Future of the Museum of Broadway

[NiceWork2]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 12:39pm

Does anyone know anything more about if the Museum of Broadway is going to stick around?    I know they've significantly reduced their hours, especially in Jan and Feb.   Those are signs that a museum is not fiscally solvent.   I know a lot of people don't like it and say it's small, etc, but i haven't gone yet and don't want to wait too long if it's on shaky ground.       Is that Six exhibit running until April 28 big?   I go to a lot of shows and have been next to a lot of tourists of course talking about MJ or Wicked,etc or whatever, but i've never once overheard anyone saying anything about visiting the Museum of Broadway or considering, etc etc.   I thought Spiderman turn off the dark would be around forever, but that obviously didn't happen.

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 12:47pm

since this museum has direct crossover appeal with Broadway audiences, it makes sense that Jan and Feb are very slow months. It is usually slow for Broadway then too. Let's see if things pick back up as we enter in the spring.

The main complaint I've heard is that it is far too expensive for what is in there and how big it is. Everyone I know who attended has said the same thing: it was fun, they had some unique displays, but I would not spend that kind of money on it again. 

That is...not great word of mouth. They need to figure out some unique, must-see installation in order to justify the price I think

[Kad]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 1:30pm

A big issue is that, from what I have heard, there just isn't a lot of reason to return to it after you've gone once. Bigger museums have major exhibitions, rotate what's on display from large archives, have deeply significant pieces that people want to see over and over, or simply are just too large to see everything in one go. The Museum of Broadway just.. doesn't have those things. Who's going to pay the ticket price again just because they now have a few of the hats from Gutenberg?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 1:35pm

I went as I found a good discount. I enjoyed it more than I thought, but definitely a one and done. It tries to be current and largely succeeds. Where it falls flat, it that theater is a living organism, a museum is not. 

[NiceWork2]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 2:14pm

Would anyone possibly recommend getting a membership here?   It runs about 150, but essentially it gives you unlimited access to the museum sunday through friday for an entire year.     that would be a good way to keep going back over and over, and one wouldn't have to feel rushed getting through in one day.   I know people say it's not big, or worth revisiting.  But it seems like a good spot to kill time and relax between shows and other things, use the bathroom, etc.   I'm military and there are a number of art museums that offer free admission around the country.   there are many that i've revisited many times, in spite of the fact that often it's the same stuff i'm seeing.   One sort of just feels more cultured and enlightened when you go through the MOMA or Met, etc.    i don't know if one gets the same feeling out of perusing through the Museum of broadway.   i assume that the museum will have some changing exhibitis as well.    or maybe it will close in December like everything else in broadway.   I would pay an arm and leg  if they made an exhibit on Spiderman and its history and Julie Taymor's role/firing/aftermath and about how Bono sat in the front row of the mezz often, etc

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 2:18pm

I went and had a good time. Got those $2 tickets (or whatever they were) so we got our moneys worth. I still don’t have any desire to go back - maybe 10 years from now if they’re still around and have changed everything. But the way it’s setup with themed rooms and such makes it difficult to imagine any “major” changes outside of a display of hats or some new costumes. 
 

So if you did spend $150 for unlimited access and you happen to be in the area and know you’re gonna think “I want to see a hat”, then yeah it might be worth it for you. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 2:37pm

If you think you'd be returning a lot between shows, then I think it could be worth it, because $150 is like what, 4 visits?

The difference between this and something like Moma/The Met is that they're actually showcasing the art pieces themselves, so you can approach them with a different level of appreciation each time and it can change depending on your mood, or maybe learn more about the process of how they were created or what the artist was going through when they made those pieces.  Museum of Broadway basically has more of themed rooms that are based on specific musicals, with some static text talking about the types of shows/trends of the time.  I think the text is really informative and can be interesting to go through, but if you keep returning, it's not like it's going to change, and because the rooms themselves are really just for aesthetics and aren't the actual art piece themselves, there's not really any more that I feel you could get from being in the room again, unless maybe you saw one of the shows and just want to revisit that section with that added context (but I personally wouldn't justify a yearly membership on that alone).

