Broadway: The History and Legacy of New York City’s Theater Center and Cultural Heart - by Charles River Editors
*Includes pictures
*Includes historic descriptions of Broadway theaters and plays
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents
Of all the great cities in the world, few personify their country like New York City. As America’s largest city and best known immigration gateway into the country, NYC represents the beauty, diversity and sheer strength of the United States, a global financial center that has enticed people chasing the “American Dream” for centuries.
America’s prototypical metropolis was once a serene landscape in which Native American tribes farmed and fished, but when European settlers arrived its location on the Eastern seaboard sparked a rapid transformation. Given its history of rapid change, it is ironic that the city’s inhabitants often complain about the city’s changing and yearn for things to stay the same. The website EV Grieve, whose name plays on the idea that the East Village “grieves” for the history and character the neighborhood loses every day to market forces and gentrification, regularly features a photo of some site, usually of little interest: an abandoned store, a small bodega, a vacant lot. The caption says, simply, that this is what the site looked like on a given day. The editors of the website are determined to document everything and anything for future generations.
That is hardly a modern phenomenon. New Yorkers have always grieved over the city’s continuous upheavals and ever-increasing size and complexity. By the 1820s, Wall Street had lost whatever charm it might have had; former residents complained that two-story houses had given way to intimidating five-story office buildings. The New York Commercial Advertiser noted in 1825 that “Greenwich is no longer a country village,” but rather an up-and-coming neighborhood. Today, it’s hard to find a history of New York City that doesn’t refer to Henry James’s famous 1908 story The Jolly Corner, in which a man returns to New York after decades abroad only to be horrified by an unfamiliar hellscape of commercial growth. He finds his once-jolly childhood home nearly buried “among the dreadful multiplied numberings which seemed to him to reduce the whole place to some vast ledger-page, overgrown, fantastic, of ruled and criss-crossed lines and figures.” The once-beloved city has transformed itself into “the mere gross generalisation of wealth and force and success.” That childhood home—an 1830s townhouse—in fact belonged to the James family on Washington Square in Greenwich Village. It was destroyed to make way for New York University, which is today embroiled in yet another real estate saga as it plans to expand once again.
Broadway is more than just jazz hands, glittering costumes, tap numbers, and catchy show tunes that loop in one's mind for hours on end with the mildest provocation. Every year, thousands upon thousands of Broadway hopefuls climb on top of one another to hoist themselves onto the grand stage. Countless hours of training, coupled with blood, sweat, and tears, are poured into the craft, all for a chance to see their names emblazoned across the playbills and marquees – not to mention, perform for potential millions. Behind the dazzling lights and razzle and dazzle of Manhattan's legendary theater district is an equally colorful and riveting history. While hers is a story seasoned with innovative triumphs and remarkable firsts, it is also one plagued with scandal and controversy.
Broadway: The History and Legacy of New York City’s Theater Center and Cultural Heart examines the history and legacy of the Big Apple’s theater. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Broadway like never before.
The Broadway recording of Good Night and Good Luck, starring George Clooney, will come to DVD and Blu-ray on December 30 from Magnolia Pictures. Pre-orders are available now.
A new sing-along karaoke edition of the Wicked: For Good soundtrack has been released, allowing fans to belt out their favorite tunes, including 'No Good Deed,' 'As Long As You're Mine,' 'For Good,' and more. Check out the new soundtrack here.
Julie Benko - the singer and actor who rose to national prominence in Broadway's Funny Girl - will release Euphonic Gumbo, a vibrant new album steeped in the musical and cultural histories of New Orleans.
Get your voices ready! This Friday, a new sing-along edition of the Wicked: For Good soundtrack will be released, allowing fans to belt out their favorite tunes, including 'No Good Deed,' 'As Long As You're Mine,' and 'For Good,' which is available now.
PENTATONE will release Vesper, an album from trailblazing guitarist Sean Shibe, featuring three major contemporary voices who have each reshaped the expressive possibilities of the instrument: Thomas Adès, Harrison Birtwistle,and James Dillon.
