Museum of Broadway- Page 3

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 2:22am

Not universally human nature.  I get to see a LOT of free theatre.  I dislike much of it.  That would seem to undermine your theory. 

And no one denied you the right to an opinion.  I’m just disappointed that this is a place where so frequently such opinions are formed on the basis of partial and/or zero first-hand information.  If you’re nevertheless comfortable forming an opinion on that basis, then have at it.  Free country.  Either way, I’m certainly not advocating that you buy tickets to something that doesn’t appeal to you.

My original post was solely intended to expand upon, offer an actual first-hand opinion on, and correct the record about what the museum covers, which is a good deal more than what assumed by many of the first 15-20 posters in their dismissal of the project’s worth.  

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 4:52am

I didnt say going for free automatically makes you love something or keeps you from disliking something...just that it's not the same. I'm going to dislike a meal for free if the steak is tough. I'm going to hate it if I'm paying 50 bucks for it. Tempered, skewed...that's all that's said. 

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm basing my opinion on all the info the museum themselves have put out...not what anyone else here says. We aren't lemming, we all can judge promotional material and make inferences...and opinions. 

[juliacd]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 9:30am

Updated On: 11/14/22 at 09:30 AM

[juliacd]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 9:34am

HogansHero said: "TheatreMonkey said: "Just to play devil's advocate, anything setup similar to a "Broadway investment with recoupment schedule(s)" is indeed just that -- a "business venture". And, outside the world of academia, museums aren't the bastions of research they once were for the everyman."

I agree, of course, with that first part but I am having trouble figuring out what you are saying in the last part (and what I think I have figured out I don't think is right so... )

Is there any info on who is actually funding this thing? There is obviously some forces beyond the 2 "founders"?"

you can search Facebook and see the "co producers". They have their names on the "wall" inside the museum. They raised 12 million the same way as a Broadway show. Not sure thats how you should set up an actual business venture. 

[Lola Getz2]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 10:15am

Rewatching the videos I noticed everything shown was musical theater related. Nothing dedicated to plays? O'Neil, Williams, Odets, Miller, Hansberry or Wilson or ANY mention of these classics that shaped American Theater History? Or should this be named The Museum of Broadway Musicals? 

Another question: Are the costumes all from the original productions or are they reproductions? That Annie dress looks like it just came out of the costume shop today and not 45 years ago. 

[Kad]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 10:33am

I wondered the same about the costumes, particularly as it looks like many are out in the open  and easily within the reach of guests to touch. Not how I would expect ostensibly historic pieces of clothing to be displayed. 

Costumes go through a lot more wear and tear than most clothing, so I have to imagine that a number of these have to be replicas. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 10:33am

juliacd said: "you can search Facebook and see the "co producers". They have their names on the "wall" inside the museum. They raised 12 million the same way as a Broadway show. Not sure thats how you should set up an actual business venture."

Thanks for that info. I don't have an issue with how they raised the money {a Broadway show IS an actual business venture LOL}; I was just interested in knowing who thought this was a good idea and I have a better understanding of that now. 

[bdn223]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 11:37am

Am I the only person a bit turned off that this is a FOR PROFIT business venture and not a non-profit venture meant to preserve and educate like most museums in NYC are? 

Just morally speaking this should not be a for-profit venture. Yes I understand that one of the reasons why a Broadway Museum hasn't permanently existed in NYC is because no one was willing to simply donate enough funds to create one, but with the amount of money floating around the industry this just feels wrong. I could understand if they followed the Museum of Sex model and straddle the line between a for-profit and non-profit institution, but the more news/interviews I see and research I do the more this simply feels like a capitalistic cash grab targeting tourists and Broadway fans, instead of something actually meant to preserve and education the public on the history of Broadway. 

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 11:38am

I mean, it's not a museum. it's a tourist trap. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 12:16pm

Lola Getz2 said: "Rewatching the videos I noticed everything shown was musical theater related. Nothing dedicated to plays? O'Neil, Williams, Odets, Miller, Hansberry or Wilson or ANY mention of these classics that shaped American Theater History? Or should this be named The Museum of Broadway Musicals?

Another question: Are the costumes all from the original productions or are they reproductions? That Annie dress looks like it just came out of the costume shop today and not 45 years ago."

 

The tv reports I have seen have said that both musical and plays are represented equally.

 

[Kad]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 12:17pm

A good friend attended the preview and said it skews heavily toward musicals and toward more contemporary shows. 

[Lola Getz2]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 12:31pm

uncageg said: The tv reports I have seen have said that both musical and plays are represented equally."

Equally? You would not know it from the many videos posted. But glad to hear, if true. 

 

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 12:53pm

Lola Getz2 said: "uncageg said:The tv reports I have seen have said that both musical and plays are represented equally."

Equally? You would not know it from the many videos posted. But glad to hear, if true."

 

Just passing along what they are saying in the pieces I have seen. I suspect the tv stations are pulling from a press release and that may be what it says.

