Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Brief History of
New York Theater
Top 10 Enduring
Broadway Shows
1
The Phantom of the
Opera
2
Beauty and the Beast
3
Rent
4
Chicago
5
The Lion King
6
The Producers
7
Mamma Mia!
8
Hairspray
9
Movin' Out
0
Avenue Q
The first of countless theaters
built in New York is thought to
have been the New Theater,
erected in lower Manhattan in
1732. The city's theatrical
center steadily moved uptown
to the Bowery, then Astor
Place, Union Square, and
Herald Square, until it settled
for good around Longacre
Square (now Times Square),
following the opening of Oscar Hammerstein's
Olympia Theater on Broadway in 1895. Some 85
theaters were built over the next three decades,
many with grand Beaux Arts interiors by architects
such as Herbert J. Krapp, and Herts and Tallant, the
latter responsible for designing cantilevered balconies
that eliminated the need for columns. Impresarios like
the Shuberts and the Chanins made theater-going
more democratic by blurring the class distinction
between orchestra and balconies, using a single
entrance for all. As modern theaters replaced them,
more than 40 of these beauties have
been demolished. Fortunately, the rest have now
been designated landmarks.
Oscar
Hammerstein
Show stoppers
Although Broadway musicals are as popular
as ever,
Cats
finally closed in 2000. It was
the longest-running show in history, having
played to packed theaters for 18 years.
42nd Street
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