, melodramas, vaudeville and musical entertainment, were all produced in 1800’s New York. By the end of the 19th century, European burlesque had also thrilled New Yorkers. It wasn’t until 1927 that the musical,as we know it, was born with the production of Show Boat. Instead of being a hobbled together variety show, Show Boat found a way to link the music, story and dance cohesively in one package. The theatre district started life in downtown Manhattan, and over the course of a century moved gradually toward mid-town. The Broadway theatre district of today has been rooted in place since the 1920’s. Thanks to the openness of New York audiences and the unbounded creativity of the city’s performers in the 19th and 20th centuries, we are fortunate to have the spectacular theatre available to us on Broadway today.
The Impresarios with Their Names in Lights on Broadway.
There are 40 theatres that make up the world famous Broadway theatre district. Some of these venues have been named after people who were heavily involved in creating the Broadway we know today. But most people seeing the names honored would momentarily wonder “Who is that?” before being distracted by the sights of Broadway. So here is a quick introduction for you to share with those you wish to impress. A number of theatres on Broadway are named for the impresarios of the theatre; the founders of modern Broadway who put the money and creative talent forward in writing, producing, designing and building theatres. David Belasco built the Belasco Theatre in 1907. Also famous for being the first to use the casting couch, many actors claim to have seen his ghost in the audience of the Belasco. Dramatist and theatre manager George Howells Broadhurst opened the Broadhurst Theatre in 1917. The theatre has been in constant use as a live theatre venue ever since, recently featuring Daniel Radcliffe in Equus. The Cort Theatre has been on 48th Street since 1912. A successful theatre manager form Seattle named John Cort commissioned the building. The Golden Theatre gets its name from John Golden. Golden bought and renamed the pre-existing theatre in 1937, which was converted to a movie theatre for some of its history. After a brief period as a movie theatre in the mid-20th century, The Golden has since been converted into a legitimate theatre space once again. From 2003-2009 this theatre hosted the hugely popular Avenue Q.
Broadway Theatres And The Actors They Are Named For.
The Broadway theatre district has a number of venues named for the people who built Broadway. The names of the brightest stars from Broadway’s history are honored on five of these theatres. Six actors have been honored with having a Broadway theatre named in tribute to them. At 222 W 45th Street, the Booth Theatre celebrates the famous 19th century actor Edwin Booth. Opened in 1913, this is the second Booth Theatre, the first was opened by Booth himself in 1869. On 47th Street, Ethel Barrymore is honored at The Barrymore Theatre. She appeared in the very first show at the Barrymore in 1928, and many others over the course of her career. The Vivian Beaumont Theatre at the Lincoln center is another theatre named for an actress. Vivian Beaumont Allen was an actress who donated significantly to the theatre building fund, but died before the theatre opened in 1965. Broadway’s Little Theatre was renamed The Helen Hayes Theatre in 1983. Helen Hayes was an actress many considered to be the First Lady of American Theatre. Her original namesake theatre was demolished and that was what prompted the name change for the Little Theatre. The formidable married legends of Broadway; Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne are the last on this list, and have a theatre named for them on W 46th Street.
New to Broadway? Brush Up On Your Theatre Jargon
You are visiting New York and you don’t want to seem like an out-of-towner as you schmooze at the theatre bar after your first experience of Broadway. So here is your top secret cheater’s resource. Add a few of these words throughout your conversation and nobody will know you are new in town. Dark: as in “Yesterday was a terrible day, the theatre was dark and the New York Times cryptic crossword only took me 5 minutes to complete. “When the theater is dark, it means it is closed. Curtain Call: as in “I wish the curtain call had been longer, one of the actors was trying to mouth his phone number to me. “The curtain call is when the actors come back on stage at the end of the show and bow to the audience. Denouement: as in “Did you expect the denouement to reveal that Frederic was the father of both Madeline and Audrey’s babies. The denouement is the scene toward a plays end that ties up the plots loose ends. Other words good for random sprinkling include, off book, wings, flytower, Stanislavsky, legit, method acting, ham actor and upstage. Just yell out “Isn’t that Bernadette Peters?”, if someone questions your authenticity. If by some lucky chance you go backstage before the curtains rise; avoid saying “Good Luck”, actors are a superstitious bunch and feel more comfortable with “Break a Leg” or “Good Show. “And always remember, the worst thing you can possibly do backstage at a theatre is to mention “Macbeth” which is thought to bring devastation to a show. If you absolutely must talk about Macbeth, call it “the Scottish play” as a substitute.
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