 

[morosco]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 1:02pm

For anyone who has been, does the museum acknowledge the often overlooked contributions of the musicians in the orchestra pits at any point? 

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 7:31pm

morosco said: "For anyone who has been, does the museum acknowledge the often overlooked contributions of the musicians in the orchestra pits at any point?"

The final section of the museum is entitled "Making of a Broadway Show" and it attempts to at least touch on the village of people it takes to put on a show.  No one gets THAT much space -- generally, they are grouped by department -- but it's still nice to see stage managers, stagehands, orchestrators, musicians, dressers, hair & makeup, GMs, marketing & advertising reps, model makers, costume shops, and others get acknowledged and have a moment.  Each of the sections in that exhibit -- I think it's 7 or 8 of them? -- has a video playing that features interviews of people who do the jobs highlighted in that section.  The videos seem like they're quite long so it might be impossible to really watch all of them in full without hanging out for hours, but the bits that I did watch were generally engaging -- though some theatre folx are definitely more articulate than others.

[Lola Getz2]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 8:15pm

averagebwaynut said:
"The final section of the museum is entitled "Making of a Broadway Show" and it attempts to at least touch on the village of people it takes to put on a show. No one gets THAT much space --"

So would you compare this portion to "exit music" or the "final credits"? Some might feel compelled to stay and listen (or read), but most will just head for the exits? 

 

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 11/14/22 at 9:25pm

LOL, but no.  At least not to me.  David Rockwell has packed a ton of visual detail into that section too. So whether or not people take the time to read the text about all those people, there's still plenty to take in.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-the-new-museum-of-broadway-a-musical-theater-fans-paradise

Just saw this write-up, which on the one hand quibbles with the lack of art exhibits devoted to plays but also on the other hand also recommends several ideas that are the sort of kitsch that folks here have already mocked a bit.  And considering the size of the museum as it is (26,000sf in Times Square surely doesn't come cheap!), I'm not sure where he thinks the space would come from to add those.  But in any case, he does a pretty good job (IMO, at least) of summarizing the content and being fair.  (He didn't pay to get in either, but unlike mine, perhaps some here will believe that his opinion somehow is not tempered or skewed by that fact.)

[taragel2]

Posted: 11/15/22 at 10:29am

A friend who's a NYC tour guide got a free press invite yesterday and posted a lot of pictures. It was definitely on the... spare side? Just the design of it alone -- seems like there are a lot of empty rooms/corners surrounding one item or screen? The Show Boat room was the coolest by far -- it was decorated almost entirely with book art/sculptures. Which looked great but...I'm not really sure why? There's no emphasis on writing or books within Show Boat itself? I mean, it's based on a book, but so are many shows. I just wasn't quite sure of the choice, but it looked very cool! 


 

Updated On: 11/15/22 at 10:29 AM

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 11/15/22 at 10:45am

I took a look at the CBS Sunday Morning piece, the various people who had sneak previews on TikTok, and the walkthrough video posted earlier in the thread, and it seems like it its one of the Instagram post heavy exhibits we have seen with Dr. Seuss, Friends, The Office, etc. What I would haev wanted was something along the lines of the Hal Prince exhibt at the NY Public Library.

Also, I'm not sure where but I believe the Show Boat wall with all the pages was to represent the constant versions and revisions of the musical.

[joevitus]

Posted: 11/15/22 at 10:51am

Dollypop said: "I watched the video walk-thru and couldn't spot anything representing SHOWBOAT--a landmark musical."

It's Show Boat. Two words. As it is indeed a landmark musical, it's worth getting the title right. 

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 11/15/22 at 11:40am

From PlayBill:

 

“The Museum is offering $25 timed tickets and $35 flexible tickets on the first Tuesday of every month. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, and a portion of each ticket sold will be donated to Broadway Cares.”

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 11/15/22 at 11:42am

Luminaire2 said: "From PlayBill:



“The Museum is offering $25 timed tickets and $35 flexible tickets on the first Tuesday of every month. Tickets can be purchasedby clicking here,and a portion of each ticket sold will be donated to Broadway Cares.”"

I can't imagine this place is going to be around that long to worry about the first Tuesday of every month.

[taragel2]

Posted: 11/15/22 at 2:29pm

Also, I'm not sure where but I believe the Show Boat wall with all the pages was to represent the constant versions and revisions of the musical."

Ah, interesting. My friend did note that with the roundish tree ring sculpture on the wall, the inner pages are Edna Felber's book with the outer pages being the book/sheet music for the musical. 

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/15/22 at 2:47pm

taragel2 said: "Also, I'm not sure where but I believe the Show Boat wall with all the pages was to represent the constant versions and revisions of the musical."

Ah, interesting. My friend did note that with the roundish tree ring sculpture on the wall, the inner pages are Edna Felber's book with the outer pages being the book/sheet music for the musical."

A detail that will go over 128% of those who visit this museum.  

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 11/15/22 at 9:07pm

Adding my walk-through the museum  (with photographs) to the mix

Museum of Broadway: 10 things I learned, 11 rooms I liked