“They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway. They say there’s always magic in the air.”
There are so many types of music and types of musical performances: classical, hip-hop, rock, opera, country, and so many more. Broadway musicals are a favorite type of musical performance for people in America and all over the world. The energy in the entertaining stories full of song and dance have an appeal for everyone.
Broadway Beginnings
Live theater was popular in America all the way back to 1750 and earlier! In the 1800s it grew in popularity and included both musical and non-musical acts. Have you seen “The Greatest Showman?” P.T. Barnum opened his Barnum’s American Museum on Broadway in1841.
In the 1860s shows like the Kiralfy Brothers production of “The Black Crook” brought forth the idea of the modern musical, with dance and new music. The Kiralfy Brothers and other companies like them performed on Broadway even way back in those days.
Broadway Is Not Just a Street
“Broadway musicals” get their name for a famous street in New York City. There are 40 professional theaters in a small area of NYC where the level of talent and quality
is considered the highest for professional stage performances anywhere. People from all over the world flock to see these fantastic shows on Broadway.
Not all theaters that are considered “Broadway Musical” theaters are actually on Broadway. Only four "Broadway" theaters are on the street Broadway and the rest of the theaters are nearby on neighboring streets.They all, however, have at least 500 seats and command prices of around $124.
What is Off-Broadway?
While Broadway theaters have audience of 500 or more, Off-Broadway theaters have audiences of 99-499. Some of these Off-Broadway theaters are actually on Broadway the street, but they don’t get the honor simply because of their location. Off-Off-Broadway productions are those with audiences less than 99.
Just because the title says “Off- Broadway” doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Many Off-Broadway shows have even gone on to become famous Broadway musicals. Some examples are: Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Rent and Little Shop of Horrors.
And This Year's Tony for Best Musical Goes To. . .
The most famous movies get “Oscar” awards. The most famous TV shows get “Emmy” awards. All people involved in making musicals want to receive a “Tony.” A “Tony” award is their highest honor.
How many of these do you recognize?
Hamilton
Hairspray
The Lion King
Titanic
Phantom of the Opera
Les Miserables
Cats
The Sound of Music
The Wiz
Annie
What's All the Hype?
Let’s take a look at some of the most famous and successful musicals ever made. Let's see why people flock to see them performed live in theaters on Broadway in New York City and all around the world.
Hamilton
The hottest ticket around since before it won the Tony for Best Musical in 2016 has been “Hamilton.” This is an unusual telling of the story of our country’s early leaders using a combination of rap, R&B, hip-hop, soul and show tunes. This show has appealed to so many different people because of its diversity. In addition to its musical diversity, the actors selected for productions of “Hamilton” have more racial and ethnic diversity than we’ve ever seen before. “Hamilton” is a game changer and has broken boundaries in so many ways that are greatly appreciated in America and beyond.
This post is written during the time of the Trump administration and our country's shut-down due to the Corona virus. This video is of the televised Tony Awards in 2016 with an introduction by Barack and Michelle Obama. In their words I find the hope and promise also embodied by the words of this musical. This musical was written by the son of an immigrant family, and he also plays the role of Alexander Hamilton, the star of the show. As you watch and reflect I hope you also can find encouragement.
Wicked
Wicked tells the story of the Wizard of Oz before Dorothy came into the picture. The “wicked” witch, Elphaba, wasn’t always so mean. A victim of bullying, Elphaba--a green-skinned girl--originally was a person who fought injustice in the world. Wicked tells the story of a nice girl who over time turned nasty due to the abuse of the corrupt Wizard and a failed friendship with Glinda, the Good Witch.
Here’s a clip with a couple of stars you may recognize. Idina Menzel (famous for the voice of Elsa in “Frozen”) plays the part of the green-skinned Elphaba. Kristin Chenoweth has been in a wide variety of theater, film, tv and other performances. She has done voice-overs for a number of animated films, as well.
The Lion King
Disney’s “Lion King, at $1.4 billion, has made more money than any other Broadway show. This show has over 200 puppets in each performance and takes over 150 people to produce each time they perform. Julie Taymor, the director, was the first woman to ever win a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical.
Much of the story of the Lion King in the musical is the same as the Disney movie. One exception is the addition of the song “He Live In You” where Rafiki (who was changed to a woman in the musical) sings to Simba about how his father watches over him even in death.
Matilda, the Musical
"Matilda" was originally a book written by Roald Dahl (who also wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and other childhood favorites). In addition to being a musical, this book was also made into a movie. While the hero of this story is a girl, it is not a "girly" story. Matilda is a gifted, clever girl with unloving parents and a rotten school headmistress. She has a rough time at school but does have one teacher who loves and supports her. This musical is one of my favorites and I have included three video clips of my favorite songs. I hope they become favorites of yours, too.
I introduce you to Matilda, who advises us that in order to get by in life in spite of all the hard times . . . "sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty."
Miss Honey is Matilda's beloved teacher and she gives Matilda something to hope for. (This video mentions the actors as stars of the West End, which is England's version of Broadway.)
This clip shows the harshness of Matilda's headmistress, who clearly hates children. The dark humor of this has a huge appeal for many and greatly contributes to the success of Matilda.
The Phantom of the Opera
“The Phantom of the Opera” is the longest running Broadway show. It opened in 1988 and over 30 years later is still going strong. Its music is powerful and its story pulls at your heart. Its popularity is telling as it has made more money than any other play or movie (including Star Wars and Titanic).
Sometimes movies have been made into musicals, such as “Shrek, the Musical” and “Lion King,” and sometimes musicals have been made into movies. In this scene from the movie "The Phantom of the Opera" we see the Phantom, a man who wears a mask because of horrible scarring on his face, and the young Christine. They are traveling the mysterious labyrinth under the Paris Opera House. At the end of the song we hear the amazing vocals sung by Christine which have made this role such a challenge to sing.
Fun Fact: There is no “I” in Broadway
Of course we can all see there is no "I" in the spelling of the word "Broadway." In Broadway theaters, however, there also is no "I." Theater seating is labeled from the front row as Row A and continues through the alphabet adding double letters AA, etc., if there are more than 25 rows. In each row seats are labeled with numbers. Using letters and numbers separately helps eliminate confusion in finding your seat.
While rows A-H and J-Z are present, there isn't a row ‘I’. Once upon a time too many people confused "I" as the "#1" instead of the "letter I." As you can imagine this helped eliminate a lot of confusion and a lot of angry people who thought they had front row seats.
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