Broadway

Broadway is a street in New York which has come to symbolize live theater throughout the world. Today, the area stretches from West 41st Street up to West 53rd Street. Only four theaters are actually located on Broadway, with the rest being both East and West of this twelve block stretch. In its beginnings, Broadway was provincial and parochial, bearing no serious relation to art or life, and not taken very seriously by the general public. William Wheatley staged the first show, called The Black Crook during which the audience saw a drama, listened to the orchestra, and were entertained by a hundred dancing gypsies visiting from Paris. Broadway shows may run for a varying number of weeks, depending on ticket sales. Musicals tend to have longer runs than do stage plays. On January 9, 2006, The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre became the longest running musical with 7,486 performances when it overtook Cats. Seeing a Broadway show is a common tourist activity in New York and a business that generates billions of dollars annually. The tickets booth in Duffy Square, at Broadway and 47th Street, sells same-day tickets for many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows at half price. This service helps sell empty seats and makes seeing a show in New York more affordable. Many Broadway theatres also offer special student rates, same-day 'rush' tickets, or standing-room tickets to help ensure that more people have the opportunity to see Broadway shows. Some theatergoers prefer the more experimental, challenging, and intimate performances possible in smaller theatres, which are referred to as Off-Broadway. Broadway shows and artists are honored every June when the Antoinette Perry Awards (Tony Awards) are given by the American Theatre Wing. The Tony is Broadway's highest theatre award.