Museum of Broadway to Feature Costume Exhibit for Black History Month

The Museum of Broadway has announced a redesign of its permanent costume exhibit will exclusively feature costumes worn by iconic Black performers in celebration of Black History Month.

Located on the second floor of the sprawling 26,000 sq. ft. museum dedicated to the storied history and trailblazing artists of past and present Broadway musicals and plays, the new installation will pay tribute to celebrated Black performers and performances through dazzling costume displays. The installation is now on-view through Sunday, March 1st.

Among the featured costumes:

• The Wild Party “Dolores” costume as worn by Eartha Kitt designed by Toni Leslie James (2000)
• Take Me Out “Darren Lemming” costume as worn by Daniel Sunjata designed by Jess Goldstein (2003)
• Julius Caesar “Marcus Brutus” costume as worn by Denzel Washington designed by Jess Goldstein (2005)
• Motown: The Musical “Diana Ross” costume as worn by Ariana DeBose designed by Emilio Sosa (2015)
• The Color Purple “Celie” costume as worn by Cynthia Erivo designed by Ann Hould-Ward (2015)
• Hadestown “Hermes” costume as worn by André De Shields designed by Michael Krass (2019)
• Almost Famous “Penny Lane” costume as worn by Solea Pfeiffer designed by David Zinn (2022)
• Into The Woods “The Witch” costume as worn by Patina Miller designed by Andrea Hood (2022)
• SIX: The Musical “Catherine Parr” costume as worn by Joy Woods designed by Gabriella Slade (2022)
• Purlie Victorious “Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins” costume as worn by Kara Young designed by Emilio Sosa (2023)
• Moulin Rouge! The Musical “Satine” costume as worn by Solea Pfeiffer designed by Catherine Zuber (2024)

“The Museum of Broadway welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world every day, and guests have been thrilled to experience the artistry of Broadway through costume design,” said Julie Boardman, Executive Producer and Co-Founder of The Museum of Broadway. “We are honored to dedicate this fan-favorite permanent exhibit of costumes and lend a stage to share the impactful stories behind the sparkle during Black History Month.”

Museum goers can learn more on The Museum of Broadway app. This enriching virtual exploration is free to access and features Black playwrights, librettists, lyricists and composers playing an integral part of Broadway yesterday and today. To access, visit themuseumofbroadway.com/app.

In support of the exhibit, The Museum of Broadway will dedicate its first-floor windows on W. 45th St. in NYC's Times Square with topical pieces of Black Broadway history and will also host a variety of special programming throughout the month of February including The Black Talent Boom of 1976; Becoming Spectacular: A Conversation and Book Signing with Jennifer Jones; and Black Producers of Broadway, a panel discussion with Stephen Byrd, Rashad Chambers, and Alia Jones-Harvey. RSVP at https://www.themuseumofbroadway.com/calendar.