Museum of Broadway- Page 4

[JasonC3]

Posted: 11/17/22 at 2:18am

Here's the lede for the paywalled Wall Street Journal review:

"The Museum of Broadway Review: Touting for Tourist Dollars

The just-opened New York museum is less a celebration of an artform than the glitzy promotional arm of an industry."

[BJR]

Posted: 11/20/22 at 5:32pm

Went today and everything everyone has said is true, both good and bad.

It's not a total waste or a tourist trap, but certainly where it errs is when it gives more space to the Insta moments over over in-depth corveage.

That said, there's plenty of history and plenty to admire. Some fun obscure props and costumes. And I thought the How a Broadway Show happens sequence after the Timeline portion is particularly interesting. Likely quite educational for non-Industry folks.

I had a good time and could've spent longer with a lot of it.

It would be so interesting to see if they had someone with real museum experience come in and curate.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/20/22 at 5:44pm

I'd go for $25. Definitely not $50.

[LetTheSunshineIn2]

Posted: 11/20/22 at 6:02pm

I thought it was just okay, especially given what they are charging.  There were some interesting things to see, but it did feel very light on actual artifacts. As someone else said, the Hal Prince exhibit was much better.  

[karen24]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 2:30pm

Just wanted to add my two cents to this thread. I went here this past Saturday before seeing "Some Like it Hot." I wasn't sure what to expect given the mixed reviews here, but I honestly was impressed. I spent two full hours there and could have spent longer, but I had to get to dinner and was also getting tired! I felt there was a lot to see and to read. In contrast to some comments above, I actually was amazed at all of the historical objects they had. Maybe people define "historical objects" differently but it seemed like there was something everywhere I looked, even in the gift shop! The museum is set up chronologically and in the very first room they had a cigar box from "The Black Crook," one of the earliest musicals to be performed (1866). You can't get much more historic than that. 

There were a few things which I found less than ideal, although they didn't ruin the experience for me:

1) There is SO MUCH text on the walls in almost every room. Had I stood there and read every word, I think I would have been there for six hours. Most people just glanced at this and walked on. I thought these parts were interesting, but it was just too much. 

2) There's music playing in every room and the sound often bleeds from one room to another. Maybe younger people (I'm 63) don't even notice this, but I found it distracting.

3) There are not enough places to sit down! (Again, I'm 63)

4) There's so much to see that by the time I got down to the lowest level (you start at the top and walk down - there is an elevator for those who need it), which is devoted to "the making of a Broadway show," I was too tired to do it justice. It's a lot to absorb. I'm glad they have this section but I would really have to go back and start there (which doesn't really seem cost-effective) to get the most out of it. 

My favorite room was the one for "Rent" - if you go, take a look at the wall of flyers and reproductions of some of Larsen's notes. There's the famous one (I believe the original is in the Library of Congress) where he worked out how many minutes are in a year Even though it's a reproduction, it still gave me goosebumps. They also have original costumes from the production (Mark, Angel, Roger and Mimi).  I'm pretty sure I saw them once at the Museum of the City of NY, but it was fun to see them again. I also thought the staff were very cheerful and helpful. Oh, if you have a coat and/or shopping bags you can leave them in lockers in the lower level (not mandatory). They wouldn't be big enough for a suitcase, though. 

I was kind of grumbling about the cost before going, but given all there is to see, and the fact that some of it goes to Broadway Cares, I felt it was worth it. I just think if I want to go again, I'm going to wait for a discount, since I'd only be trying to see certain sections that I skimmed over the first time. 

[Becky]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 10:04pm

They call themselves a Broadway museum, but couldn't seem to figure out who wore Raúl Esparza's lemon costume in Taboo...even with his name inside. (As if that one was easy to forget.)

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 3/7/23 at 12:03pm

They had added a bunch of things from recent and past productions, plus new updates to parts of the exhibit. Tickets are $39, not $50 as opening.
 

“Beginning today, guests visiting the Museum of Broadway can view several new artifacts from recently-closed Broadway shows, including a suitcase carried by Hugh Jackman and band hats worn by Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in the 2022 Broadway revival of The Music Man, Usher's hat worn by Jaquel Spivey in the 2022 Tony Award-winning Best Musical A Strange Loop, a costume worn by Alex Brightman in Beetlejuice (2019), and a costume worn by Sara Bareilles in the 2022 revival of Into The Woods.

