Broadway theatre

Type of theatre in New York CityTemplate:SHORTDESC:Type of theatre in New York City

**Broadway theatre**, or **Broadway**, are the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theatres, each with 500 or more seats, located in the Theater District and the Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world.

While the thoroughfare is eponymous with the district and its collection of 41 theaters, and it is closely identified with Times Square, only three of the theaters are located on Broadway itself, namely the Broadway Theatre, the Palace Theatre, and the Winter Garden Theatre. The rest are located on the numbered cross streets, extending from the Nederlander Theatre one block south of Times Square on West 41st Street, north along either side of Broadway to 53rd Street, as well as the Vivian Beaumont Theater, at Lincoln Center on West 65th Street. While exceptions exist, the term "Broadway theatre" is generally reserved for venues with a seating capacity of at least 500 people. Smaller theaters in New York are referred to as off-Broadway, regardless of location, while very small venues with fewer than 100 seats are called off-off-Broadway, a term that can also apply to non-commercial or *avant-garde* theater, or productions held outside of traditional theater venues.

The Theater District is an internationally prominent tourist attraction in New York City. According to The Broadway League, for the 2018–19 season total attendance was 14,768,254. Broadway shows had $1,829,312,140 in grosses, with attendance up 9.5%, grosses up 10.3%, and playing weeks up 9.3%. The Museum of Broadway on West 45th Street, opened to the public in November 2022, became the first museum to document the history and experience of Broadway theatre and its profound influence upon shaping Midtown Manhattan and Times Square.

Most Broadway shows are musicals. Historian Martin Shefter argues that Template:"'Broadway musicals', culminating in the productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein, became enormously influential forms of American popular culture" and contributed to making New York City the cultural capital of the world.

## History

### Early theatre in New York

 File:Park Theatre interior.jpg
New York's first significant theatre presence arose about 1750, when actor-managers Walter Murray and Thomas Kean established a resident theatre company at the Theatre on Nassau Street in Lower Manhattan, which held about 280 people. They presented Shakespeare plays and ballad operas such as *The Beggar's Opera*. In 1752, William Hallam sent a company of twelve actors from Britain to the colonies with his brother Lewis as their manager. They established a theatre in Williamsburg, Virginia, and opened with *The Merchant of Venice* and *The Anatomist*. The company moved to New York in 1753, performing ballad operas and ballad-farces like *Damon and Phillida*. The Revolutionary War suspended theatre in New York, but thereafter theatre resumed in 1798, the year the 2,000-seat Park Theatre was built on Chatham Street (now called Park Row). The Bowery Theatre opened in 1826, followed by others.

By the 1840s, P.T. Barnum was operating an entertainment complex in Lower Manhattan. In 1829, at Broadway and Prince Street, Niblo's Garden opened and soon became one of New York's premier nightspots. The 3,000-seat theatre presented all sorts of musical and non-musical entertainments. In 1844, Palmo's Opera House opened and presented opera for only four seasons before bankruptcy led to its rebranding as a venue for plays under the name Burton's Theatre. The Astor Opera House opened in 1847. A riot broke out in 1849 when the lower-class patrons of the Bowery Theatre objected to what they perceived as snobbery by the upper-class audiences at Astor Place: "After the Astor Place Riot of 1849, entertainment in New York City was divided along class lines: opera was chiefly for the upper-middle and upper classes, minstrel shows and melodramas for the middle-class, variety shows in concert saloons for men of the working class and the slumming middle-class."

The plays of William Shakespeare were frequently performed on the Broadway stage during the period, most notably by American actor Edwin Booth who was internationally known for his performance as Hamlet. Booth played the role for a famous 100 consecutive performances at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1865 (with the run ending just a few months before Booth's brother John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln), and would later revive the role at his own Booth's Theatre (which was managed for a time by his brother Junius Brutus Booth, Jr.). Other renowned Shakespeareans who appeared in New York in this era were Henry Irving, Tommaso Salvini, Fanny Davenport, and Charles Fechter.

### Birth of the musical and post-Civil War

Theatre in New York moved from Downtown gradually to Midtown Manhattan, beginning around 1850, seeking less expensive real estate. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the area that now comprises the Theater District was owned by a handful of families and comprised a few farms. In 1836, Mayor Cornelius Lawrence opened 42nd Street and invited Manhattanites to "enjoy the pure clean air." Close to 60 years later, theatrical entrepreneur Oscar Hammerstein I built the iconic Victoria Theater on West 42nd Street.

Broadway's first "long-run" musical was a 50-performance hit called *The Elves* in 1857. In 1870, the heart of Broadway was in Union Square, and by the end of the century, many theatres were near Madison Square. Theatres arrived in the Times Square area in the early 1900s, and the Broadway theatres consolidated there after a large number were built around the square in the 1920s and 1930s. New York runs continued to lag far behind those in London, but Laura Keene's "musical burletta" *The Seven Sisters* (1860) shattered previous New York records with a run of 253 performances. It was at a performance by Keene's troupe of *Our American Cousin* in Washington, D.C. that Abraham Lincoln was shot.

The first theatre piece that conforms to the modern conception of a musical, adding dance and original music that helped to tell the story, is considered to be *The Black Crook*, which premiered in New York on September 12, 1866. The production was five-and-a-half hours long, but despite its length, it ran for a record-breaking 474 performances. The same year, *The Black Domino/Between You, Me and the Post* was the first show to call itself a "musical comedy".

