Midtown - New York City - page 269

Understand
The Early Days of Broadway
The Broadway of the 1920s was well-known for its lighthearted musicals, commonly fusing vaudeville and mu-
sic hall traditions, and producing classic tunes like George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Cole Porter's Let's
Misbehave . At the same time, Midtown's theater district was evolving as a platform for new American dramat-
ists. One of the greatest was Eugene O'Neill. Born in Times Sq at the long-gone Barrett Hotel (1500 Broadway)
in 1888, the playwright debuted many of his works here, including Pulitzer Prize winners Beyond the Horizon
and Anna Christie . O'Neill's success on Broadway paved the way for other American greats like Tennessee
Williams, Arthur Miller and Edward Albee. This surge of serious talent led to the establishment of the annual
Tony Awards in 1947, Broadway's answer to Hollywood's Oscars.