One Minute World Arts- The Museum of Broadway: A New Home Safeguarding the History of Broadway

Imagine there is a place where artifacts related to important Broadway shows can be collected and displayed, celebrating all the hardship and glory experienced in the process of creating those significant works that would pave the way to make Broadway what it is today? Indeed, the Museum of Broadway, which opened in November 2022, is the very embodiment of such a place. The Museum was co-founded by Julie Boardman, a Tony-winning producer, and Diane Nicoletti, organizer of some of the biggest events and fan experiences including the ones for Game of Thrones and Marvel. The pair spent 5 years making the dream come true; they took a lease on a closed Irish pub right next to Times Square after the pandemic hit, filling the floors above it with exhibits. The for-profit museum, in their view, aims to be experiential and interactive by utilizing costumes, props, and artifacts from Broadway performances.

Curated chronologically, the Museum itself has 3 parts: The Map Room, where there is a map showing where each current theatre is located and a short film documenting the development of New York theatre, a Broadway timeline that extends through most of the exhibit space, and the Making of a Broadway Show, a special section that reveals how a show is made. The Museum’s exhibits cover more than 500 shows, with items being as old as the early age of Broadway – the mid-18th century; highlights from its collection include Meryl Streep’s Broadway debut costume, as well as the mask, the costume, and the chandelier installation of Phantom of the Opera. In addition, there are special rooms in the Museum dedicated to Broadway shows such as West Side Story, designed in such a way that a particular setting from a show is authentically on display to make the visitors immerse in the atmosphere of the drama. On the whole, the Museum of Broadway does not only create a “pilgrimage” for Broadway fans to enlighten themselves, but also provide a home to safeguard the courage of those “adventurers” who have devoted their time to theatre-making, as well as to keep their spirit lasting.

 

百老匯博物館：納藏無數經典製作的新天地

想像有這麼個場館，能將百老匯史上重要的經典作品集聚一堂，盤點創作路上經歷過的風霜和璀璨，乃至造就了今日光芒萬丈的百老匯劇場文化？沒錯！眾所矚目的百老匯博物館（Museum of Broadway），終於在2022年11月正式營運了！本館由曾獲東尼獎肯定的製作人茱莉．波德曼（Julie Boardman），以及策劃過《權力遊戲》（Game of Thrones）和漫威（Marvel）旗下系列粉絲活動的黛安．妮可萊蒂（Diane Nicoletti）聯手創立，歷經5年的籌備，承接了一間坐落於時代廣場旁、因受疫情影響而歇業的愛爾蘭酒吧及其樓上的3層空間，最後將夢想化為真實，以售票經營的方式，展出源自百老匯劇作的戲服和道具等珍貴歷史物件，提供訪客極具互動性和氛圍感的參觀體驗。

百老匯博物館內的展品依時序呈列，並區分為三大部份：介紹紐約劇場發展沿革和大小劇院所在位址的「導覽室」，貫穿大半展區、呈現從早期至今日各種表演風貌的「時光廊道」，與具體揭露舞台幕後製作工序的特別展示區；館內蒐納的戲劇作品超過500部，有些文物的由來甚至可回溯至18世紀中葉，而其中較具代表性的則有知名演員梅莉．史翠普（Meryl Streep）首度在百老匯登台演出時所穿的戲服，以及《歌劇魅影》裡的面具、服裝和水晶吊燈藝術裝置等。此外，展館也精心打造了幾部經典劇作的知名場景，如《西城故事》（West Side Story）的藥房，讓訪客可以身歷其境地感受劇中氛圍。整體來說，百老匯博物館不僅提供給粉絲們一個全新的朝聖之地，同時也保存了長年來劇場「冒險家」們的勇氣和精神，使其得以繼續綿延不斷地傳承下去。

 

 

Photo Credit ©Sara Krulwich, Monique Carboni

Sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/29/theater/museum-of-broadway-patti-lupone.html

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/dec/18/new-york-broadway-museum-times-square

https://www.npr.org/2022/11/26/1138646738/new-museum-of-broadway-opens-musicals-theater

https://www.themuseumofbroadway.com/