Broadway, originally meaning "wide street", refers to a 25-kilometer-long long long street in downtown new york, which starts from Bartley Park and runs through Manhattan Island from south to north. There are dozens of theaters on both sides of Broadway. The theaters from 44th Street to 53rd Street on Broadway are called Inner Broadway, and the theaters on 4 1 Street and 56th Street on Broadway are called off broadway. Classic, popular and commercial plays are staged on Inner Broadway, while some experimental, unknown and low-cost plays are staged in off broadway. However, this difference has been gradually diluted in recent years, so the phenomenon of "off broadway" has appeared.
Broadway is the name of a street in Manhattan, New York. Its middle section has always been a commercial theater and entertainment center in the United States, so the word Broadway has become synonymous with American drama activities. No street in the world is as full of fantasy as Broadway. Now Broadway is synonymous with American modern song and dance art and American entertainment industry. Every year, millions of tourists from all over the world come to new york to enjoy Broadway musicals. Broadway literally means "wide street". This avenue existed before the urban planning of 18 1 1 new york. Its center is near Times Square on 42nd Street and there are dozens of theaters around it.
Broadway history
The history of Broadway can be traced back to the beginning of19th century. At that time, Broadway had become the activity center of American drama art. Park Theatre was founded in 18 10, which is the predecessor of Broadway Theatre. The second theater Broadway appeared on Broadway 182 1. The dramatic style of Broadway in this period was deeply influenced by the Victorian style of Europe at that time. With the impact of immigration and multiculturalism, American playwrights and actors have emerged under the stimulation of this consciousness. Because most of the scripts are adapted from novels or literary works, and because there are constant disputes about reprinting or adapting scripts, the first article on copyright law appears in 1856.
With the end of World War I, Broadway drama culture began to flourish rapidly in the1920s. In the late 1920s, Broadway art reached its peak, with 80 theaters, 1925. However, this beautiful scene was ended by1968+the economic crisis in the early 1930s.
With the re-evolution and changes of history and culture, Broadway today is not only a road running through the north-south direction of Manhattan Island in new york, but also synonymous with theater or drama appreciation.
"Broadway" actually has three meanings: the first concept is geography, which refers to 36 cinemas near Times Square 12 block in new york; The second meaning is the performance in Broadway; The third layer means that the whole Broadway industry, including theaters outside new york, mainly performs Broadway plays. Generally speaking, Broadway is a peak representative of the western drama industry, representing the highest level of artistic and commercial achievements in the drama and theater industry.
At present, "Broadway area" refers to the area along Broadway from the Nederland Theatre at 4 1 street in the west of Manhattan to 53rd street in the north. Broadway theaters, the only theaters really located on Broadway are Marquis, Palace, Winter Garden and Broadway. In fact, all the theaters along Broadway belong to Broadway.
Content and characteristics
Broadway is an elegant musical, and most of the performances on Broadway are classic plays. The actor's performance obeys the needs of the plot, and expresses the theme of the party through group body language and excellent music singing. The keynote of Broadway performance is black, and exaggeration, humor, humor, naturalness, lightness and liveliness are the consistent performance styles of Broadway.
At the beginning of the 20th century, new york people built theaters on both sides of Broadway, and colorful stage performances soon became the attractive highlights of this rapidly formed metropolis. Today, Broadway shows have become synonymous with major stage performances in new york. They are no longer confined to Broadway, and some even travel around the world. "Broadway has played an important role in making new york a world art center and entertainment pioneer. The characteristics of Broadway are very similar to Hollywood in the film circle, with strong commercial color and entertainment. The production cost of millions of dollars, the luxurious and dazzling stage, the super star with extraordinary skills and the easy-to-understand plot have built the enduring skeleton of his musical.
Every job on Broadway has its own actors' association. Only by becoming a member can you be qualified to work on Broadway. Even if you are only a lighting engineer, you must try to join the lighting workers' association. Therefore, the actors who survive on Broadway, after many polishing, will be very powerful roles after going out, even if they are not starring. The competition here is too fierce. It is this kind of competition that makes several generations of Broadway artists persist in exploration, maintains the elegant and healthy development of Broadway, and endows the ancient musical art with new vitality.
