Episode 2: The Evolution of Broadway: From 1750 to Today
In this episode of 'It Started Somewhere,' Shaimond delves into the rich history of Broadway, tracing its roots from the opening of the first significant theater in New York City in 1750 to its current status as a global cultural phenomenon. The episode covers the movement of the theater district uptown, the impact of the New York City Subway, key theaters like the New Amsterdam and Lyceum, challenges during the Great Depression, the Golden Age of Broadway in the 1940s and 1950s, the revitalization efforts in the 1980s and 1990s, and Broadway's enduring influence on American popular culture and global theater.
Contact me at itstartedsomewhere@gmail.com
Transcript
If you ever visited New York city.
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:I'm sure times square was.
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:On your list of places to see.
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:While there you can't help but
notice you on the heart of the
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:world famous theater district.
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:Broadway, The Great White Way.
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:I've been to my fair share of Broadway
shows and have wondered like many of you
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:what's the history of Broadway theaters,
and how they became what they are today.
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:So that's what we'll discover in
this episode of It Started Somewhere.
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:A podcast about products, places,
and things we know about but may
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:not know the story behind them.
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:My name is Shaimond,
and let's get into it.
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:Thomas Kean and Walter Murray opened
the first significant theater in New
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:York city in 1750 before America even
gained its independence from Britain.
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:It was located on Nassau Street,
which is in Lower Manhattan.
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:And although there were performances
in other locations in New York
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:before this, this theater marked the
beginning of New York's Theater Scene.
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:It hosted Shakespeare plays and musicals.
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:In 1798, the Park Theater opened on Park
Row, just east of what is now City Hall
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:Park just off what today is Broadway.
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:This venue set the stage for the future
of theater in New York, hosting local and
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:international performances and becoming
a cultural hub for the growing city.
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:In the 1800s, people and theaters
started moving uptown for cheaper rent.
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:And two significant theaters that open
during this time period where Madison
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:Square Theater which opened an 1863
and was located on 24th Street between
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:6th Ave and Broadway and Union Square
Theater, which opened in:
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:located on 14th Street, near Broadway.
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:Now a brief history of
Broadway, the street.
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:It was originally called
the Wickquasgeck Trail.
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:It was carved out by Native
Americans that originally lived
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:on the Island of Manhattan.
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:It was first called Broadway
by the British who occupied
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:Manhattan after the Dutch.
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:and the street runs the
entire length of Manhattan.
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:Actually, Broadway runs from Bowling
Green in Lower Manhattan to Sleepy
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:Hollow, which is a town in Westchester
County, which is north of New York City.
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:Although the theater district is
primarily located on the stretch
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:of Broadway near 42nd Street today.
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:It made its journey from downtown over
the course of decades in the:
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:At the turn of the 20th Century, the
New York City Subway opened, which
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:allowed people to get Uptown more easily,
and that's when the current Broadway
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:Theater District began to take shape.
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:In 1903, the New Amsterdam
and Lyceum Theaters were built
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:in the Times Square Area.
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:Times Square got his name because in
:
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:headquarters to Longacre Square prompting
the city to rename it Times Square.
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:And this area quickly became the
heart of the theater district.
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:Around that time electric lights
were being installed in the area
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:and before long, there were lights
on theater marquees, adjacent
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:buildings and street lights, giving
the area the name, The Great White.
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:Broadway grew in popularity
throughout the early.
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:1900s.
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:During this time period, the number of
Broadway theaters grew from about 20 and
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:1900 to an all time high of 80 and 1925.
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:However, The Great Depression hit
Broadway hard causing many playhouses
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:to close their doors while some
converted into movie theaters.
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:Some producers and writers
left for Hollywood.
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:And many could no longer
afford to attend plays.
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:Despite this climate, many Broadway
legends emerged during this period
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:like George and Ira Gershwin, Cole
Porter, and Rogers and Hammerstein.
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:Broadway eventually bounced back
and many consider the Golden Age of
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:Broadway to be the 1940s and 50s.
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:During this period shows like Oklahoma,
South Pacific and West Side Story emerged
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:and helped revolutionize musical theater.
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:The rise of cinema and later television
also posed threats to live theater.
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:Broadway adapted by creating experiences
that were hard to replicate on screen.
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:By the 1970s, Times Square along with its
surrounding theaters was an urban decay.
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:New York City was in a fisical crisis
and the area begin to be, known
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:for its peep shows and seediness
among other unfavorable things.
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:During the 1980s a campaign began
to clean up Times Square and
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:revitalize the theater district.
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:By 1987, 25 Broadway Theaters have been
designated as New York City Landmarks.
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:Disney's arrived on Broadway in
the:
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:helped attract more family audiences.
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:In 1998, Disney partnered with
The City to rehabilitate the New
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:Amsterdam Theater which sparked a
resurgence in Broadway Productions.
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:Today, Broadway is stronger
than ever with long running
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:shows, revivals and new works.
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:It shows no signs of slowing down.
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:Broadway's influence extends
far beyond New York City.
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:It has shaped American Popular Culture,
launched countless careers, and
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:continues to be a dream destination for
performers and theater lovers worldwide.
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:From its beginnings in the 18th
century, to its current status as a
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:global cultural phenomenon Broadway has
continually evolved while maintaining
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:the magic of live performance.
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:Thank you for joining me
on It started Somewhere.
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:I'll catch you on the next episode.
