Broadway Now: Part 2

Broadway. You have a great deal of latitude with this option: you could tell me what is playing on Broadway right now, where and how does one buy tickets, which are the hottest shows and why? What have YOU seen? What do you want to see and why? Who are the stars? The composers? The directors? Tell me interesting stories about the history of the shows. Which shows have been running the longest? What shows recently closed and why? Which shows have won major awards? (500 words min).



Who Are the Composers:

Richard Rodgers is, in my mind, one of the greatest composers on Broadway. He received a total of thirteen major awards in his life time. He won an Academy Award in 1945 for Best Song. This song was from the music he wrote for State Fair entitled It Might As Well Be Spring. In 1962 Rogers won an Emmy award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composed for Winston Churchill- The Valiant Years. He also won Grammy Awards for Best Show Album for The Sound of Music and No Strings. Richard Rogers won seven Tony Awards between 1950 and 1962. Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Producers¬-South Pacific. Best Musical, The King and I and The Sound of Music. And Best Composer No Strings.



Who Are the Directors?

Mike Nichols was a great Broadway director. He received a total of 14 awards between the years 1961 and 2005. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Graduate in 1967. He also won four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing. In 1961 Nichols won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance for An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May. He also won a total of eight Tony Awards for Best Director, including awards for Annie and Monty Python’s Spamalot.



History of Broadway.

Broadway and its sister theater West End in London, represent the highest level of commercial theater in the English-speaking world. There are approximately 40 theaters in New York, all a part of the Broadway Theater. Theater in New York didn’t take route until about 1750 when Walter Murray decided to open up a small theater. This theater presented Shakespeare and small operas. During the Civil War, relastate was rather cheep, so Broadway bought up some property and began to expand their theaters. By the 19th century musicals were beginning and major business was rolling in. It was becoming so popular that they decided to create an Off-Broadway touring group. Broadway was often called “The Great White Way.” But why? Colored light bulbs often burnt out too quickly so it was expensive and inconvenient to keep replacing them, so they used bright white lights. These brightly light stages became known as The Great White Way.



Longest Running Shows?

The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Les Miserable are the longest running shows on Broadway. Phantom opened in January 26, 1988 and is currently the longest running show on Broadway with 9099 performances. It is currently running at the Majestic Theater in New York. In 1988, the year it opened, it won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and it also won seven Drama Desk Awards. Cats opened October 7, 1982 and closed September 10, 2000 with 7485 performances. In 1983, Cats won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and 3 Drama Desk Awards. It also won a Grammy for Best Cast Show Album. Les Miserable opened on March 12, 1987 and closed on May 18, 2003 with 6680 performances. The year it opened it won 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical. It also won five Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical. Les Miserable also won a Grammy for Best Musical Cast Show Album in 1988.