The characteristics of Broadway song and dance art are easy to understand and entertaining; Magnificent stage scenery, combined with various modern scientific and technological means, combined with sound and lighting, makes the stage performance unpredictable. The actors on the stage sang and danced, and the audience under the stage was intoxicated; The atmosphere is warm, which combines the communication between the actors and the audience. Very ornamental and entertaining. The actors dressed in colorful costumes danced enthusiastically in beautiful music, which made the audience feel the American culture and music personally.
Broadway doesn't have any artistic framework, and it doesn't care whether the play has been performed elsewhere. It only believes in one criterion, that is, in any art, as long as it can make the audience's vision meet new challenges, it can be used freely. Famous stage plays such as Cat and Phantom of the Opera were first created in West End of London, and then became popular on Broadway. This is because Broadway producers bought them and carefully recreated them, reflecting a spirit of never refusing plagiarism.
Today, Broadway Opera House has become one of the pillars of the cultural industry in New York State. Its performance forms are integrated with dance, music and drama, and some plays are integrated with art and public interest, which are highly ornamental and entertaining. Watching Broadway operas has become an indispensable program for everyone who comes to visit, visit and travel in new york. Judging from the current audience ratio, there are more foreigners coming here than Americans. Now, the number of tourists is increasing by 3% every year, and 60% of the visitors come from outside new york. One of the purposes that many people come to new york is to enjoy Broadway operas, otherwise they will "come back in vain".
outstanding
Broadway art has made immeasurable contributions to the popularization of American drama and song and dance performances. Many Hollywood stars started their movie star careers after Broadway performances. Julia, the heroine of the famous Hollywood musical feature film The Sound of Music? Andrews began to perform in Broadway musical of the same name, was discovered by the director and went to the screen, and became an American screen idol in the 1960s. Although Andrews is now over 60 years old, she still plays the leading role in the musical Victor and Victoria. Natasha richardson was born in a famous British performing family. He is an amphibious star who is active in British movies, TV and Broadway in the United States. He studied at the Central Academy of Drama in England in his early years, and later appeared in many influential plays, movies and TV series, such as Maid in Manhattan, Hostage, A Midsummer Night's Dream and so on. He won the Tony Award, the highest award on Broadway, for his wonderful performance in the classic stage play Caballe. In addition, Hollywood stars are also honored to sing on Broadway, such as the famous Hollywood star Ruth? Glenn and Brooke. Little si.
As famous as Broadway, there are many great musicians, the most famous of which is Andrew? Lloyd. Weber. Andrew was born in London, England, and he liked music since he was a child. Many of his Broadway musicals have been handed down from generation to generation, among which Cats, Chicago, Phantom of the Opera and Phantom of the Opera are the most famous. In addition to composing music for musicals, Weber also composed music for many famous films. For example, the music of the popular movie Avita, starring Madonna and describing the life of the wife of Argentine President Peron, was composed by Weber. Weber not only created many masterpieces of music, but also made many great singers. Among them is Weber's ex-wife Sarah? Braitman. It is said that The Phantom of the Opera was tailored by Weber for his second wife Sarah. Zarain's performance on Broadway made him one of the world's first-class singers. She is the best singer who spans classical and modern pop music.
Famous drama
There are dozens of plays about Broadway, among which Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon and The King and I are the best. The plays staged there often last for 7-8 years, 10 years.
Take the play Cat as an example. From 1982 to 10 and ending in June 2000. It lasted 18 years. According to the statistics of 1997, the advertising slogan of "Cats" is "now and forever", which has brought a lot of income to new york. Cat staged 7397 performances, sold 30 million tickets and earned about 380 million dollars at the box office, which promoted the economic growth of related industries (restaurants, bars, gifts, etc.). ) reached $3 billion in nearby communities. In the whole Broadway area, the total annual box office revenue is about1200 million dollars. According to American income standards, the price of each theater ticket is not expensive. If you go to the ticket office (TKTS) in Times Square to buy the remaining tickets for the day, the price will be cheaper.