Tony Pastor opened the first vaudeville theatre one block east of Union Square in 1881, where Lillian Russell performed. Comedians Edward Harrigan and Tony Hart produced and starred in musicals on Broadway between 1878 (*The Mulligan Guard Picnic*) and 1890, with book and lyrics by Harrigan and music by his father-in-law David Braham. These musical comedies featured characters and situations taken from the everyday life of New York's lower classes and represented a significant step forward from vaudeville and burlesque, towards a more literate form. They starred high-quality professional singers (Lillian Russell, Vivienne Segal, and Fay Templeton), instead of the amateurs, often sex workers, who had starred in earlier musical forms.

As transportation improved, poverty in New York diminished, and street lighting made for safer travel at night, the number of potential patrons for the growing number of theatres increased enormously. Plays could run longer and still draw in the audiences, leading to better profits and improved production values. As in England, during the latter half of the century, the theatre began to be cleaned up, with less prostitution hindering the attendance of the theatre by women. Gilbert and Sullivan's family-friendly comic opera hits, beginning with *H.M.S. Pinafore* in 1878, were imported to New York (by the authors and also in numerous unlicensed productions). They were imitated in New York by American productions such as Reginald Dekoven's *Robin Hood* (1891) and John Philip Sousa's *El Capitan* (1896), along with operas, ballets, and other British and European hits.

 File:Give My Regards to Broadway.jpg
Charles H. Hoyt's *A Trip to Chinatown* (1891) became Broadway's long-run champion when it surpassed *Adonis* and its 603 total performances in 1893, holding the stage for 657 performances. *Chinatown* itself was surpassed by the musical *Irene* (1919) in 1921 as the longest-running Broadway musical, and even earlier, in March 1920, by *Lightnin'* (1918) as the longest-running Broadway show. In 1896, theatre owners Marc Klaw and A. L. Erlanger formed the Theatrical Syndicate, which controlled almost every legitimate theatre in the U.S. for the next sixteen years. However, smaller vaudeville and variety houses proliferated, and Off-Broadway was well established by the end of the nineteenth century.

*A Trip to Coontown* (1898) was the first musical comedy entirely produced and performed by African Americans in a Broadway theatre (inspired largely. by the routines of the minstrel shows), followed by the ragtime-tinged *Clorindy: The Origin of the Cakewalk* (1898), and the highly successful *In Dahomey* (1902). Hundreds of musical comedies were staged on Broadway in the 1890s and early 1900s made up of songs written in New York's Tin Pan Alley involving composers such as Gus Edwards, John Walter Bratton, and George M. Cohan (*Little Johnny Jones* (1904), *45 Minutes From Broadway* (1906), and *George Washington Jr.* (1906)). Still, New York runs continued to be relatively short, with a few exceptions, compared with London runs, until World War I.
A few very successful British musicals continued to achieve great success in New York, including *Florodora* in 1900–01.

### Early 20th century

 File:Victor Herbert.jpg
In the early years of the twentieth century, translations of popular late-nineteenth century continental operettas were joined by the "Princess Theatre" shows of the 1910s, by writers such as P. G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton, and Harry B. Smith. Victor Herbert, whose work included some intimate musical plays with modern settings as well as his string of famous operettas (*The Fortune Teller* (1898), *Babes in Toyland* (1903), *Mlle. Modiste* (1905), *The Red Mill* (1906), and *Naughty Marietta* (1910)).

Beginning with *The Red Mill*, Broadway shows installed electric signs outside the theatres. Since colored bulbs burned out too quickly, white lights were used, and Broadway was nicknamed "The Great White Way". In August 1919, the Actors' Equity Association demanded a standard contract for all professional productions. After a strike shut down all the theatres, the producers were forced to agree. By the 1920s, the Shubert Brothers had risen to take over the majority of the theatres from the Erlanger syndicate.

During this time, the play *Lightnin'* by Winchell Smith and Frank Bacon became the first Broadway show to reach 700 performances. From then, it would go on to become the first show to reach 1,000 performances. *Lightnin'* was the longest-running Broadway show until being overtaken in performance totals by *Abie's Irish Rose* in 1925.

### Competing with motion pictures

 File:Broadway theatres 1920.jpg
The motion picture mounted a challenge to the stage. At first, films were silent and presented only limited competition. By the end of the 1920s, films like *The Jazz Singer* were presented with synchronized sound, and critics wondered if cinema would replace live theatre altogether. While live vaudeville could not compete with these inexpensive films that featured vaudeville stars and major comedians of the day, other theatres survived. The musicals of the Roaring Twenties, borrowing from vaudeville, music hall, and other light entertainment, tended to ignore plot in favor of emphasizing star actors and actresses, big dance routines, and popular songs.

Florenz Ziegfeld produced annual spectacular song-and-dance revues on Broadway featuring extravagant sets and elaborate costumes, but there was little to tie the various numbers together. Typical of the 1920s were lighthearted productions such as *Sally*; *Lady Be Good*; *Sunny*; *No, No, Nanette*; *Harlem*; *Oh, Kay!*; and *Funny Face*. Their books may have been forgettable, but they produced enduring standards from George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Vincent Youmans, and Rodgers and Hart, among others, and Noël Coward, Sigmund Romberg, and Rudolf Friml continued in the vein of Victor Herbert. Live theatre has survived the invention of cinema.

