Opened in 2022, the Museum of Broadway is devoted to capturing the history of musical theatre in New York. Musicals have become synonymous with the entertainment scene in the Big Apple and the museum helps to preserve some of this heritage which stretches back decades.
Located at Times Square at West 45th Street, next to the Lyceum Theater, Broadway’s oldest continually operating theatre, the Museum of Broadway occupies a four-storey building.
The Museum was founded by Julie Boardman, a Broadway producer whose shows include “Funny Girl” and “Company,” and Diane Nicoletti, the founder of a marketing agency.
From the outside, the bright red signboard of the museum beckons visitors inside.
Inside the Museum of Broadway
The galleries of the Museum of Broadway and its exhibits occupy the first to third floors.
At the basement cellar is the locker area where you can store away your bags and coats. A set of restrooms are also located in the basement level.
However, the first things that you will encounter as you step in through the doors of the Museum of Broadway is its shop.
The Museum of Broadway shop is well stocked with merchandise from different musicals. You can find merchandise from musicals like Chicago to Hamilton and more at this gift area.
Broadway-branded apparel can be found on sale along with current show merchandise. Amongst the other items available include original set models and sketches to Hirschfeld prints and upcycled materials from past shows.
For those who love musicals and want to pick up some merchandise at one location, the Museum of Broadway’s gift shop is an ideal shopping destination even if you are not planning to go into the Museum’s ticketed exhibition area.
Purchasing Tickets to the Museum of Broadway
Make your way past the distracting merchandise on sale to the back of the room where the ticketing counter is located.
After purchasing tickets, you can head downstairs to the basement to stow away your bag and coats.
Return back up to the first floor where the entrance to the exhibition is located.
Exploring the Museum
The exhibition starts from the third floor and you will work your way back down to the first floor. It is a self-guided tour that goes in one-direction only.
You will have the choice to either take an elevator up to the first floor or climb up the stairs.
The stairwell is decorated with artwork and photographs. There are also information panels that give a peek into life backstage.
Did you know that there is a Hair Room where the cast goes to put on their wigs?
Or how it is tradition for cast members to sign the underside of their dressing room countertop with the name of the show and the date of their final performance.
Level 3: Begin at the Playbill Theatre
A multimedia presentation on the third floor provides a quick history lesson on the theatre scene in New York City. This makes use of projection mapping to provide an immersive look at the how Broadway developed over time.
The term Broadway’s association with entertainment dates back to the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Nowadays, it is associated with “legitimate” stage shows like plays and musicals. However, this was not always the case. It was only in the 1930s that the definition began to narrow.
By the 1980s, the terms Broadway refers to theatres around Times Square that are outfitted with more than 499 seats.
Timeline Wall
From the multimedia presentation, you will come to a timeline wall that charts would the evolution of Broadway.
This timeline wall is part a chronological retelling of Broadway’s major milestones and events.
Early Years
Take a walk through the early years of the theatre scene in New York City.
Gawk at the colourful and feathered costumes worn by the show girls of the elaborate Ziegfeld Follies.
Show Boat was a significant production in the history of musical theatre in New York.
The musical which debuted in 1927, with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, combined seriousness with spectacle and was a departure from the light musical comedies and musical revues that came before.
Other landmark musicals that you can learn more about include Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
West Side Story Room
Another highlight is the room devoted to West Side Story.
Inside, you will find original notes from the creation of the show.
A video panel with silhouetted dancers illustrate some of Jerome Robbins’s original choreography.
There is also a nice photo spot where you can pose behind a deli counter.
One significant item on display is a Jets jacket. It was worn by the actor Don Grilley, who had succeeded Larry Kert, who played Tony in the original 1957 Broadway company of “West Side Story”.
The jacket hung in a closet for decades and was donated to the Museum of Broadway by Grilley’s widow, Lesley Stewart Grilley. Don Grilley had died in 2017.
From Hello Dolly to Hair
For those who love musical theatre, there is plenty more to admire around the top floor of the Museum.
Fiddler on the Roof and Hello Dolly are some of the musicals with items on display.
There is a wall devoted to Cabaret.
A red-and-green military jacket was worn by an ensemble member in the original 1968 production of “Hair” and reused many times over after that is also part of the exhibition.
Level 2: Jukebox and More Musicals
Take the stairs down to the floor below and continue the tour through time.
A section of the gallery is devoted to jukebox musicals.
You can also read about classics like Annie and The Wiz from the 1970s.
One of our favorite sections at this floor is the exhibition room devoted to Cats and Phantom of the Opera, both Andrew Lloyd Webber classics.
Cats paired Andrew Lloyd Webber with producer Cameron Mackintosh. It made its debut in London in 1981 and was nothing like what had come before.