Famous plays performed on Broadway in recent years include The Lion King (winner of Tony Award for Best Musical 1998), Phantom of the Opera, Cat, Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. Titanic (1997 Tony Award winner for best musical) became a trend with the help of the movie of the same name.
Miss Saigon is a Vietnamese version of the Italian opera Madame Butterfly, which tells the story of an American soldier who abandoned a Saigon girl at first. As the leading actor, Wang Luoyong naturally strongly recommends this play. However, the play does have dazzling visual effects, such as the helicopter taking off from the stage at the end of the play, which dazzles the audience. The plot of the play is popular and touching, and you can understand the development of the plot even if you don't know English. The sadness of the heroine abandoning his wife and the affection between her sons are easy to touch people's hearts.
Broadway mountains
There are three main types of companies and enterprises on Broadway: the first is theater operators, the second is producers, and the third is program brokers. Theater operators generally own or rent our theaters for a long time, and are responsible for the daily work and other technical elements of the theaters. Producers refer to companies that develop and create Broadway shows. On the one hand, they should be responsible for obtaining all legal rights of creative works, including intellectual property rights, on the other hand, they should be responsible for raising funds, supervising the development process of the program and ensuring the success of the program. A program agent is an intermediary between a producer and a theater operator.
Broadway is one of the most famous streets in the world, with a total length of 240 kilometers and the longest street in the world. The most famous part of Broadway is called "White Avenue". Although it is only 65,438+000m long, it is the center of new york Grand Theatre. "White Avenue" got its name because before neon lights appeared, all these bright lights were white, making night look like day.
Broadway awards
1946, the American Drama Association established the Tony Award in the name of the famous American actress and director Antuoni Paley, which is equivalent to the Oscar Award in the film industry, and awarded 19 items to Broadway plays every year. There are awards for best drama, best director, best actor and actress, best supporting actor and actress, best musical script, best musical director, best musical score, best musical lyrics, best musical dance director, best musical actor and actress, best dance design, best lighting design, best musical supporting actor and actress, best remake drama and special prize. At present, this award is nominated by a nomination committee composed of 12 drama critics and scholars under the leadership of the American Drama and Performers Union and the American Drama Association, and finally voted by more than 600 members of the drama artists' organization. The winner only got a gold medal, and there was no bonus.
Influence and reference
The meaning of the word "Broadway" is not limited to this street or theater today. People use this word to refer to the essence of American drama art. The sign of an actor's real success is to let his name appear in the neon advertisement of a Broadway theater. Broadway has also created many words, such as "standing in the spotlight", which means to be the center of public attention and become a celebrity. If your name appears in the newspaper, or you become the object of people's talk, people will say that you are "standing in the spotlight". Broadway, a place full of tempering, attracts thousands of people from all over the world every day, where laughter, tears, pride and decadence can be seen everywhere. You may become famous overnight, or you may have become a millionaire. Perhaps this is the charm of Broadway, and only when you are there can you fully understand it.
The theaters located on both sides of the middle section of Broadway in Manhattan, new york are the centers of American drama performance, so Broadway has become synonymous with American drama. As long as any play is successfully staged in Broadway theaters, it will be famous in the United States, the English world and even the western world, so there will be theaters everywhere. By the same token, most successful plays performed all over the United States will be moved to Broadway, and then promoted to other places through Broadway's fame.
Musical, as the fastest-growing artistic achievement in the last century, has a lot of experience in creative ideas, production methods, marketing strategies and so on, which deserves our re-examination, study and reference. Musical, as its name implies, should be "musical". But in fact, it also incorporates many other artistic elements. As far as music is concerned, there are both bel canto music and pop music, including traditional orchestral music, electroacoustic music, jazz and various mixed bands; The same is true of dance vocabulary. Ballet, tap dance, disco and modern dance can all be integrated into it. Musical "The Lion King" is an animated film released by the American Disney Company on 1994. After the play was a great success, Disney produced a Broadway musical of the same name in 1997. The comprehensive use of image modeling and artistic means in the play can be described as ingenious. Shadow play, puppets, acrobatics, stilts and all other art forms can be used as long as they are conducive to the performance of the lion's dramatic scene. Therefore, the magnificent momentum of the African savannah and the thrilling scenes of wild animals running around after being frightened on the stage are not inferior to those in the movies at all. In addition to the integration of various art forms, all the comprehensive links of stage art such as music, dance, drama performance, stage art, lighting and sound in musicals constitute a complete artistic whole. In several musicals we have seen, almost all the plays have left such an impression on us. Not only do the actors' performances and singing skills attract you deeply, but every link shines brilliantly. Musical drama has a more comprehensive aesthetic feeling than traditional stage drama, which gives the audience a shock, shock and appeal in vision and hearing, and makes people feel the infinite charm of musical drama.