### Between the wars

Leaving these comparatively frivolous entertainments behind and taking the drama a step forward, *Show Boat* premiered on December 27, 1927, at the Ziegfeld Theatre. It represented a complete integration of book and score, with dramatic themes, as told through the music, dialogue, setting, and movement, woven together more seamlessly than in previous musicals. It ran for 572 performances.Template:CelebrityCaricatures1925The 1920s also spawned a new age of American playwright with the emergence of Eugene O'Neill, whose plays *Beyond the Horizon*, *Anna Christie*, *The Hairy Ape*, *Strange Interlude*, and *Mourning Becomes Electra* proved that there was an audience for serious drama on Broadway, and O'Neill's success paved the way for major dramatists like Elmer Rice, Maxwell Anderson, Robert E. Sherwood, Clifford Odets, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller, as well as writers of comedy like George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Classical revivals also proved popular with Broadway theatre-goers, notably John Barrymore in *Hamlet* and *Richard III,* John Gielgud in *Hamlet*, *The Importance of Being Earnest* and *Much Ado About Nothing*, Walter Hampden and José Ferrer in *Cyrano de Bergerac*, Paul Robeson and Ferrer in *Othello*, Maurice Evans in *Richard II* and the plays of George Bernard Shaw, and Katharine Cornell in such plays as *Romeo and Juliet*, *Antony and Cleopatra*, and *Candida*.

As World War II approached, a dozen Broadway dramas addressed the rise of Nazism in Europe and the issue of American non-intervention. The most successful was Lillian Hellman's *Watch on the Rhine*, which opened in April 1941.

### Post-War era

After the lean years of the Great Depression, Broadway theatre had entered a golden age with the blockbuster hit *Oklahoma!*, in 1943, which ran for 2,212 performances. According to John Kenrick's writings on Broadway musicals, "Every season saw new stage musicals send songs to the top of the charts. Public demand, a booming economy and abundant creative talent kept Broadway hopping. To this day, the shows of the 1950s form the core of the musical theatre repertory."

### Decline in late 1960s

Kenrick notes that "the late 1960s marked a time of cultural upheaval. All those changes would prove painful for many, including those behind the scenes, as well as those in the audience." Of the 1970s, Kenrick writes: "Just when it seemed that traditional book musicals were back in style, the decade ended with critics and audiences giving mixed signals."

Ken Bloom observed that "The 1960s and 1970s saw a worsening of the area [Times Square] and a drop in the number of legitimate shows produced on Broadway." By way of comparison, in the 1950 to 1951 season (May to May) 94 productions opened on Broadway; in the 1969 to 1970 season (June to May) there were 59 productions (fifteen were revivals). In the twenties, there were 70–80 theaters, but by 1969, there were 36 left.

### Resurgence in early 1980s

In early 1982, Joe Papp, the theatrical producer and director who established The Public Theater, led the "Save the Theatres" campaign. It was a not-for-profit group supported by the Actors Equity union to save the theater buildings in the neighborhood from demolition by monied Manhattan development interests. Papp provided resources, recruited a publicist and celebrated actors, and provided audio, lighting, and technical crews for the effort.

At Papp's behest, in July 1982, a bill was introduced in the 97th Congress, entitled "H.R.6885, A bill to designate the Broadway/Times Square Theatre District in the City of New York as a national historic site". The legislation would have provided certain U.S. government resources and assistance to help the city preserve the district. Faced with strong opposition and lobbying by Mayor Ed Koch's Administration and corporate Manhattan development interests, the bill was not passed. The Save the Theatres campaign then turned their efforts to supporting the establishment of the Theater District as a registered historic district. In December 1983, Save the Theatres prepared "The Broadway Theater District, a Preservation Development and Management Plan", and demanded that each theater in the district receive landmark designation. Mayor Ed Koch ultimately reacted by creating a Theater Advisory Council, which included Papp.

### COVID-19 impact

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, Broadway theaters closed on March 12, 2020, shuttering 16 shows that were playing or were in the process of opening. The Broadway League shutdown was extended first to April, then to May, then June, then September 2020 and January 2021, and later to June 1, 2021. Then-governor Andrew Cuomo announced that most sectors of New York would have their restrictions lifted on May 19, 2021, but he stated that Broadway theatres would not be able to immediately resume performances on this date due to logistical reasons. In May 2021, Cuomo announced that Broadway theaters would be allowed to reopen on September 14, and the League confirmed that performances would begin to resume in the fall season.

*Springsteen on Broadway* became the first full-length show to resume performances, opening on June 26, 2021, to 1,721 vaccinated patrons at the St. James Theatre. *Pass Over* then had its first preview on August 4, and opened on August 22, 2021, becoming the first new play to open. *Hadestown* and *Waitress* were the first musicals to resume performances on September 2, 2021. The 74th Tony Awards were also postponed; the Tony nominations were announced on October 15, 2020, and took place on September 26, 2021. On July 30, 2021, it was announced that all Broadway theaters required attendees to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination. The rule applied to guests ages 12+. Those under age 12 were required to provide a negative COVID-19 test (PCR within 72 hours or antigen within six hours of the performance start time). Beginning November 8, those ages 5–11 also had the option to provide proof of at least one vaccination shot. Effective December 14, in accordance with NYC's vaccination mandate, guests ages 5–11 were required to have at least one vaccination shot until January 29, 2022, where they had to be fully vaccinated. The vaccine mandate lasted until April 30, and attendees were also required to wear face masks until July 1.