The cast of actors in cat costumes pranced, clawed and danced their way in a musical based on T.S. Elliot’s collection of poems.
Cats opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on October 7, 1982.
Phantom of the Opera is represented by a display of gorgeous costumes. One of the highlights is the flamboyant Red Death costume from the Masquerade.
Another fascinating exhibit is the Phantom of the Opera chandelier. Each of the glistening crystals in this installation represents one performance the Broadway production of “The Phantom of the Opera”.
Viewed from a certain angle, the Phantom of the Opera chandelier reveals the mask of the Phantom.
The next series of rooms pays tribute to other popular musicals.
Rent opened on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996. Written by Jonathan Larson, it is credited for ushering in a new generation of theatre artist and expanding the themes and language of musical theatre.
Tragically, Larson died of an aortic aneurysm on the night of the final dress rehearsal of Rent, never having a chance to see the success and accolades that the musical would go on to receive.
Another blockbuster musical represented in its own room at the Museum of Broadway is Disney’s The Lion King.
You can get upclose to view the puppets and headdresses used by the actors in this musical.
The step into the office of The Producers, the musical comedy with music and lyrics by Mel Brooks.
Heads past the puppet of Avenue Q and you will come to a scale model of Gershwin Theatre.
Standing at just over five feet wide, it was designed by Edward Pierce, the associate scenic designer of the original Broadway production of “Wicked.”
The model features more than 300 individual characters and took and took four people seven weeks to build. With its cut-away design, it provides a way to peer voyeuristically into the workings of the theatre.
The Wicked model also includes Easter eggs like a small model of the set model within the model. Happy searching for it!
It is hard to talk about recent musical theatre without mentioning the hit musical Hamilton.
Lin Manuel Miranda’s much lauded and innovative show is represented by costumes used in the production. Set against the backdrop of the American revolution,
Hamilton tells the story of Alexander Hamilton’s life by combining the narrative and traditions of musical theatre with elements of jazz, hip-hop and R&B.
Its diverse cast is also a reminder that America is a nation of immigrants and their descendants.
Hamilton opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on August 6, 2015.
The final section of the exhibition on the second floor displays costumes from different Broadway musicals from the 2000s to the present day.
Level 1: Go Backstage at Making of a Broadway Show
When you are ready, make your way downstairs back to the first floor where the hard work behind the magic of musical theatre gets revealed.
The exhibits at Level 1 of the Museum is devoted to the unsung heroes behind the making of a Broadway show.
It starts off with a look at the role of a Stage Manger and the other people who work around him or her such as the Stage Hands. You will find yourself amongst the prompts and backstage workings of a theatre.
A room plastered with sheet music showcases the work of the composer.
Other roles showcased include the sound engineer and those working in the costume design and makeup department.
For example, the costume seen on stage may start with one of more designers. Their designs then get passed on to the seamstreess who tailors and stitches together the costume.
The wardrobe supervisor and a team of dressers make sure that the actors are properly dressed for each performance. They will also assist the actors in getting changed during different scenes of a performance. They will also have to repair and maintain the costumes between shows.
These are all the people involved and required to make sure that to costumes are in good condition when worn by the actors and shown on stage.
Lifecycle of a Broadway Show
One of the last sections of the Museum of Broadway are a set of panels that provide a visualization of the lifecycle of a Broadway show.
It can take anywhere from five to ten years to put together a Broadway show. It starts with a creative idea and this can pass through many hands before it makes its way to the stage and the first curtain rise.
The display is illustrated by I. Javier Ameijeiras with quotes from interviews conducted by Nolan Doran. It is a good overview of the entire creative process and a suitable way to round off the visit to the exhibits.
On the way out, there is another small special exhibition space where you are likely to find photo opportunities.
Visiting the Museum of Broadway
The Museum of Broadway will appeal to theatre geeks who would appreciate an expansive look at the history of New York City’s Theatreland.
It provide a historical context to the development of Broadway from the late 1800s till today, making pit stops at significant shows in musical theatre history.
With more than 1,000 objects and photographs on display, many of them on loan from the actors, creatives and producers, there is something to excite every theatre buff.
You can expect to spend about an hour to an hour-and-a-half within the museum. It is packed with informative exhibits across its three exhibition floors.
A visit will leave you with a better understanding of Broadway and musical theatre. You will also be inspired by the magic of the theatre and an appreciation of the hard work that takes place behind the scenes to put up a Broadway show.
Museum of Broadway Tickets
Tickets for the Museum of Broadway start from around $37.
There are discounted special tickets available on Tuesday. Visit on that day to save on the admission price.
Kids and adults of all ages are welcome at the Museum. Any strollers must be checked upon arrival.
Kids who are 4 and under may enter free of charge. Those who are 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult who is 18 or older.
Where: West 45th Street, between Broadway and 6th Avenue.
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