Commonly known as the Great White Way, the Broadway theatre district in New York City is one of the most famous entertainment destinations in the world. Opened over 90 years ago, it remains a hub for the American theatre, with 41 theaters and over 700 productions running each year. Specifically, they are presented in the Lincoln Centre along Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York. This theatre and Lincoln's West End embody the utmost commercial rank of lives in the English-speaking universe. Each theater has 500 and more seats. It is an essential industry in New York City and has been around for a long time. Besides, it contributes much to the culture and artistry climate in New York City. This article offers ten theatrical facts regarding New York City's Broadway.

1 Broadway Was Initially Called Wickquasgeck Trail

The Wickquasgeck Trail was a trade route used by the Lenape people in what is now the New York City area. As the colony grew, the trail was widened and eventually became a road. It was mainly utilized as a trade route and was initially carved into the Manhattan brush by its Native United States people. Besides, this trail meandered via swamps and rocks along the Manhattan island length. After the Dutch people arrived, this trail was extended and soon became the chief route via the island from New Amsterdam at the Southern tip. The Wickquasgeck trail makes Broadway the core of the American commercial theatrical industry and is utilized as a metonym.

2 Broadway Is The Longest Street In New York City

New York Broadway is regarded as the longest street in New York. It runs for 150 miles, and eighteen are not even in NY limits. It starts from Lower Manhattan at Bowling Green northwards to the Bronx up to Albany, which is out of New York. It is initialed on the paper reference of Broadway on Maps, which was realized in the 1700s. When the Dutch settled in the United States, Broadway street was known as Brede weg. In that case, the term Broadway is the precise English translation of the earlier acknowledged Dutch title.

Related: History Of Broadway: From Native American Trail To Capital Of Theater

New York Broadway performances and shows attract more than thirteen million audiences yearly. Based on estimations, about 66% of the spectator are mainly female, and 63% of the audience are visitors. Many tourists travel to New York primarily because of this theatre. Besides, the Broadway theatre industry was linked with a national trade association for the 2018 to 2019 season, which concluded in May 2019. During this period, the overall audience was more than fourteen million making Broadway performances a total of $1,829,312,140 in grosses. Visitors worldwide enjoyed watching top musicals of the season, plus other abundant plays.

4 The Premier-Grossing Production On Broadway Is Lion King

The Lion King is the first in the list of the highest-grossing theater production on Broadway, with a cumulative gross of $853,846,062. It is a theatre piece exploring the life circles, bravery, and life definition of the residents of the African kingdom. Additionally, Broadway exceeded the "Phantom of the Opera," the hugest running Broadway performance since 1988 in 2014. The fantastic thing about it is that it had grossed 845 million dollars.

5 New York Broadway Repeatedly Plays Shakespeare's Performances

Shakespeare, born in 1564, is still one of the most renowned playwrights, and with his work spanning over 400 years, his performances are timeless. Broadway is known for replaying Shakespeare's performances on its platform as a reminder of his work in theatre. The plays are played at the same time and date as the original performances and usually consist of productions from the early 2000s up to the 1960s due to copyright laws that are still being enforced by the original production company of Shakespeare's works.

6 Lyceum Is The Oldest Functioning Theatre On Broadway

Lyceum Theatre was built back in 1903 and is now the oldest theater on Broadway. Situated at 149 West 45th street amid 7th and 6th avenue, it is famous for its old theater and the current theater's lovely interior. It has a sitting capacity of 922 seats which are located on three different levels. The Lyceum was designed by Herts & Tallant and built for Daniel Frohman's Lyceum Theatre Company. Lyceum Theatre has had a lot of success on Broadway itself. Its first production was in 1903, which was presented by David Belasco's "Playboy of Paris,” and later, in 1908, the stage was used to present "Peter Pan" by J. M. Barrie, and from 1989 onwards, a lot of musical productions have been presented at this theater including ones such as "Jesus Christ Superstar '' among others.

Related: What You Need To Know About Attending A Broadway Show In NYC

7 The 60s And 70s Were Broadway Bad Years

In the 60s and the 70s, Broadway was considered to be a dull and dreary place, but after the 80s, the atmosphere changed. This was mainly due to the political upheaval that was being experienced during this time with the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, and urban riots. During the 1950 to 1951 season, ninety-four productions opened on Broadway theater. In the 1969 to 1970 season, there were fifty-nine productions, fifteen of which were competitors. In the 1920s, there were seventy to eighty theaters. However, by 1969 just thirty-six were left.

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8 The 2nd Longest-Running Broadway Play Is Chicago Show

The prominent Chicago production started operating in 1975 and ran for 936 plays. It is regularly played at the Ambassador Theatre. The Chicago production is ranked second only to Phantom of the Opera, which has been running since 1988 and has the highest gross of all time, having been watched by 140 million people in 183 cities across 41 countries.

9 Phantom Of The Opera Is The Longest-Running Broadway Show

The Phantom of the Opera is the longest-running Broadway show. It opened on Broadway back in 1988 and has been played every year since then. Later this year, it marks its 35th anniversary, during which time it has seen over 14,000 performances staged to an audience of more than 18 million people, making it one of the highest-ranking plays on Broadway. In addition, over 6,000 cast and crew members have been used to make this performance possible. The show is based on the novel “Le Fantôme de l’Opéra” by French writer Gaston Leroux.

10 The Palace Theatre Is Regarded As Haunted

Even though many of the Broadway theatres are believed to be haunted, The Palace Theatre is rumored to have over 100 spirits and is regarded as one of the hallowed theaters on Broadway. The Palace Theatre opened on Broadway in 1913 and has been used for a variety of events, plays, and productions since then. Judy Garland is the most regular phantom who played in the theater in the 50s, and many individuals saw her appearing near the entrance to the orchestra pit. Another frequent guest is Louis Bossalina, an acrobat grimly hurt during a high-wire play in 1935 who, according to lore, supposedly hangs around the stage and is a common visitor!