During the COVID-19 shutdown, the Shubert Organization, the Nederlander Organization, and Jujamcyn had pledged to increase racial and cultural diversity in their theaters, including naming at least one theater for a Black theatrical personality. The August Wilson Theatre, owned by Jujamcyn, had been renamed after Black playwright August Wilson in 2005. The Shuberts announced in March 2022 that the Cort Theatre, which was under renovation at the time, would be renamed after actor James Earl Jones. In June 2022, the Nederlanders announced that the Brooks Atkinson Theatre would be renamed after Lena Horne, The James Earl Jones Theatre was rededicated in September 2022, while the Lena Horne Theatre was rededicated that November.

## Description

### Schedule

Although there are some exceptions, shows with open-ended runs generally have evening performances Tuesday through Saturday, with a 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. "curtain". The afternoon "matinée" performances are at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays and at 3:00 p.m. on Sundays. This makes for an eight-performance week. On this schedule, most shows do not play on Monday and the shows and theatres are said to be "dark" on that day. The actors and the crew in these shows tend to regard Sunday evening through Monday evening as their weekend. The Tony award presentation ceremony is usually held on a Sunday evening in June to fit this schedule.

In recent years, some shows have moved their Tuesday show time an hour earlier to 7:00 pm. The rationale for this move was that since fewer tourists take in shows midweek, Tuesday attendance depends more on local patrons. The earlier curtain makes it possible for suburban patrons to get home by a reasonable hour after the show. Some shows, especially those produced by Disney, change their performance schedules fairly frequently depending on the season. This is done in order to maximize access to their target audience.

### Producers and theatre owners

Most Broadway producers and theatre owners are members of The Broadway League (formerly "The League of American Theatres and Producers"), a trade organization that promotes Broadway theatre as a whole, negotiates contracts with the various theatrical unions and agreements with the guilds, and co-administers the Tony Awards with the American Theatre Wing, a service organization. While the League and the theatrical unions are sometimes at loggerheads during those periods when new contracts are being negotiated, they also cooperate on many projects and events designed to promote professional theatre in New York.

Of the four non-profit theatre companies with Broadway theatres, all four (Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre Company, and Second Stage Theatre) belong to the League of Resident Theatres and have contracts with the theatrical unions which are negotiated separately from the other Broadway theatre and producers. (Disney also negotiates apart from the League, as did Livent before it closed down its operations.)

The majority of Broadway theatres are owned or managed by three organizations: the Shubert Organization, a for-profit arm of the non-profit Shubert Foundation, which owns seventeen theatres; the Nederlander Organization, which controls nine theatres; and Jujamcyn, which owns five Broadway houses.

### Personnel

Both musicals and straight plays on Broadway often rely on casting well-known performers in leading roles to draw larger audiences or bring in new audience members to the theatre. Actors from film and television are frequently cast for the revivals of Broadway shows or are used to replace actors leaving a cast. There are still, however, performers who are primarily stage actors, spending most of their time "on the boards", and appearing in screen roles only secondarily. As Patrick Healy of *The New York Times* noted:

> Broadway once had many homegrown stars who committed to working on a show for a year, as Nathan Lane has for *The Addams Family*. In 2010, some theater heavyweights like Mr. Lane were not even nominated; instead, several Tony Awards were given for productions that were always intended to be short-timers on Broadway, given that many of their film-star performers had to move on to other commitments.
>
>

According to Mark Shenton, "One of the biggest changes to the commercial theatrical landscape—on both sides of the Atlantic—over the past decade or so is that sightings of big star names turning out to do plays has [sic] gone up; but the runs they are prepared to commit to has gone down. Time was that a producer would require a minimum commitment from his star of six months, and perhaps a year; now, the 13-week run is the norm."

The minimum size of the Broadway orchestra is governed by an agreement with the musicians' union (Local 802, American Federation of Musicians) and The Broadway League. For example, the agreement specifies the minimum size of the orchestra at the Minskoff Theatre to be eighteen, while at the Music Box Theatre it is nine.

### Runs

Most Broadway shows are commercial productions intended to make a profit for the producers and investors ("backers" or "angels"), and therefore have open-ended runs (duration that the production plays), meaning that the length of their presentation is not set beforehand, but depends on critical response, word of mouth, and the effectiveness of the show's advertising, all of which determine ticket sales. Investing in a commercial production carries a varied degree of financial risk. Shows need not make a profit immediately; should they make their "nut" (weekly operating expenses), or lose money at a rate acceptable to the producers, they may continue to run in the expectation that, eventually, they will pay back their initial costs and become profitable. In some borderline situations, producers may ask that royalties be temporarily reduced or waived, or even that performers—with the permission of their unions—take reduced salaries, to prevent a show from closing. Theatre owners, who are not generally profit participants in most productions, may waive or reduce rents, or even lend money to a show to keep it running.

Some Broadway shows are produced by non-commercial organizations as part of a regular subscription season—Lincoln Center Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Second Stage Theater are the four non-profit theatre companies that currently have permanent Broadway venues. Some other productions are produced on Broadway with "limited engagement runs" for several reasons, including financial issues, prior engagements of the performers, or temporary availability of a theatre between the end of one production and the beginning of another. However, some shows with planned limited engagement runs may, after critical acclaim or box office success, extend their engagements or convert to open-ended runs. This was the case with 2007's *August: Osage County*, 2009's *God of Carnage*, 2012's *Newsies*, and 2022's *Take Me Out*.