Of course, the new costumes and props can be interesting to see, and might be good for people that have a membership, but I wouldn't pay full price for one or two new costumes each time (and I actually thought the costumes exhibit that popped up during the pandemic was a little more interesting).  The museum hosting conversations and events is definitely the right way to go, but I almost wish those would be ticketed separately because the cost of the museum itself is rather steep, and I really don't see value in doing the walkthrough again.

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 2:42pm

I don't know if anyone has been to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY (home of Lucille Ball) but I wish the Museum of Broadway took some cues from that museum. It is highly personalized and interactive based on your comedic preferences along with great artifacts. Each visit could be a different type of experience to some extent. I enjoyed the Museum of Broadway for the most part but have no interest in going a second time.

[Wick3]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 2:47pm

I still haven’t gone to the museum mainly because I don’t have an urge to go. 
I know it’s small but if they had a cafe or small restaurant with singing waiters it may help with revenue and people traffic.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 2:58pm

Its is more akin to the Times Square tourist trap model of Madame Tussaud's or Spyscape than actual New York museums showcasing art and knowledge, and this is what's such a bummer. Even or especially if it closes fast, how long does this delay our ever getting a real performing arts museum? So many dreams of what that could look like. For now, folks who want that are better off going to the Lincoln Center library when they have an exhibit on. 

Updated On: 2/28/24 at 02:58 PM

[Leaf Coneybear]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 4:00pm

Scarywarhol said: "Its is more akin to the Times Square tourist trap model of Madame Tussaud's or Spyscape than actual New York museums showcasing art and knowledge, and this is what's such a bummer. Even or especially if it closes fast, how long does this delay our ever getting a real performing arts museum? So many dreams of what that could look like. For now, folks who want that are better off going to the Lincoln Center library when they have an exhibit on."

100% agree with this. As a fan of museums and Broadway, obviously I hope the museum does well. But this is one of the most disappointing museums I've ever been to. I'm far from an expert on Broadway but I learned very little from my visit, and I come to museums to learn! My friend pointed out that all the captions and history bits seemed like they were written by AI or not actually written thinking people would read them.

It was cool to see the artifacts but it felt more like a photo op than a museum, akin to the "Museums" of Illusion and Ice Cream. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 4:04pm

Did these people learn nothing from the Hamilton exhibit? A for profit theatre “museum” will not work.

[stoptheworld38]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 6:01pm

I went last year and really enjoyed it, although I did get a half off ticket thanks to the Broadway Week promo. Hoping to go back this summer with my friend who has never been and to check out some of the new stuff they've put out since. Great place in my opinion, although I do feel it's a tad overpriced.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 6:11pm

I loved it - but I love theatre.

Was smart and fun. Wishing it the best.

[quizking101]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 6:16pm

I only ever went to the MoB once and that was for a talkback for Purlie Victorious, which was in an oddly cramped side room off the gift shop.

As a frequent theatregoer, I found the price of the museum to be the extremely off putting reason why I haven't gone (especially given that the exhibits I've seen in pictures don't excite me much). For the same price, I could in many cases grab a rush or a lotto ticket and go see an actual live show and have fun there.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 6:35pm

in my mind, a museum is the opposite of theater. its wonderful to showcase history, beauty, information, things to quietly admire--but its the antithesis of LIVE, NOW, HAPPENING. And thats OK when it comes to ancient Italian sculpture or the history of war, or even historical film/tv, but for theater? It inherently doesnt make much sense to me.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 7:59pm

I enjoyed the museum. It was fun sharing with my husband experiences that I had before he and I met and I started dragging him kicking and screaming into an appreciation for theater. And I enjoyed reliving the memories of shows I hadn’t thought about for a very long time. However, I couldn’t quite get my head around the fact that some shows were given an entire room (of sometimes uninteresting material) and other shows were given a single photo on a wall of shows from a certain time period. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for those choices.  My husband kept telling me that the producers of show X paid more for the space but I chose, probably naively, to be less cynical. I assumed that this is an ongoing project and more will be added over time, both for the underrepresented older shows and those on the horizon. The problem, as many have said here, is that the experience was uber-expensive. I doubt we’ll ever go back. They need to rethink the price of entry if they’re hoping for repeat visitors.  Charge me a reasonable amount (roughly a third of the current rate) and I’ll go back twice a year to see what’s updated and new.

