Claim: Laura Linney was in a play.

Broadway theatre , Although theater is the generally preferred spelling in the United States -LRB- see American and British English spelling differences -RRB- , many Broadway venues , performers and trade groups for live dramatic presentations use the spelling theatre . commonly known as Broadway , refers to the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway , in Midtown Manhattan , New York City . Along with London 's West End theatre , Broadway theatre is widely considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world .   The Theater District is a popular tourist attraction in New York City . According to The Broadway League , for the 2016 -- 2017 season -LRB- which ended May 21 , 2017 -RRB- , total attendance was 13,270,343 and Broadway shows had US$ 1,449,399,149 in grosses , with attendance down 0.4 % , grosses up 5.5 % , and playing weeks down 4.1 % .   The great majority of Broadway shows are musicals . Historian Martin Shefter argues , '' ` Broadway musicals , ' culminating in the productions of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein , became enormously influential forms of American popular culture '' and helped make New York City the cultural capital of the nation .