Talk about Razzle Dazzle!
You’ll Be Thrilled by the Museum of Broadway!
New York City’s newest star attraction is the Museum of Broadway in Times Square!
The museum opened on November 15, 2022, and is located at 145 W. 45th Street in Manhattan. Greeter Mary Alice Kellogg said the museum was beautifully designed for two different groups: those who know nothing about Broadway and those who are huge fans of Broadway. “Whichever group you’re in, it will be fascinating!”
The presentation is chronological. You begin with the history of Broadway starting in the 1800s until the present. She loved the Zeigfield Room which had actual memorabilia as far back as the early 1900s. Throughout the museum, all the important Broadway shows and milestones are celebrated.
“The museum is set up for great Instagram-able scenes,” Mary Alice said. There are videos and costumes and props and historical documents. The most fascinating part is that you start out on the third floor and work your way down to the first floor which is all about backstage Broadway: costume design, production design, scenery, even wigs! You see what stage managers do and all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making a Broadway show.
Greeter Dan Morrison loved how the museum was laid out. “Once you enter, you go to the top floor and work your way down chronologically, decade by decade. While you may not be familiar with every show in each room, something will remind you of that decade.”
Dan was also impressed that each room was designed by a Broadway set designer – it makes sense, it’s beautiful and you’re really seeing the work of active set designers.
In the 1970s, there’s a room highlighting A Chorus Line. If you stand in a certain place, refracting mirrors make it look like the entire chorus line is made of you!
The brilliant designers had ways to make older shows modern and compelling. A room from the 1960s pays tribute to the musical Hair, with a beautiful backdrop of bright colors declaring “LET THE SUN SHINE IN” — one of the show’s hit songs.
Everywhere you turn there is memorabilia, such as Dolly Levi’s feathery hat – a hat as feathery as her eyelashes – from the musical Hello Dolly. Dramatic plays were equally represented: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, and A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, just to name a few.
Dan remarked on a particular quote from the beginning of the exhibit: “Theatre is a reflection of society at its time.”