Additionally, the Museum has added several notable historic artifacts, including Bob Fosse's Tony Awards from Dancin' (1978) and Big Deal (1986), spurs worn by Tom Wopat in the 1999 Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun, a replica of Alan Jay Lerner's annotated script for Camelot (1960), a hat worn by Dale Soules in The Magic Show (1974), a wig worn by Tovah Feldshuh in Golda's Balcony (2003), and a ukelele from Nice Work If You Can Get It (2012) signed by Matthew Broderick and Kelli O'Hara.

There have also been a few updates in the "Making of a Broadway Show" exhibit, designed by Tony Award winner David Rockwell.

The stage management booth has been updated to feature a video of the Aladdin stage management team calling the song "Friend Like Me," during a performance of the show, along with the calling script so guests can follow along to better understand the role of a stage manager.

Additionally, a new AR experience has been unveiled in which guests can use a special mirror to transform themselves into select characters from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child including Harry Potter, Professor Umbridge, Professor Dumbledore, and Bane. All of the hair and make-up looks are designed by Carole Hancock, and the face charts of these looks are on display within the exhibit.

Tickets for The Museum of Broadway can be purchased at https://www.themuseumofbroadway.com/tickets. These timed tickets start at $39, and a portion of every ticket sold will be donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Student and senior rates are available, as well as special $25 timed tickets on the first Tuesday of every month. Group and special event pricing is available upon request.“

[hollebolle]

Posted: 3/7/23 at 12:59pm

karen24 said: "2) There's music playing in every room and the sound often bleeds from one room to another. Maybe younger people (I'm 63) don't even notice this, but I found it distracting."

I totally noticed this. Especially when I walked into the room about AIDS & BCEFA as the Phantom overture started playing in the next room.

And yes, there's so much to read! My friend and I were trying to take our time and read as much as we could, but towards the end it became too much. We also cut it too close to closing after seeing a matinee, and then had to speed through the entire lower floor which was a bummer. We should have planned a bit more time, but I also wish the staff had given us a little more notice. We were still on the top floor when we were given a 15 minute warning (and we weren't the only ones). It would have been nice to have a 30 minute warning, since we didn't know there was still a whole floor to go through. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/7/23 at 1:03pm

One thing I haven't seen mentioned (sorry if I missed it) is that the STAFF is pretty wonderful.  Friendly and willing to help with any questions you might have.    I thought some of the space was wasted as just a walk thru, for example - but it was nice to see it so bright and clean....which I can only imagine won't be the same a year from now.  (There were already some things non functional.)

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 3/7/23 at 1:39pm

I think the text, if you do read it, can really be quite wonderful, and I liked how it charted trends across each time period of what kinds of shows were popular/being produced then.  My main issue was that the text would often be in the middle of a large picture wall and it could be a chore to find it, not to mention the font size.  It was big enough that if you were standing in front of it, it was perfectly fine, but if you were trying to read it around another person it would be tough.  And in the Making of a Broadway Show section, the text would be all over the place, sometimes above your head, sometimes at your feet, and that whole section had some dim lighting (some of which reflected a glare against the text), so you really had to hunt for the content.

Overall the experience was fun enough, but it felt like they tried to combine the "Instagram aesthetic museum" with actual educational information, and the combination didn't quite gel together as well as I would've liked, since most of that information was all just in one block of text that you'd stand there and read before moving on to the next room.  I got 2 for 1 tickets during Broadway week, so if you're looking for a deal they might run that again in the fall.

[dangeresque49]

Posted: 3/7/23 at 10:37pm

chrishuyen said: "I think the text, if you do read it, can really be quite wonderful, and I liked how it charted trends across each time period of what kinds of shows were popular/being produced then. My main issue was that the text would often be in the middle of a large picture wall and it could be a chore to find it, not to mention the font size. It was big enough that if you were standing in front of it, it was perfectly fine, but if you were trying to read it around another person it would be tough. And in the Making of a Broadway Show section, the text would be all over the place, sometimes above your head, sometimes at your feet, and that whole section had some dim lighting (some of which reflected a glare against the text), so you really had to hunt for the content.

I looked into the 2 for 1 tickets but the times has restrictions and we could not buy them on the weekend so we didn't go. Ill save this for some Tuesday I work in NYC. 

Overall the experience was fun enough, but it felt like they tried to combine the "Instagram aesthetic museum" with actual educational information, and the combination didn't quite gel together as well as I would've liked, since most of that information was all just in one block of text that you'd stand there and read before moving on to the next room. I got 2 for 1 tickets during Broadway week, so if you're looking for a deal they might run that again in the fall."