In my continuing series of Field Trips for Seniors, I have another fabulous destination for you to visit.

It is the Museum of Broadway, located on 45th Street, just off 7th Avenue in Manhattan.  If you are a fan of Broadway shows, this museum is pure delight.

My family has always loved Broadway shows.  I was a mere child of 11 when my mother took me to see my first Broadway show, The Sound of Music.  I loved it, even though its original star (Mary Martin) was no longer in the cast.

We were fortunate that our Delaware Valley Central School music teacher, Willard ‘Bud’ Slausenberg mounted schoolwide productions of Broadway shows each year.  These musical extravaganzas included My Fair Lady, Carousel, The King and I, Oliver!, Oklahoma!, and The Music Man.  

Those experiences fostered a lifelong love of musical theater and with New York City so close,  I have since been fortunate enough to see revivals of My Fair Lady with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster (2022), The King and I with Yul Brynner (1977), Oklahoma! (2002), and Oliver! (2023).

The Museum of Broadway pays tribute to the many shows that have graced the famous stages of Broadway over the years,  from the days of Edwin Booth as Hamlet through the years of vaudeville and the lavish Ziegfeld Follies which ran from 1907-1931.

 Several costumes from the Follies are on display.  One of the most famous Ziegfeld girls was Billie Burke, whom you will remember as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz. Burke was also Ziegfeld’s wife.

Ziegfeld also produced Show Boat, which premiered on Broadway in 1926 and was the first serious musical. Not the usual musical revue, it told a story and used the songs to advance the plot. 

 The next breakthrough show was Oklahoma! by Rogers and Hammerstein which premiered in 1943 and played for nearly five years.  

They wrote the classics of musical theater, including Carousel, The King and I, Flower Drum Song, The Sound of Music and South Pacific.  

The museum plays tribute to their contributions.

We went from Oklahoma! to West Side Story and walked right into the set of Doc’s Drug Store. Then it was on to Stephen Sondheim and his many contributions to the stage.

The museum moves you from one era to another, complete with songs, costumes, and sets. Videos of authors, composers, and actors discussing their craft complement the exhibits. 

The guides in the exhibits are great, ready to share their knowledge and listen to stories told by longtime Broadway fans.

Finally, you walk downstairs and see how a show is put together behind the scenes.  It is mind-boggling to think of all the work that needs to come together for a show to make it to Broadway.

I was in the museum for at least two hours, and still didn’t have time to fully examine all the exhibits.  It is a must-see if you love the Great White Way.

The Museum of Broadway at 145 West 45th Street in Manhattan and is open daily, from 9:30 a.m. till 6:30 p.m. https://www.themuseumofbroadway.com/