The Museum of Broadway
Have a Broadway fan at home? Then you have to visit the newly opened Museum of Broadway. Located in a 26,000-square-foot space, this is the very first museum dedicated to Broadway and the history of theater that features an impressive archive of beautiful and rare costumes, documents, photographs, props, and artifacts as well as immersive elements along the way.
This starts with a walk-through timeline, starting at the mid-18th century to the present day. Going from room-to-room, it was incredible to learn more about how live theater actually started in the financial district to Union Square and Herald Square to its evolution to the Theatre District in Times Square.
Throughout the space, you’ll see more than 500 shows highlighted. We loved seeing costumes from “The Lion King,” the arm cast from “Dear Evan Hansen,” costumes from “Hamilton,” the jacket from “West Side Story,” Annie’s dress, and the set model of “Wicked.” Walking through the timeline of each room, you’ll also see rooms dedicated to various musicals in history, such as “West Side Story,” “Oklahoma,” “Company,” “The Wiz,” and much more.
Along the way there are also several interactive elements where kids and adults can be “in” the show, and of course take pictures. My daughter loved going on the stage of “Rent,” playing a Producer, dancing along with an animatronic character in the “West Side Story,” sitting in the colorful “Hair” swing, and looking through the hall of mirrors.
We also loved the “Phantom of the Opera” chandelier installation with 13,917 glistening crystals. Each crystal represents the number of “Phantom of the Opera” shows performed since it opened it 1988. More crystals will be added to the installation when it closes in April of 2023.
After the tour of the Broadway shows, we were guided downstairs to learn more about what happens backstage. Each section was dedicated to the behind-the-scenes of a show where we saw how the props were laid out, a stage managers’ board, a lighting board, a composers’ room (along with some videos), a makeup station, wardrobe room, and much more. There are also original sketches, plans, schedules, and more that show the intricacy of what it really takes to put on a show.
The museum also features special exhibitions, which currently features the drawings of caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. Guests can create a digital cartoon in this room as well as color and observe some of his collection of cartoons as well as his infamous oversized chair.
Educational and fun, we loved our experience at the Museum of Broadway that left us with a new appreciation for the art of theater and its rich history.
Museum of Broadway Details
145 W 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Tickets are $39–$49 per person
Student tickets are $29 and Senior tickets (for ages 65+) are $32 are available from Monday-Thursday.
The walk-through experience takes around 90 minutes-three hours to complete.