With Christmas right around the corner, Michigan-born tenor Glenn Seven Allen is spreading holiday cheer with his debut of 'Michigan Christmas', a song written and originally recorded by Broadway star and Saginaw native Brian d'Arcy James.
Center Stage Records has announced the release of The Lightning Thief: Original London Cast Recording on CD. The album is also available in streaming and digital formats.
Center Stage Records has released “Fly High” – the new single from Chloe Tucker Caine of the Netflix show “Owning Manhattan” – in digital and streaming formats.
Center Stage Records has released Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical – Original Cast Recording in streaming and digital formats. It is set to be released in CD formt.
Center Stage Records will release the original cast recording of Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, the TheaterWorksUSA production based on Dav Pilkey’s book series. BroadwayWorld has your exclusive first listen of the album with a new single, 'My Sister, Naomi,' Watch the video!
On Friday, February 6, 2026, the two-time GRAMMY Award-nominated Neave Trio will release its eighth commercial album, In Her Hands. The ensemble will present a program of piano trios celebrating three women composers in the early modern era: Clara Schumann, Dora Pejačević, and Cécile Chaminade.
The cast album of THE ONE: The Life of Legendary Boxer Muhammad Ali, written and directed by David Serero, is now officially released across all major music platforms.
Darius de Haas joins The Roundtable for a gorgeous, soulful conversation about his brand-new holiday album “Let Me Carry You This Christmas.” We talk about the heart behind the project, the family love that inspired it, and how this music became a tribute to connection, healing, and joy.
Writer, composer, and producer T.J. Armand has released Happy Hour Blues: Lyrics, Notes & Reflections, the companion book to his three-volume recording project.
Desi Oakley has released the official music video for her new holiday single, “Christmas on the Coast,” written by Dan Diaz and Martin Storrow. Oakley is known for Waitress, Chicago and more.
Republic Records has released the official score album for Wicked: For Good, containing all the instrumental underscoring written for the film by Stephen Schwartz and John Powell. Listen to it now!
Jill Schoelen will release her first Christmas album Christmas Is Forever and launch 'Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) - The Music Video'.
Out just in time for the holidays is Let Me Carry You This Christmas, a new holiday album by award-winning singer and actor Darius de Haas. Watch in this video as we bring you an exclusive look at 'Silent Night'.
Meyer Media will release Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, the cinematic and evocative new album from Florida-based composer Paul Richards out on Friday, December 12th.
Theatre Communications Group has announced the forthcoming publication of Teeth, the darkly hilarious and incisive musical by Michael R. Jackson (Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner for A Strange Loop) and Anna K. Jacobs (Jonathan Larson and Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award–winning composer, lyricist, and book writer).
Gregory Maguire, author of the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, will release his new book Galinda: A Charmed Childhood in the fall of 2026. Pre-orders are available now.
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, acclaimed songwriting team known for projects like Dear Evan Hanson and The Greatest Showman, are heading into new territory with their children's book Axl the Axolotl Is Not a Frog.
With Wicked: For Good finally in theaters, pre-orders for physical copies of the film have officially opened. Newly released listings are previewing the home video release for the movie, which will tentatively arrive in stores in January.
Center Stage Records has released a new digital single from Kennedy Caughell, featuring a medley of “I’m Not That Girl” and “Defying Gravity” inspired by the new film Wicked: For Good.
America’s Got Talent All-Star/Finalist Jimmie Herrod has released his first full-length album, Pretty Is What Changes, a jazzy album with songs from Stephen Sondheim. Check it out now.
With Wicked: For Good now playing in theaters, the official soundtrack to the highly anticipated film is now available to stream. As previously reported, the soundtrack will feature all of the fan-favorite songs from Act 2 of the stage show. Listen to it here!
Ben Forster, the TV star and vocalist best known for performances in Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, and Elf The Musical, has released his brand new studio album Musicals Greatest Hits. Listen to it now.
Broadway’s Desi Oakley will release her new holiday single CHRISTMAS ON THE COAST on Friday, November 21. Fans can pre-save the track now at ChristmasontheCoast.com.
On December 5, Republic Records will release the official score album for Wicked: For Good, containing all the instrumental underscoring written for the film by Stephen Schwartz and John Powell.