Most of the theaters in Manhattan are clustered around the Times Square area called, appropriately, the Theater District. However only 6 of the 39 major theaters are actually located on Broadway.
To further complicate matters, several "off-Broadway" theaters have addresses on Broadway.
And this is not even to mention off-off-Broadway. Is this a case of two negatives making a positive and these are secretly on Broadway but don't want us to know? Or are they not in New York at all? Maybe all theaters outside of NYC are off-off-Broadway. Are the ones in China off-off-off-off-Broadway? Okay, that is silly.
No, it seems that a Broadway mailing address really has nothing to do with the designations. Go figure.
The distinction comes down to numbers (doesn't everything?) The number of seats in the theater determines the title. Broadway theaters have more than 500 seats, off-Broadway theaters sport 101 - 499 seats and off-off-Broadway few than 100.
So, based on this designation, my living room - with my son and his cousin's often spirited performances- is an off-off-Broadway theater. Cool.
Most theaters in New York City, and other towns for that matter, started out as burlesque halls. Very few started out as "legitimate theaters." There just wasn't a need for many. This high class entertainment was out of the reach of all but the very rich society. But burlesque was a very popular art form in the mid to late 1800's.
Later these popular theaters became Vaudeville houses and many, many more were built as this art form swept the country. Most of the remaining ornate music and stage theaters in cities around the country, including the Orpheum and Rialto Theaters, were built or remodeled to feature Vaudeville shows.
Popular former Vaudeville acts that are still known today, largely due to their popularity in movies, radio and television, are George Burns & Gracie Allen, Jack Benny, Buster Keaton, WC Fields, May West, Al Jolson and Abbott & Costello. Rose Marie (the Dick Van Dyke Show) is the last surviving (as of this writing) major Vaudeville star. She was known then as Baby Rose Marie.
To further complicate matters, several "off-Broadway" theaters have addresses on Broadway.
And this is not even to mention off-off-Broadway. Is this a case of two negatives making a positive and these are secretly on Broadway but don't want us to know? Or are they not in New York at all? Maybe all theaters outside of NYC are off-off-Broadway. Are the ones in China off-off-off-off-Broadway? Okay, that is silly.
No, it seems that a Broadway mailing address really has nothing to do with the designations. Go figure.
The distinction comes down to numbers (doesn't everything?) The number of seats in the theater determines the title. Broadway theaters have more than 500 seats, off-Broadway theaters sport 101 - 499 seats and off-off-Broadway few than 100.
So, based on this designation, my living room - with my son and his cousin's often spirited performances- is an off-off-Broadway theater. Cool.
Most theaters in New York City, and other towns for that matter, started out as burlesque halls. Very few started out as "legitimate theaters." There just wasn't a need for many. This high class entertainment was out of the reach of all but the very rich society. But burlesque was a very popular art form in the mid to late 1800's.
Later these popular theaters became Vaudeville houses and many, many more were built as this art form swept the country. Most of the remaining ornate music and stage theaters in cities around the country, including the Orpheum and Rialto Theaters, were built or remodeled to feature Vaudeville shows.
Popular former Vaudeville acts that are still known today, largely due to their popularity in movies, radio and television, are George Burns & Gracie Allen, Jack Benny, Buster Keaton, WC Fields, May West, Al Jolson and Abbott & Costello. Rose Marie (the Dick Van Dyke Show) is the last surviving (as of this writing) major Vaudeville star. She was known then as Baby Rose Marie.
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