The Museum of Broadway opened in Nov. 2022 on West 45th Street in Times Square. The four-floor 26,000 square foot space provides an exclusive look at props from your favorite productions as well as the stories behind each show. Julie Boardman and Diane Nicoletti co-founded the museum to document the history behind the Broadway experience and its influence on New York City. Each room is beautifully curated to showcase each specific time period in theater history and the productions that represent them.
Upon entering the Museum of Broadway, you will see the absolutely glamorous gift shop with merch from all of your favorite musicals. Then you will be guided upstairs into the Playbill room. In this room, you can view playbill covers of both classic and new musicals and read about each plot while you wait to be escorted into the screening room for a video about the history of Broadway in New York City. I found this video to be very fascinating because it tells the story of how the theater district made its way to its current home in Midtown. The rest of the tour is self-guided, where visitors are free to move at their own pace throughout each of the rooms. The exhibits feature costumes, props, set pieces, and memorabilia from shows such as Rent, West Side Story, Hamilton, Company, and many more. There is also an endless amount of photo opportunities to get those perfect Instagram-worthy pics. One of my favorite areas of the museum featured sketches, sheet music, stage makeup, and sound equipment from behind-the-scenes of each production.
The Museum of Broadway is a must-see for any theater enthusiast. Out of all the interactive walk-through museums I’ve visited in NYC, this one is definitely my favorite. Although I might be biased as a theater kid, this museum has something for everyone, whether you’re more interested in the production aspect or the glitz and glamour. Tickets start at $39, and a portion of each ticket sale gets donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.