Theater District description and photos - USA: New York (Topic)

Theater District description and photos - USA: New York. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Theater District.

Photo and description

The Theater District is located in the central part of Manhattan and occupies a quadrangle, the sides of which are Sixth and Eighth Avenues and 40th and 54th Streets. Most of the Broadway theaters are located here, as well as many cinemas, restaurants, clubs, recording studios, theater agencies. At the heart of the Theater District is Times Square.

More than forty Broadway theaters concentrated in the quarter make it an important segment of the $ 2 billion a year urban economy: theaters of Gershwin, Neil Simon, August Wilson, Ed Sullivan , "Ambassador", "Imperial", "Music Box", "Majestic", "New Amsterdam" ... Of course, viewers do not think about the economy, they just go to the call of advertising lights. It was these shining lights that more than a century ago gave the area its second name - the Great White Way (colored bulbs burned out too quickly, only white ones had to be used). Since then, Broadway theaters have been one of the main attractions in New York.

It all began in 1750, when Walter Murray and Thomas Keane created a theater company in New York that presented Shakespeare's plays. Two years later, twelve English actors came to America and founded a theater, which was also opened by Shakespeare. The years passed, theaters multiplied, new genres appeared: burlesque, then - the musical.

Musicals (shows combining songs, dialogue and dances) have become a highlight and an integral part of Broadway theaters. Already in the 19th century, musicals became an important part of American culture, provincials came to New York on purpose, to visit Broadway theaters, touring around the country was also a great success.

Musicals reached their greatest popularity in the 20th century. Here, on Broadway, George Gershwin made his debut and here in 1935 his Porgy and Bess premiered. Here were the world famous musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber "The Phantom of the Opera", "Cats", "Evita", Claude-Michel Schoenberg - "Les Miserables", Frederick Lowe - "My Fair Lady", Jerry Herman - "Hello, Dolly!" , Galt McDermott - "Hair", John Kander - "Cabaret" and "Chicago", "The Lion King" using music by Elton John, "Mamma Mia!", Based on the songs of ABBA ... Very different, these musicals will forever remain in stories, and many of them still run on the stages of the local theaters.

If a tourist wants to enjoy a performance on Broadway, The Theater District is the most convenient place. Here you can have a snack before the performance next to the theater and have dinner after. If one theater runs out of tickets, there is a chance to make it to others. And in addition, in Times Square (in the part that bears a separate name Duffy Square) there is a TKTS kiosk - a company that sells "last minute" discount theater tickets.

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Topic: Theater District description and photos - USA: New York.