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 10/9/24 at 6:39pm

$10.11 admission

October 11-17

no code needed

Celebrating Coming Out Day

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 8:54am

BalconyClub said: "$10.11 admission

October 11-17

no code needed

Celebrating Coming Out Day"

Thanks - I took advantage of that. It probably wasn’t even worth that price. I knew pretty much everything that was there and many of the photos had been previously published in theater books I had read. The Harold Prince exhibit at the NYPL at Lincoln Center — which was fantastic — showed what a theater museum could be. This, unfortunately is a complete tourist trap. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 9:13am

I agree. That Harold Prince Exhibit at the NYPL was crazy insane. They had actual set pieces from SWEENEY TODD and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA along with the original model sets for the original Broadway productions of COMPANY, FOLLIES, and other shows. Heck, even Patti LuPone’s “Buenos Aires” dress from EVITA. This exhibit should be the template for how a Broadway museum needs to be. If you had the time, you could spend a day or two going thru the scripts and images from all his work as producer and director.

https://playbill.com/article/8-highlights-from-the-new-hal-prince-exhibition-at-the-new-york-public-library-for-the-performing-arts

[raddersons]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 2:24pm

Unfortunately the Museum of Broadway is instagram fodder and not actually a museum. Big on photo ops, little on information.

[The Scorpion]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 3:16pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "I agree. That Harold Prince Exhibit at the NYPL was crazy insane. They had actual set pieces from SWEENEY TODD and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA along with the original model sets for the original Broadway productions of COMPANY, FOLLIES, and other shows. Heck, even Patti LuPone’s “Buenos Aires” dress from EVITA. This exhibit should be the template for how a Broadway museum needs to be. If you had the time, you could spend a day or two going thru the scripts and images from all his work as producer and director.

https://playbill.com/article/8-highlights-from-the-new-hal-prince-exhibition-at-the-new-york-public-library-for-the-performing-arts"

I enjoyed both attractions but you're right, the Hal Prince exhibit was stunning. I'm sad they didn't publish a catalogue to accompany it. There was so much material in it I went back 2-3 times.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 4:29pm

I enjoyed it the one time I went, but I would not go again unless they had some sort of special exhibit where they highlighted a person's career, e.g., Harold Prince, Richard Rogers, Angela Lansbury, Helen Hayes, etc.

There is disproportionate focus on more recent shows -- as I remember -- probably because it would be easier to get material to display.  What about an exhibit on Life With Father, the longest running play ever, including replicas of the set (s), pictures from various productions around the world, etc.  

I am 73 and most of what I saw in the museum was shows I have seen.   What about historic shows that none of us have seen.  Take more advantage of technology, to have interactive presentations on shows we know about, but not much.

Thinking about it, maybe there should not be Broadway Museum`...maybe there should be space provided in say, the Met, devoted to Broadway.  It could also take advantage of all the technology available at the Met.  Never going to happen, but probably the only was to do it 'right'.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 5:07pm

The Museum of Broadway is better and more informative than I expected it to be, but a for-profit museum is just a fool's errand. I particularly liked the backstage simulations by David Rockwell.

The Academy Museum in LA or the Museum of Moving Image in Queens is the gold standard for this kind of museum, and they're much bigger than the MoB. Both those institutions also have theaters and coffee shops within them: another revenue stream and another way to engage the public.

Someone donating a quarter of a billion to the NYPL Performing Arts Library to expand it and create large, permanent public exhibitions about Broadway and NYC theatre would really be the best way to do this type of museum.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 6:51pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "The Museum of Broadway is better and more informative than I expected it to be, buta for-profit museum is just a fool's errand. I particularly liked the backstage simulations by David Rockwell.

The Academy Museum in LA or the Museum of Moving Image in Queensis the gold standard for this kind of museum, and they're much bigger than the MoB. Both those institutions also have theaters and coffee shops within them: another revenue stream and another way to engage the public.

Someone donating a quarter of a billion to the NYPL Performing Arts Library to expand it and create large, permanent public exhibitions about Broadway and NYC theatre would really be the best way to do this type of museum."

Great suggestion.  Key point: tie it to a non-profit institution.