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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