Shows Staged on Broadway & Off-Broadway in New York
By Trish Causey, About.com Guide
Broadway is arguably America's greatest music and performance artform. A popular and important tourist destination, New York City's Theatre District has been host to plays, musicals, concerts, and unique theatrical productions since the early 20th century. From Rodgers and Hammerstein to Sondheim and Webber, Broadway productions have influenced theatre, film, and television around the world.
Musicals
The backbone of the Broadway industry, musical theatre as we know it began on Broadway. Several 20th century American operas, such as Porgy and Bess, Street Scene, and The Pirates of Penzance premiered on Broadway. Musical theatre gained popularity thanks to the landmark works of Richard Rogers, Oscar Hammerstein, Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim, and Andrew Lloyd Webber, to name a few.
- Rodgers, Hammerstein, & Hart
- Stephen Sondheim
- Kander & Ebb
- Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Composers & Songwriters
- Writers, Lyricists, & Librettists
- Directors
- Choreographers
- Movie Musicals
- Tony Award Winners & Other Awards
- 1927 to 1939
- 1940 to 1959
- 1950 to 1959
- 1960 to 1969
- 1970 to 1979
- 1980 to 1989
- 1990 to 1999
- 2000 to 2009
- 2010 to Current
Plays
From Shakespeare to Mamet, plays in all genres bring the greatest actors to the Broadway stage. Dramas and comedies explore the meaning and morality of the human condition, albeit in limited productions interspersed amongst the long-run, cash-cow Broadway musicals.