Surprising Facts About Broadway
Broadway, or Broadway theatre, is an area of New York that features 41 theatres, which is the beating heart of the performing arts culture in the Big Apple. No matter whether you have never experienced Broadway before or you are a Broadway enthusiast, we hope that this article is filled with plenty of fun and exciting facts that you have never heard about before. So, let’s take a look at some of the most surprising facts about Broadway…
There are only 4 theatres on Broadway – Wait, wait… yes, we did say there were 41 theatres on Broadway. However, there are only four that are actually located on Broadway Street. The lucky four are The Broadway Theatre, The Marquis, The Roundabout, and The Winter Garden. So, how do you qualify as a Broadway Theatre? You must be located in a certain area and have at least 500 seats.
Hair was the first every nude Broadway production – Yes, you read that, a nude production! In Hair, there was a brief nude scene including the entire cast. This show was a product of the sexual revolution and hippie counterculture in the late sixties. It ran for 1,750 performances once it opened in 1968. However, it was recently revived in 2009, and it was well received.
The longest running show is… – Can you guess what the longest running show is at Broadway? A lot of people will probably say the Lion King, but it is actually the Phantom of the Opera. This show opened in 1988, and it is still running four decades later. Amazing! If that wasn’t enough of a surprising fact for you about this show, here is another one… it has changed 15 times! Yes, you didn’t think the show would just stay stagnant over the years, did you? There have been 15 different actors that have played the role of the Phantom on Broadway. The first African-American to provide the role was Norm Lewis. And, what about the second-longest running show on Broadway? Well, this title goes to Chicago, which opened in 1975, yet went on a break two years later. It started running again in 1996, allowing Phantom of the Opera to sneak in and take the title of the longest running show.
So, what about the Lion King? – You are probably wondering where the Lion King falls into this. After all, you are sure it broke some sort of record or that it was the longest running show? Well, the Lion King is actually the highest-grossing Broadway show, so it was most definitely a record breaker. It has run for 20 years on Broadway. In this time, it has grossed an average of $2 million every week, accumulating to $1.4 billion!
There is no ‘I’ in Broadway – You are probably thinking “well, I can read, of course there is no I in Broadway.” However, we are not referring to the spelling. We are referring to the seat rows. If you go to a theatre, you will find rows for every other letter in the alphabet, i.e. from A to H and then J to Z, yet I is missing. The reason for this is because when people were booking tickets they mistakenly thought that the I was a 1, and so they thought they were booking tickets for the front row. They were then disappointed to find that they were actually in row nine, so to stop this from happening to row I was cleverly removed.
Broadway is the longest street in New York – Not only is Broadway an exciting and mesmerizing place, but it is the longest street in New York. It runs for a massive 33 miles, and 18 of these miles are not even within the limits of New York City. It runs from the Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan and it goes all of the way out of NYC to Albany.
There are 41 shows on Broadway at the time of writing – We may have given this away in the introduction when we said that there were 41 theatres in this part of New York. Although, you may have not known that there is one show per theatre? There are so many amazing shows for people to enjoy, with some of the most famous and well known including Lion King and Wicked. Kinky Boots is a popular Broadway show that has been well received by critics. It is based on the book written by Harvey Fierstein. Other shows that have received good ratings and come highly recommended include The Book of Mormon, Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and School of Rock.
Broadway was previously known as ‘The Great White Way’ – Last but not least, did you know that Broadway has not always been known as Broadway? In fact, it used to be called The Great White Way. This is because it was one of the first New York streets to be fully illuminated using white electric bulbs. Since 1901, candescent bulbs were used to illuminate the Broadway Signage, as architects had realized that these dazzling lights had huge advertising potential.
As you can see, there is a lot to love and embrace when it comes to Broadway. This is a place that has a unique history, and it is bringing more and more entertainment to us with every year that passes by. It will be incredible to see what Broadway is like in the next 50 years. What is your favorite Broadway show?