Broadway VS West End: The Ultimate Theater Showdown

MsMojo

Broadway vs. West End, it's the ultimate theatrical showdown. Welcome to MsMojo, and in this installment of Versus, we’re pitting Broadway against the West End to determine which is the best theater district in town.

Transcript

00:00Come on along and listen to the lullaby of Broadway.

00:09Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and in this installment of Versus, we're pitting Broadway against

00:14the West End to determine which is the best theater district in town.

00:18The show must, you know, go on.

00:24And one, Origins.

00:38Broadway includes not only theaters on the street by the same name, but also on adjoining

00:42streets in Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side.

00:45Their origins date back to as early as the mid-18th century.

00:49On the street proper, we have the Broadway Theater, the Palace Theater, and the Winter

00:53Garden Theater.

00:54In time of war, as in time of peace, an industry close to the heart and pocketbook of the American

01:00public is show business, whose pulse is Broadway, but whose nerve system spreads over a large

01:07portion of the globe.

01:08We'd also be remiss not to mention other notable ones like the Vivian Beaumont Theater

01:12at the Lincoln Center.

01:13Now we're talking about Broadway Theater, not Off or Off-Off Broadway.

01:18In other words, this typically refers to venues with at least 500 seats.

01:23There's a total of 41 in the area.

01:33London Theater, meanwhile, is a far older tradition.

01:39In fact, it dates back to Roman times.

01:42With regard to the West End, Theatre Royale in Bridges Street made history as the first

01:46of its kind.

01:47Other significant venues include the Adelphi and the Savoy.

01:50Today, the West End boasts around 40 theaters.

01:54Not just that, it's been home to the longest-running play, Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, for

01:58over 70 years.

02:00Now those are deep roots indeed.

02:02Thus, we have a clear winner in this round.

02:12Winner West End.

02:14Round two, history and development.

02:17Broadway Theater featured many Shakespeare plays to wildly popular success.

02:33Eventually though, musicals began to be staged, which quickly became the most popular art

02:38form.

02:51One location on West 28th Street, Tin Pan Alley, even became a hub for songwriters like

02:56George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter.

02:59However, the Broadway musical's golden age truly came with the premiere of Rodgers and

03:03Hammerstein's Oklahoma.

03:05This amazing period wavered through the 60s and 70s, but found new life in the 80s.

03:27While Broadway quickly became known for its musical theater, the West End had a much more

03:31solid tradition in non-musicals.

03:33Although that's not to say the former was non-existent.

03:52The first successful permanent playhouse was James Burbidge's theater, home to the famous

03:57Lord Chamberlain's men and William Shakespeare, you may have heard of him.

04:01Plus, in the late 19th century, Oscar Wilde rose to prominence with his satirical comedies.

04:15Later came George Bernard Shaw, of Pygmalion fame.

04:18Shakespeare, Wilde, and Bernard Shaw?

04:20Sorry Gershwin and Rodgers and Hammerstein, but the West End wins this round.

04:32Winner West End.

04:34Round 3, Awards.

04:46Broadway's prestigious Tony Awards were established in 1947 by the American Theater Wing.

04:51Specifically, their name came from actress and co-founder Antoinette Perry, who passed

04:55away the year prior.

04:57While sometimes referred to as the Perry Awards, they were ultimately called the Tonys, honoring

05:01Perry's nickname.

05:03The Waldorf Astoria Hotel was home to the inaugural ceremony in 1947.

05:08Twenty years later, the show started being broadcast, and has evolved to become a true

05:13staple.

05:14Among the most acclaimed musicals are The Producers, South Pacific, and of course, the

05:19mega-hit Hamilton.

05:30The West End, for its part, has the Lawrence Olivier Awards.

05:45Now named after famous actor, you guessed it, Lawrence Olivier, they're surprisingly

05:49new.

05:50Indeed, they were established in 1976, though they were dubbed the Society of West End Theater

05:56Awards at the time.