Historically, musicals on Broadway tend to have longer runs than "straight" (i.e., non-musical) plays. On January 9, 2006, *The Phantom of the Opera* at the Majestic Theatre became the longest-running Broadway musical, with 7,486 performances, overtaking *Cats*. *The Phantom of the Opera* closed on Broadway on April 16, 2023, soon after celebrating its 35th anniversary, after a total of 13,981 performances.

### Audience

Attending a Broadway show is a common tourist activity in New York. The TKTS booths sell same-day tickets (and in certain cases, next-day matinee tickets) for many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows at a discount of 20 to 50%. The TKTS booths are located in Times Square, in Lower Manhattan, and at Lincoln Center. This service is run by Theatre Development Fund. Many Broadway theatres also offer special student rates, same-day "rush" or "lottery" tickets, or standing-room tickets to help ensure that their theatres are as full—and their grosses as high—as possible.

According to The Broadway League, total Broadway attendance was 14.77 million in 2018–2019, compared to 13.79 million in 2017–2018. The Broadway League reports that approximately 66% of all Broadway tickets were purchased by tourists in the 2012–2013 season, an increase of three percent from the 2011–2012 season. By way of comparison, London's West End theatre reported a total attendance of 15.5 million for major commercial and grant-aided theatres in central London for 2018. The average age of the Broadway audience in the 2017–18 theater season was 40, the lowest it had been in nearly two decades.

### Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway

The classification of theatres is governed by language in Actors' Equity Association contracts. To be eligible for a Tony, a production must be in a house with 500 seats or more and in the Theater District, which are the criteria that define Broadway theatre. Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway shows often provide a more experimental, challenging, and intimate performance than is possible in the larger Broadway theatres. Some Broadway shows, however, such as the musicals *Hair*, *Little Shop of Horrors*, *Spring Awakening*, *Next to Normal*, *Rent*, *Avenue Q*, *In the Heights*, *Fun Home*, *A Chorus Line*, *Dear Evan Hansen*, and *Hamilton*, began their runs Off-Broadway and later transferred to Broadway, seeking to replicate their intimate experience in a larger theatre. Other productions are first developed through workshops and then out-of-town tryouts before transferring to Broadway. *Merrily We Roll Along* famously skipped an out-of-town tryout and attempted to do an in-town tryout—actually preview performances—on Broadway before its official opening, with disastrous results.

### Broadway national tours

After, or even during, successful runs in Broadway theatres, producers often remount their productions with new casts and crew for the Broadway national tour, which travels to theatres in major cities across the country. Sometimes when a show closes on Broadway, the entire production, with most if not all of the original cast intact, is relaunched as a touring company, hence the name "Broadway national tour". Some shows may even have several touring companies out at a time, whether the show is still running in New York or not, with many companies "sitting down" in other major cities for their own extended runs. For Broadway national tours of top-tier cities, the entire Broadway production is transplanted almost entirely intact and may run for many months (or years) at each stop. For example, the first U.S. tour of *The Phantom of the Opera* required 26 53-foot-long (16.1 m) semi-trailers to transport all its sets, equipment, and costumes, and it took almost 10 days to properly unload all those trucks and install everything into a theater.

Second-tier and smaller cities can also attract national tours, but these are more likely to be "bus and truck" tours. These are scaled-down versions of the larger, national touring productions, historically acquiring their name because the casts generally traveled by bus instead of by air, while the sets and equipment traveled by truck. Tours of this type often run for weeks rather than months, and frequently feature a reduced physical production to accommodate smaller venues and tighter schedules, and to fit into less trucks. A typical second-tier city can usually sell only up to about eight weeks of tickets. For cities smaller than that, a touring production might move twice a week ("split weeks") or every day ("one-nighters"). For "bus and truck" tours, the production values are usually less lavish than the typical Broadway national tour or national touring production, and the actors, while still members of the actors' union, are compensated under a different, less lucrative union contract. The Touring Broadway Awards, presented by The Broadway League, honored excellence in touring Broadway.

### Awards

Broadway productions and artists are honored by the annual Antoinette Perry Awards (commonly called the "Tony Awards", or "Tonys"), given by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League, and that were first presented in 1947. The Tony is Broadway's most prestigious award, comparable to the Academy Awards for Hollywood film productions. Their importance has increased since 1967 when the awards presentation show began to be broadcast on national television. In a strategy to improve the television ratings, celebrities are often chosen to host the show, some with scant connection to the theatre. The most recent Tony Awards ceremony was held on June 11, 2023. Other awards given to Broadway productions include the Drama Desk Award, presented since 1955, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards, first given in 1936, and the Outer Critics Circle Award, initially presented in 1950.

## Broadway theatres and current productions

* An \* after the opening date indicates that the listed production has yet to open and is scheduled for the given date at that theatre.
* An \* after the closing date indicates that there is another show scheduled for that theatre.
* If the next show planned is not announced, the applicable columns are left blank.
* Capacity is based on the capacity given for the respective theatre at the Internet Broadway Database.

### Upcoming productions

The following shows are confirmed as future Broadway productions. The theatre in which they will run is either not yet known or currently occupied by another show.

