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.
Broadway star Nick Cartell – currently headlining as Jean Valjean on the national tour of Les Misérables – has released his new album A Thousand Spotlights on CD and in streaming and digital platforms today, Friday, July 26.
Tony Award nominee Mary Bridget Davies’(A Night with Janis Joplin) new studio album Don’t Compromise Yourself: The Very Best of Mary Bridget Davies is out now. Listen now!
Center Stage Records will release the concept recording of LIFELINE, the new musical written by Becky Hope-Palmer with music and lyrics by Robin Hiley.
Anthony Wayne, star of MIGHTY REAL: A FABULOUS SYLVESTER MUSICAL, will perform a new solo evening at THE GREEN ROOM 42 on August 5. Don't miss this special event showcasing his incredible talent.
Jaime Lozano & The Familia release a new video for 'No Podemos Regresar' in collaboration with Concord Theatricals, showcasing a Spanish version of the song.
Center Stage Records has released the world premiere recording of GRUMPY OLD MEN, the new musical by Dan Remmes, Neil Berg and Nick Meglin. Listen now!
The original cast recording of MY TRUE LOVE, an Off-Broadway musical by Ben Boecker, will be released on July 19, 2024. The show features a pop comedy score and explores themes of love, consent, and empowerment.
A new Carousel Studio Cast recording is on the way! Recorded in April 2023 with the Sinfonia of London (conducted by John Wilson). We have all the details on the new album here!
Theatrical licensing for the musical, String, with book by Sarah Hammond, and music and lyrics by Adam Gown, is now available, alongside the release of its six-song original studio cast recording
Go inside the studio for the making of Aaron Lazar's upcoming album 'The Impossible Dream,' featuring Josh Groban, Neil Patrick Harris, Kelli O'Hara, Shoshana Bean, and more! Watch in this video.
PS CLASSICS released two new tracks from the album JEFF HARNAR sings SAMMY CAHN: THE SECOND TIME AROUND, featuring guest artists CLINT HOLMES, MOIPEI, and NICOLE ZURAITIS. Learn more!
Algos Music has announced the release of the new album by vintage vocalist extraordinaire ALLYSON BRIGGS – Promises, Prayers, and Raindrops: Allyson Briggs Sings Burt Bacharach – on CD and in digital and streaming platforms.
In 2025, BearManor Media will publish Lawrence Schulman's third book for BearManor Media, called Peter Allen: Somebody's Angel - The Boy From Oz In The Key of Camp. Learn more.
Amnon Kabatchnik's new book, 'Murder in the West End: The Plays of Agatha Christie and Her Disciples,' explores the works of Agatha Christie and her followers. Now available in hardcover and trade paper.
On Friday, July 26, 2024, Academy Award-winning composer Kris Bowers and GRAMMY Award-winning violinist Charles Yang are spotlighted on a heartfelt new album, For A Younger Self, featuring the talented musicians of the American Youth Symphony (AYS) conducted by Carlos Izcaray.
Nick Cartell – currently starring as Jean Valjean on the national tour of Les Misérables – has released “It All Fades Away,” the new single from his upcoming album A Thousand Spotlights. Listen now!
Serge Clivio releases the album SERGE AND FRIENDS, featuring 14 tracks from live shows in NYC. The album includes personal stories, duets with talented friends, and supports Cancer Research.
Assigning age-appropriate tasks to children helps instill responsibility, self-worth, and important life skills, as illustrated in the children's book THE AMAZING ROBERTA WIGGLESWORTH.
Geneva Carr and playwright Matthew Greene will discuss their theater-themed murder mystery novel, There's No Murder Like Show Murder, at The Drama Book Shop on July 30, 2024.
Jeff Harnar's new album, JEFF HARNAR SINGS SAMMY CAHN: THE SECOND TIME AROUND, features six new tracks and guest appearances by Clint Holmes, Moipei, and Nicole Zuraitis. Learn how to purchase.