05:57It wasn't until 1981 that folks could tune in to watch from home.

06:14As of 2024, the most awarded play is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

06:19Meanwhile, musicals like Sunset Boulevard and Matilda have also set records, alongside

06:24Hamilton and Cabaret.

06:26It's certainly impressive, but let's face it, in terms of cultural impact, influence,

06:31and even prestige, the Tonys still carry the day.

06:50Winner – Broadway Round Four – Theater Practices

06:55Broadway theater has a host of nice practices, such as free playbills and generous applause.

07:00Shows generally start at 8 p.m., while there are also 2 p.m. matinees.

07:04Plus, if a main performer is replaced by an understudy, you can get your money back.

07:20Broadway also tends to get more renovations than the West End, meaning things like better

07:24air conditioning and more comfortable seating.

07:36As for seating capacities, it can range anywhere from a modest 597 spots, like at the Hayes

07:42Theater, to a whopping 1,933, as seen at the Gershwin Theater.

08:00Compared to Broadway, West End theaters aren't renovated as often.

08:04Although there have been vast improvements, there are also fewer rules regarding understudy

08:08announcements and even box office earnings.

08:17While millions go to both, one's attendance is a little higher, with about 16.4 million

08:23folks having watched a West End show in 2022, compared to roughly 12.3 million for Broadway's

08:282023-24 season.

08:30Overall, though, you can't beat a free playbill and newer theaters, so Broadway wins this

08:36round.

08:46Winner – Broadway

08:47We got the theater, and we got the show.

08:53All we need now is the ticket price.

08:55Unfortunately, it's not an exaggeration to say that seeing a production on Broadway

09:04is expensive.

09:06In the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, sales equaled about $1.54 billion.

09:24Tickets reportedly cost about $100 on average, but we all know prices can far exceed that,

09:30especially for more popular shows.

09:32Unfortunately, Broadway does offer TKTS ticket booths that sell discounted tickets, and there

09:37are also often special prices for students.

09:40West End theater ticket prices, however, are much lower.

09:44Part of it stems from greater governmental subsidies and funding.

09:47Plus, there's the fact that much of the props, sets, and costumes can be borrowed

09:51from the TV and film industries.

09:53Unfortunately, we also have to consider that London's weaker unions lead to lower salary

09:58There's also less TV marketing going on here, once again bringing costs down.

10:16Those prices really can't be beat.

10:18Sorry, Broadway.

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10:44Round 6.

10:46Shows

10:47Let's face it, Broadway is renowned for its musicals.

10:50Legendary composers like George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter,

10:55whose songs are now considered standards, paved a bright path.

11:02Richard Rodgers also started with a bang, partnered with lyricist Lawrence Hart.

11:07But as we've discussed, it was Rodgers' partnership with Hammerstein that really revolutionized

11:11the genre, beginning with the seminal Oklahoma.

11:15Since then, Broadway musicals have been some of the most varied, coming from the minds

11:18of legends like Stephen Sondheim.

11:34They offer everything from comedy and dance musicals to rock operas and crossover classics

11:39like West Side Story.

11:50Most West End musicals, by contrast, are Broadway imports, but there have been some notable

11:55homegrown ones as well.

11:57There's Lionel Bart's Oliver, for instance.

12:14Andrew Lloyd Webber's string of hits for its part includes Evita, Cats, and The Phantom

12:18of the Opera.

12:35More modern hits like Six and Matilda have also made their mark.

12:39Andrew Lloyd Webber is a powerhouse, alright.

12:47But it's hard to beat Rodgers and Hammerstein in company.

12:50You win, Broadway.

12:52Winner, Broadway.

12:53It's a tie.

12:54Both Broadway and The West End have their strengths and weaknesses.

12:58Do you think there's a clear winner?

13:00Which other aspects of Broadway and The West End should be compared?

13:03Let us know in the comments down below.

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