## Notes

1. ↑ Pincus-Roth, Zachary (February 8, 2008). Ask Playbill.com: Broadway or Off-Broadway—Part I.
2. ↑ Viagas, Robert (December 16, 2015). Hudson Theatre Will Be Reopened as Broadway House.
3. ↑ Naden, Corinne J. (2011) (in en). *The Golden Age of American Musical Theatre: 1943–1965*. Scarecrow Press. pp. 1. ISBN 9780810877344. https://books.google.com/books?id=adJ5J1kwj3wC&q=highest%2520level%2520of%2520commercial%2520theatre&pg=PA1. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
4. ↑ How to Tell Broadway from Off-Broadway From.... Playbill, Inc. (January 13, 2019).
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "2018 – 2019 Broadway End-of-Season Statistics" (Template:Webarchive). Broadway League, May 28, 2019.
6. ↑ Martin Shefter (1993). *Capital of the American Century: The National and International Influence of New York City*. Russell Sage Foundation. p. 10. ISBN 9781610444972. https://books.google.com/books?id=7oW4BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA10. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kenrick, John (2003–2005). Theatre in NYC: A Brief History I.
8. ↑ "Bowery Theatre history, Internet Broadway Database listing" Template:Webarchive Internet Broadway Database, accessed August 26, 2011
9. ↑ Snyder, Robert W. (1995). Jackson, Kenneth T.. ed. *The Encyclopedia of New York City*. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 1226.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Urban Development.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Longest Running Plays in London and New York" Template:Webarchive dgillan.screaming.net (stagebeauty.net), copyright 2007, accessed August 26, 2011
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Sheridan, Morley. *Spread A Little Happiness:the First Hundred Years of the British Musical*, New York: Thames and Hudson, 1987, Template:ISBN, p.15
13. ↑ Kenrick, John. "Kenrick's summary of New York theatre from 1865–1900" Template:Webarchive Musicals101.com, accessed August 26, 2011
14. ↑ Midkoff, Neil. Discovering *Dorothy*. home.earthlink.net.
15. ↑ Kenrick, John (2003). Theatre in NYC: History – Part IV.
16. ↑ Lubbock, Mark (1962). *The Complete Book of Light Opera*. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. pp. 807–8.
17. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Atkinson, Brooks (April 2, 1941). "Lillian Hellman's *Watch on the Rhine* Acted With Paul Lukas in the Leading Part" (PDF). *The New York Times*. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
18. ↑ Kenrick, John. "History of The Musical Stage. 1950s I: When Broadway Ruled" Template:Webarchive musicals101.com, accessed December 2, 2012
19. ↑ Kenrick, John. "History of The Musical Stage.1960s II: Long Running Hits" Template:Webarchive
musicals101.com, accessed December 2, 2012
20. ↑ Kenrick, John. "History of The Musical Stage. 1970s Part V: Change" Template:Webarchive musicals101.com, accessed December 2, 2012
21. ↑ Bloom, Ken. "Introduction" Template:Webarchive *Broadway: Its History, People, and Places* (2004) (books.google.com) Taylor & Francis, Template:ISBN, p.xvi
22. ↑ Productions Opening During the Season 1950–1951. *InternetBroadwayDatabase*.
23. ↑ Productions Opening During the Season 1969–1970. *InternetBroadwayDatabase*.
24. ↑ "Broadway 1950–1970" Template:Webarchive mapsites.net, December 2, 2012
25. ↑ The name of the organization was "Save the Theatres, Inc., as noted in court papers. See Shubert Organization, Inc. v. Landmarks Preservation Commission of the City of New York and Save the Theatres, Inc. Template:Webarchive, Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division, First Department, May 16, 1991, accessed March 10, 2013
26. ↑ Proposal to Save Morosco and Helen Hayes Theaters.
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Helen Epstein (March 1, 1996). *Joe Papp: An American Life*. ISBN 0-306-80676-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=S\_-joU2OLf4C&pg=PA403. Retrieved February 22, 2013. Template:Dead link
28. ↑ City Panel Near Vote on Save-The-Theaters Proposals. *The New York Times* (April 15, 1984).
29. ↑ Corwin, Betty "Theatre on film and tape archive" Template:Webarchive, International Association of Libraries and Museums of the Performing Arts, accessed May 10, 2013
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Bill Summary & Status – 97th Congress (1981–1982) – H.R.6885. Thomas.loc.gov.Template:Dead link
31. ↑ Lynne B. Sagalyn (2003). *Times Square Roulette: Remaking the City Icon*. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-69295-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=7BP6qjN8UGcC&q=%22save+the+theaters%22&pg=PA266. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Peter Bosselmann (August 28, 1985). *Representation of Places – Imprimé: Reality and Realism in City Design*. ISBN 978-0-520-91826-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=JYLmNywHow0C&q=%22save+the+theaters%22&pg=PA107. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
33. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Paulson, Michael (October 9, 2020). "Broadway Will Remain Closed at Least Through May". *The New York Times*. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
34. ↑ Broadway League Extends Shutdown Until June 2021 (October 9, 2020).
35. ↑ Evans, Greg (May 5, 2021). Broadway To Reopen Sept. 14, Says Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Broadway League "Cautiously Optimistic" (en-US).
36. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Corasaniti, Nick (June 27, 2021). "Bruce Springsteen Reopens Broadway, Ushering In Theater's Return". *The New York Times*. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
37. ↑ Dilella, Frank (August 5, 2021). "Pass Over" becomes first new play on Broadway since COVID shutdown. *NY1*.
38. ↑ Meyer, Dan (August 22, 2021). Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu's *Pass Over* Opens on Broadway August 22. *Playbill*.
39. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Paulson, Michael (September 3, 2021). "Musicals Return to Broadway With 'Waitress' and 'Hadestown'". *The New York Times*. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
40. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Moynihan, Caitlin (October 8, 2020). "2020 Tony Awards Nominations Will Be Announced on October 15". *Broadway.com*. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
41. ↑ McPhee, Ryan (May 26, 2021). Tony Awards, Sidelined by the Pandemic, Sets September Date for 4-Hour Celebration (en).
42. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Broadway Toughens Vaccine Rule for Kids Under 12, Extends Mask Policy Through April". *NBC News New York*. January 10, 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
43. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Broadway Adjusts COVID Vaccine Requirements, Extends Mask Policy". *NBC News New York*. April 15, 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
44. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Paulson, Michael (April 15, 2022). "Most Broadway Theaters Will Drop Vaccine Checks, but Not Mask Mandate". *The New York Times*. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
45. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Paulson, Michael (June 21, 2022). "Broadway Will Drop Mask Mandate Beginning July 1". *The New York Times*. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
46. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Paulson, Michael (August 23, 2021). "Broadway Power Brokers Pledge Diversity Changes as Theaters Reopen". *The New York Times*. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Paulson, Michael (June 9, 2022). "In a First for Broadway, a Theater Will Be Renamed for Lena Horne". *The New York Times*. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
48. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Paulson, Michael (March 2, 2022). "Broadway's Cort Theater Will Have a New Name: James Earl Jones". *The New York Times*. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
49. ↑ James Earl Jones honored in renaming of historic N.Y. Broadway theater (March 2, 2022).
50. ↑ Evans, Greg (June 9, 2022). Broadway Theater To Be Renamed For Icon Lena Horne In Historic First.
51. ↑ Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre will be renamed in honor of stage and screen star Lena Horne (June 9, 2022).
52. ↑ Broadway's Cort Theatre renamed to honor actor James Earl Jones (September 12, 2022).
53. ↑ Carlin, Dave (November 1, 2022). Lena Horne becomes first Black woman to have Broadway theater named after her.
54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 Blank, Matthew (August 21, 2011). Weekly Schedule of Current Broadway Shows.
55. ↑ Simonson, Robert (April 4, 2011). Ask Playbill.com: When Did Broadway Shows Start Offering Sunday Performances?.
56. ↑ Healy, Patrick. "Time Is Short to See Tony Winners" Template:Webarchive. *The New York Times*, June 14, 2010
57. ↑ Shenton, Mark. "Rewarded today, gone tomorrow..." Template:Webarchive. *The Stage*, June 17, 2010
58. ↑ "Local 802 Agreement" Template:Webarchive. local802afm.org. p. 10. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
59. ↑ Take Me Out Extends Run Through June 11th. BroadwayWorld.com (April 8, 2022).
60. ↑ Playbill Staff. "Long Runs on Broadway" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, November 20, 2011
61. ↑ Gans, Andrew. More 'Music of the Night': The Phantom of the Opera Sets New Closing Date on Broadway (en).
62. ↑ 'The Phantom of the Opera' closes on Broadway after 35 years (17 April 2023).
63. ↑ TKTS Discount Booths in NYC, Theatre Development Fund.
64. ↑ Blank, Matthew. "Broadway Rush and Standing Room Only Policies" Template:Webarchive. Playbill.com, March 1, 2011
65. ↑ Hetrick, Adam (January 9, 2014). Broadway League Announces 2012–13 Demographics; Young Theatregoers and International Tourists on the Rise.
66. ↑ "Society of London Theatre Box Office Figures, 2018" Template:Webarchive solt.co.uk, Date Published: March 1, 2019
67. ↑ Ginia Bellafante (December 27, 2019). 9 Ways New York Changed That We Didn't See Coming.
68. ↑ Sondheim, Stephen (2010). *Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954–1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes*. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 382. ISBN 978-0679439073. https://books.google.com/books?id=NSSdczSC13gC&pg=PA382. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
69. ↑ Harrison, Thomas (2011). *Music in the 1980s*. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. p. 136. ISBN 9780313366000. https://books.google.com/books?id=MBEZBL7Dr7YC&pg=PA136. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 70.2 70.3 70.4 Slaton, Shannon (2012). *Mixing a Musical: Broadway Theatrical Sound Mixing Techniques*. Waltham: Focal Press. p. 51. ISBN 9781136111815. https://books.google.com/books?id=QhgsCu8UHtUC&pg=PA51. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
71. ↑ "Tony Awards History" Template:Webarchive tonyawards.com, accessed February 25, 2011
72. ↑ McKinley, Jesse. "Tony Awards Finish Up With a Fuzzy Surprise; Puppet Musical Wins Big, as Does 'My Own Wife'" Template:Webarchive *The New York Times*, June 7, 2004
73. ↑ "Venues at the Internet Broadway Database Template:Webarchive InternetBroadwayDatabase.com, accessed August 26, 2011
74. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "*I Need That*, Starring Danny DeVito and Daughter Lucy DeVito, Sets Broadway Dates" Playbill.com, July 31, 2023
75. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Olivier-Winning London *Cabaret* Revival is Officially Broadway Bound" Playbill.com, July 11, 2023
76. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "*How to Dance in Ohio* Sets Fall Broadway Bow" Playbill.com, July 20, 2023
77. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "*The Outsiders* Musical Will Arrive on Broadway in Spring 2024" Playbill.com, August 21, 2023
78. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "*Kimberly Akimbo* to Play Broadway's Booth Theatre, Reveals Full Creative Team" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, May 20, 2022
79. ↑ Putnam, Leah. "Neil Diamond Musical A Beautiful Noise Sets Broadway Dates" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, May 18, 2022
80. ↑ Hall, Margaret. "David Byrne-Fatboy Slim Musical Here Lies Love Sets Broadway Dates" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, January 12, 2023
81. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "*Melissa Etheridge: My Window* Will Play Limited Broadway Engagement" Playbill.com, June 11, 2023
82. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman's *Harmony* Sets Broadway Bow" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, April 28, 2023
83. ↑ Masseron, Meg & Gans, Andrew. "*The Notebook* Musical Will Come to Broadway This Spring" playbill.com, August 3, 2023
84. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan & Gans, Andrew. "SNL's Alex Moffat, Nehal Joshi, Dana Steingold Join Broadway's *The Cottage*" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, March 13, 2023
85. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Upcoming *Merrily We Roll Along* Revival Extends Broadway Run" Playbill.com, July 10, 2023
86. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "*Water For Elephants* Musical Sets 2024 Broadway Bow" Playbill.com, September 12, 2023
87. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells Will Return to Broadway in *Gutenberg! The Musical*" Playbill.com, June 22, 2023
88. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "*Jaws* Behind-the-Scenes Play *The Shark is Broken* Will Make Broadway Bow" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, April 25, 2023
89. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford to Lead Broadway Revival of *Sweeney Todd*" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, September 6, 2022
90. ↑ Masseron, Meg & Culwell-Block, Logan. "Broadway Revival of *Purlie Victorious*, Starring Leslie Odom Jr., Reveals Dates, Theatre, Full Casting" Playbill.com, June 15, 2023
91. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Alex Newell, John Behlmann, Andrew Durand, More to Bring New Musical *Shucked* to Broadway This Season" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, November 14, 2022
92. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "*Monty Python's Spamalot* Sets a Broadway Return" Playbill.com, August 2, 2023
93. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "LaChanze, Taraji P. Henson, More Join Producing Team for Manhattan Theatre Club's *Jaja's African Hair Braiding*" Playbill.com, July 25, 2023
94. ↑ Culwell-Black, Logan. "Christian Borle, J. Harrison Ghee, Adrianna Hicks to Star in *Some Like It Hot* on Broadway" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, April 20, 2022
95. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "West End's *& Juliet* Musical Sets Fall Broadway Bow With Betsy Wolfe, Paulo Szot, More" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, July 7, 2022
96. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "*Days of Wine and Roses* Will Open on Broadway in 2024 With Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James" Playbill.com, September 13, 2023
97. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "A New Translation of Uncle Vanya From Heidi Schreck Is Broadway-Bound" Playbill.com, September 14, 2023
98. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "*Back to the Future: The Musical* Sets Broadway Bow; Roger Bart and Hugh Coles to Lead the Cast" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, October 21, 2022
99. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Sarah Paulson Will Return to Broadway in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' *Appropriate*" Playbill.com, July 27, 2023
100. ↑ Harms, Talaura. "Tony Winners Tyne Daly and Liev Schreiber Will Return to Broadway in *Doubt: A Parable*" Playbill.com, June 1, 2023
101. ↑ Hall, Margaret. "Jeremy Strong to Return to Broadway in *An Enemy of the People*" Playbill.com, May 12, 2023
102. ↑ Harms, Talaura. "Danny DeVito Will Return to Broadway With Daughter Lucy in Theresa Rebeck's *I Need That*" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, March 21, 2023
103. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Rachel McAdams Will Make Broadway Debut in Amy Herzog's *Mary Jane*" Playbill.com, September 11, 2023
104. ↑ Hall, Margaret. "Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons, Celia Keenan-Bolger Will Star in Paula Vogel's *Mother Play* on Broadway" Playbill.com, September 6, 2023
105. ↑ Wiegand, Chris. "The Mousetrap: Agatha Christie's West End hit to make Broadway debut after 70 years Template:Webarchive TheGuardian.com, November 25, 2022
106. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Joshua Harmon's *Prayer for the French Republic* Sets 2023 Broadway Bow via Manhattan Theatre Club" Playbill.com, June 1, 2023
107. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Paulson, Michael (March 22, 2023). "A Stage Adaptation of 'Smash' Is Setting Its Sights on Broadway". *The New York Times*. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
108. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "*The Wiz* Will Ease on Back to Broadway in 2024" Template:Webarchive Playbill.com, December 1, 2022

## See also

* Off-Broadway
* Off-Off-Broadway

## Further reading

* Ackerman, Alan. "Liberalism, Democracy, and the Twentieth-Century American Theater", *American Literary History* (2005) 17#4 pp. 765–780.
* Bordman, Gerald. *American Musical Comedy* (Oxford University Press, 1982)
* Bordman, Gerald. *American Operetta* (Oxford University Press, 1981)
* Knapp, Raymond. *The American Musical and the Formation of National Identity* (Princeton University Press, 2005)
* Middeke, Martin, et al. *The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary American Playwrights* (2013)
* Mordden, Ethan. *Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theatre* (2013)
* Roudane, Matthew Charles. *American Drama Since 1960: A Critical History* (1996)
* Shiach, Don. *American Drama 1900–1990* (2000)
* Stempel, Larry. *Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater* (WW Norton, 2010) 826 pp.
* Weales, Gerald Clifford. *American drama since World War II* (1962)
* White, Timothy R. *Blue-Collar Broadway: The Craft and Industry of American Theater* (2014)
* Wolf, Stacy. *Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical* (2010)

## External links

* The Internet Broadway Database
* The Houses of Broadway, *The New York Times*, April 30, 2010

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