Many tourists who travel to New York City love to take in a Broadway show. However, few people know how Broadway became synonymous with great entertainment. Broadway shows generated $1.8 billion worth of revenue in 2012, and attendance was at 12.1 million people. When tourists plan on seeing a show, they may read the latest off Broadway show reviews. There are so many shows, people need to do their research to decide what to see.
The history of Broadway goes back to the 1700’s. The first stage was built on Nassau Street and held an audience of less than three hundred people. The theater showed mostly Shakespearean plays. After the American Revolution, the first great theater, The Park Theater, was built on Chatham Street in 1798. People loved the entertainment, and several more theaters opened. The theater district moved from downtown to midtown Manhattan after the Civil War.
In the early 1900’s, there was increased train transportation in New York, and people started making more money. There was a great demand for evening entertainment. The New York theater district started producing bigger and more expensive productions. The New York Evening Telegram coined the phrase, “the great white way,” for the theater district, which stretched from 42nd street to 53rd street. Broadway was called the “great white way” because of the huge, bright electric signs. Soon, the theater district grew all the way to Times Square. Broadway boomed in the 1920’s and some of the classic shows, like the “Jazz Singer,” were introduced. Broadway failed a bit during the depression, but rebounded with style.
Today, there are over forty professional theaters in the district. Further, Broadway is one of New York’s most popular tourist attractions. If you’re thinking about taking in a show, discover Broadway Audience.com. It’s a website that allows fans to be the critics. People can read the latest off broadway show reviews and broadway reviews. Audiences rate specific elements of each show, so consumers can decide whether they want to buy a ticket. Shows with open-ended runs have evening performances Tuesday through Saturday with a daily matinee. Read the latest off Broadway show reviews, and decide what show to see!
