Good morning. It's Saturday, June 7, and we're bringing you the latest Society & Culture newsletter. Every week, we provide fascinating deep dives into the worlds of art, music, literature, film, food, sports, entertainment, and more.
This week, we're covering Broadway, the center of the American theater world. The Sunday Edition of our Daily Digest will cover the Tony Awards—which take place tomorrow evening—but we wanted to dig even further into the industry by exploring its main artery.
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—Kevin Kearney, 1440 Society & Culture Section Editor |
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Background
Broadway is shorthand for the Broadway theater district, an area in New York City’s Manhattan borough that occupies a segment of Broadway, a 13-mile road. Although the Broadway theater district has a relatively small geographic footprint, its 41 theaters stage some of the world’s most popular productions of plays and musicals.
Throughout its centurieslong history, Broadway has been the home of numerous landmark shows that have changed the face of American and international theater.
The Great White Way
Theatrical performances were staged in New York during colonial times, but what would become Broadway didn’t begin taking shape until the mid-19th century.
That’s when the advent of electricity and the opening of several theaters created an area of the city illuminated by lampposts and marquees, leading to a nickname still used to describe Broadway today: the Great White Way.
Broadway productions rose in popularity in the early 20th century thanks to writers and performers like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Ethel Merman.
By the '40s and '50s, writers like Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein developed the modern American musical—a song-based narrative featuring elaborate choreography and charismatic stars like Julie Andrews. The form has continued evolving through the present day.
Broadway also stages nonmusical plays and has been the home of groundbreaking works by writers like Lorraine Hansberry, Eugene O’Neill, and August Wilson.
On Broadway
Although many people use the word “Broadway” to describe theater in New York, the word means something highly specific to the theater industry.
A “Broadway show” means a show that runs at a “Broadway theater,” though the classification doesn’t necessarily include every theater within the Broadway theater district. Instead, a “Broadway theater” is a theater that’s located in Manhattan and seats over 500 people.
Off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theaters might be located on Broadway or inside the district, but they seat far fewer people: Off-Broadway theaters have 100 to 499 seats, while off-off-Broadway theaters house fewer than 100.
While the word “Broadway” is often associated with the highest levels of professional theater, there are plenty of excellent shows that take place far outside the Big Apple.
Hey Big Spender
Broadway remains an integral part of American popular culture, attracting millions of attendees, drawn to shows like “Hamilton” and “Wicked” years after their openings, and breeding a universe of superfans. It’s also a major economic force, grossing over $1B annually.
That doesn’t mean every Broadway show is a success. Many shows will close, for a variety of reasons, before earning a profit. |
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How La Jolla Playhouse became Broadway’s secret hitmaker |
Broadway isn’t the only place where you can find high-class performances. Regional theaters often act as testing grounds for Broadway, allowing audiences to witness world premieres long before they hit the Great White Way. This California venue is one of the best, sending more than three dozen shows to Broadway. Learn more here. |
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The naked hippies who changed Broadway |
“Hair” rewrote the rulebook, bringing politics, race, and, yes, nudity, to Broadway. Plenty was going on backstage, too, with the young, revolutionary cast embracing the countercultural life they portrayed onstage. This history of the boundary-breaking show digs into its genesis, offering context for one of Broadway’s most important shows. Read it here. |
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The longest-running musical’s extended finale |
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” holds the record for the longest-running musical on Broadway, with an astounding tenure of 13,981 performances. When it was announced the show would close, its dedicated “phans” rushed to buy tickets, leading to an unexpected extension of the iconic show. Read about it here. |
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How the internet manifested the 'Ratatouille' musical |
It all started as a TikTok meme, asking one humorous question: What if Disney’s “Ratatouille,” the kids’ movie about a rat-turned-chef, were adapted for the stage? Just a few months later, though, it was an actual production, featuring genuine Broadway stars. This oral history explores how it all unfolded. Read it here. |
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King of the Broadway patter song |
Patter songs are uptempo numbers that match beats and syllables, requiring singers to flex some serious verbal dexterity. Stephen Sondheim’s patter songs are some of the most famous in Broadway history, featuring rapid-fire speech and clever turns of phrase. This video breaks down some of the finest examples. Watch it here. |
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Why one highly anticipated Broadway musical flopped |
“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” had all the makings of a Broadway blockbuster, with acclaimed director Julie Taymour and music from U2’s Bono and the Edge, but technical mishaps and bad reviews plagued the musical, which closed with $60M in losses. This BBC retrospective unpacks what went very, very wrong. Read it here. |
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Beyond our weekly deep dives, we love finding great takes on the culture currently shaping our lives. Here are some of the best reactions, profiles, and think pieces we encountered this week.
> Taylor Swift Won Her Biggest Battle
The Ringer | Nina Princiotti. After a protracted struggle, Taylor Swift bought back her master recordings last week. Princiotti explains how that ordeal animated Swift’s ultra-successful summer tour, along with one of the most dominant periods in pop music history. (Read)
> A Litmus Test for the NBA's Parity Era
CBS Sports | Brad Botkin. The NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers is, in theory, a ratings disaster. Botkin makes the case that these small-market teams might defy that logic, though, thanks to the teams’ deeply compelling narratives. (Read)
> Can Anything Become a Museum?
Thrillist | Kelsey Allen. From New York's Museum of Ice Cream to Seattle's Selfie Museum, we're currently witnessing a reimagining of the museum concept. Critics say these “experience forward” destinations are problematic, but Allen considers what they offer the public—and how they might benefit future generations. (Read)
> Cinema's Last Great Gamble
The Metropolitan Review | Mo Diggs. Many film critics are focused on Hollywood’s recent stagnation, offering dim predictions for the industry's future. Diggs, though, believes three recent movies suggest the studios are finally taking risks—and that they’re paying off. (Read)
> GenAI Is Our Polyester
Culture: An Owner's Manual | W. David Marx. There’s no shortage of hot takes on AI, but Marx’s essay is genuinely novel. The cultural critic predicts that AI art will follow the history of polyester clothing, which was seen as cutting edge until it was abruptly deemed ugly and passé. (Read) |
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