History of Broadway in New York City, New York

The theater district on Broadway is located in midtown near Times Square between 41st and 53rd Streets. Not all theaters are actually on Broadway the street but stretch out east and west between 6th and 8th Avenues. Nicknamed "The Great White Way" for the white lit signs outside the theaters, this particular area emerged as the epicenter of New York theater in the early 20th century along with the rise of Times Square. Prior to 1900, theater on Broadway stretched out further downtown into Greenwich Village.

Theater has been on Broadway since 1810. In the early days, most performers and productions came from Europe. Renowned British actor Junius Brutus Booth, father of John Wilkes, came to Broadway in 1821. Early productions were called "Victorian" based on their European influence and over-the-top acting. Shakespeare was popular on Broadway at the time as well.

Broadway began to grow immensely at the start of the 20th century, as many theaters started opening in the area around Times Square. In 1903, the New Amsterdam Theatre was built on 42nd Street next to other new theaters at the time such as the Lyric, the Victoria and the Republic. In 1904, the Liberty Theatre was built on the same block, and in 1905 Oscar Hammerstein I opened the Lew Fields Theatre to join them. A popular show at the time was the musical "Little Johnny Jones" featuring the famous songs "I'm a Yankee Doodle Boy" and "Give My Regards to Broadway." According to Talkin' Broadway, there were 70 plays or musicals being produced on Broadway in the 1900 to 1901 season, a number that would rise rapidly in the decades to follow.

Theater operators created The Broadway League in 1930. It is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. According to their website, "The League is a full-service trade association dedicated to fostering increased interest in Broadway theater and supporting the creation of profitable theatrical productions." They not only work to create productions in Manhattan's Broadway theaters but also bring Broadway performances to over 240 cities across the United States and Canada.

Despite the recession, the Broadway League reported record grosses for the 2008 to 2009 season. Broadway shows grossed approximately $943.3 million and the opening of 43 shows was the most since the 1982 to 1983 season. Last years reported gross was $937.5 million. While some plays were forced to shut down such as "13," "Monty Python's Spamalot" and "Gypsy," others remained wildly successful, such as the revivals of "West Side Story" and "Hair," according to the New York Times.

"The Phantom of the Opera," which is still in production, is the longest-running Broadway show in history. As of May 10, 2009, it was performed 8,859 times. The runner up is "Cats," which was performed 7,485 times. "Les Misérables" is third with 6,680 performances.