What makes the magic of New York City alive is our unforgettable legacy of our Theater community. Over the years, there has been an unforgettable tradition of special events dedicated to the place we call home…… BROADWAY!!! One of our favorite throwback events used to be a tradition every year….. the annual BROADWAY ON BROADWAY concert.
In case anyone may not know, BROADWAY ON BROADWAY was a free outdoor concert held every year the week after Labor Day in Times Square,. It features performances from casts of some of your favorite Broadway shows performing highlighted showstoppers accompanied by a full 20 piece orchestra. You hear BOTH the long runners and sneak peaks of new shows that were coming in the new Broadway season. The concert would conclude with a full Grand Finale number (featuring all the casts) coming together with a huge confetti shower at the end. It has been televised live for several years on NBC. The concert was sponsored every year by The Broadway League and Toys”R”Us.
BROADWAY ON BROADWAY was originally conceived as a WELCOME PARTY back in 1992 for delegates to the Democratic National Convention in New York City. It did so well, the one time concert because an annual event for 10 years. It was cancelled in 2013 but then returned the year afterwards. After the 2014 concert, BROADWAY ON BROADWAY has NOT been back ever since.
To give you all a taste of what BROADWAY ON BROADWAY was like, here is the 2001 concert below. Hosted by Brooke Sheilds (who at the time was starring in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Cabaret), that year’s lineup consisted of…..
2 time Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth and the cast of the long running revival of Chicago The Musical,
Tony winner Idina Menzel and the cast of Disney’s Aida,
Ivan Rutherford from the original Broadway production of Les Misérables,
Manley Pope and Trey Ellett from the original Broadway production of Rent,
Tony nominee Carolee Carmello and Burke Moses from the 2000 revival of Kiss Me Kate,
Tony nominee Howard McGillin from The Phantom of the Opera (THE LONGEST MASKED MAN PEOPLE!!!),
Tony nominee Louise Pitre and the original Broadway cast of MAMMA MIA!,
Tony nominee and the late Rebecca Luker from the 2000 revival of The Music Man,
The cast of The Full Monty,
The cast of Blast,
Pre-Tony nominee Hunter Foster and the cast of Urinetown,
Tony nominee Brad Oscar from The Producers,
The cast of the 2000 Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show,
and
a toe-tapping and confetti showered finale from the cast of the 2001 Tony winning revival of 42nd Street.
Who remembers BROADWAY ON BROADWAY?
Could they bring it back when Broadway returns this year?!
