New York Theatres: Broadway

There is no more iconic place in theatre than New York. Actors struggle for decades just to get their shot at taking the stage in one of the classic New York theatres. No New York theatres stand out more than those on Broadway. Broadway has long been the go to destination for the world's newest and hottest plays and musicals.

But if a drama lover is looking for tickets to Broadway shows, they'd better book them early. Broadway theatre tickets can sell out months and even years in advance.

Broadway started as a big theatre movement overtaking London and New York in the late 1800s. Musical theatre had always been a popular experience, especially for the urban upper-class in America and Europe, but Broadway turned New York Theatres from smaller community performances into the epic extravaganzas that they are today. As the 1900s dawned, New York theatres became hotspots for gigantic productions so popular that people came in from around the world just to see them.

As New York theatres drew huge crowds, it began to draw bigger actors. Yet Broadway isn't just a destination for today's local theatre workers. Major Hollywood stars also find their way back to the stage in Broadway shows in New York. Among actors recently acting in Broadway shows in New York are Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, and Kevin Spacey. Not all New York Theatres will feature superstar performances, but they certainly add to the allure of seeing a Broadway show.

That allure is precisely the reason why one must book tickets to Broadway shows well in advance. Tickets to Broadway shows are a hot commodity, especially when a new production or celebrity takes hold of one of the New York theatres. Visitors hoping to catch Denzel Washington's first turn as Brutus in "Julius Caesar" at the Belasco Theatre were out of luck, because the show sold out very quickly. Tourists should plan well ahead if there is even an inkling that they might want tickets to Broadway shows in New York.

So how does one get tickets to one of the showcases currently running in New York theatres? The answer is quite simple, and other than their high demand, Broadway theatre tickets aren't any harder to get than local production or concert tickets. Popular ticket sales companies like Ticketmaster and Playbill can get Broadway theatre tickets for shows like "Grease" at the Westchester, "Legally Blonde" at the Palace Theatre, or "Avenue Q" in the John Golden Theatre. But the price isn't easy on the wallet. Tickets range from around a hundred dollars to thousands of dollars to see some of the more popular shows playing in the bigger New York theatres. It might be worth it to take in such a once in a lifetime experience, but for many travelers Broadway theatre tickets are going to be a budget killer.

Still, there's nothing quite like taking in a Broadway show in one of the famous New York theatres like the Gershwin. If travelers have the time and the money, seeing a favorite actor or actress under the big lights of a Broadway stage in New York theatres can be a memory that lasts a lifetime. Truly, for any theatre fan or aspiring actor, a trip to New York to see Broadway and the classic New York theatres is definitely worth the price of the tickets.


Sources:
“Music Theatre.” Wikipedia. 27 March 2007. 27 March 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_theatre.
Playbill Show Listings. Playbill Inc. 2007. 27 March 2007. http://www.playbill.com/events/listing/1.html.
Now Playing: Plays. New York Theatre Experience Inc. 26 March 2007. 27 March 2007. http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/off.htm.
Broadway Tickets. Ticketmaster. 2007. 27 March 2007. http://www.ticketmaster.com/broadway.