If we compare the early music works with contemporary works, we will find that both the theme, content and artistic form reflect a modern consciousness of keeping pace with the times and seeking innovation and change. This modern consciousness is based on creative ideas and technical means.
Broadway musicals often make you feel that it is a play, a method, and there is no unified model. The style and style of each play are determined by the theme, and the best combination point can always be found. It is a principle to combine artistry, appreciation and entertainment organically to create musicals. Modern Millie is a musical with the theme of modern city. The creator skillfully turned the action of characters tapping on the computer keyboard into a wonderful tap dance. Mamma Mia is a romantic love story that happened on a Greek island. Correspondingly, its music and dance are full of passion, romance and modernity. This kind of content is close to contemporary life, and the form is close to the audience's consciousness, which is what China traditional art lacks most.
Broadway musicals are also good at using modern technical means such as sound, light and electricity to create colorful stage effects. The scale of the band is very small, ranging from more than 30 people to 10 people, but it is more expressive and appealing than the traditional band, because they bring the sound processing technology of modern recording studio into the theater. Due to the application of modern science and technology, Bailong musical often makes you feel that there is a big band accompanying you. In order to achieve a certain artistic effect, modern stage technology has also been widely used in musicals. For example, Mamma Mia has a hidden hydraulic platform on the stage. At the end of the play, the platform rises slowly and extends to the sea of the canopy. A pair of lovers stand on this platform and go to the sea. The bright moon, the sea and lovers create a picturesque stage beauty. Aida also has magical stage visual effects. In the swimming pool scene, the actors seem to be floating in the swimming pool, but in fact they are suspended in the air.
When we think of Broadway phenomenon, we can't help talking about its ticket promotion and publicity skills. Broadway tickets are very expensive, and it is not uncommon to see $200 each. However, the way of selling tickets on Broadway is very flexible. Seven or eight tickets can be discounted as group tickets. In the afternoon, there is a special place in front of Times Square to sell the remaining tickets for the day. You can usually buy discounted tickets. So you can often see long queues for cheap air tickets here. In terms of publicity, Broadway has many ingenious ways to design and display advertisements. Some advertisements were even killed a few years before the performance, and they were overwhelming and household names. Some of them are secretly planned, with creative positive and negative hype to stir your nerves and activate your curiosity. There are even ways to force you to negotiate. For example, the money for the The New York Times page should be paid in advance by the advertising company. As for how much money the drama party gives to the advertising company, it depends on the attendance rate brought by publicity to the stage play. The advertising companies that were forced to go to Liangshan had to rack their brains, attract the audience's attention by surprise "best" advertisements, and then pay voluntarily. Just like the sensational advertisement of Phantom of the Opera: "If you only watch one musical in your life, Phantom of the Opera is your only choice." Naturally, it is easy to lead the audience into the theater.
off broadway
Off broadway refers to the theatrical activities outside the commercial theater center in new york, which are mostly performed by some troupes in theaters from 4 1 street to 56th street or rented old halls and basements. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, it appeared as an avant-garde, and its main feature was to carry out drama experiments at low cost, providing opportunities for the unappreciated dramatists on Broadway. Two early famous off broadway theatres were built in Greenwich Village, new york. One is the Washington Square Theatre, which was established in 19 14, and performed some artistic plays that were neglected by commercial theaters. Later, it evolved into Tongren Theater in 19 19, which played a great role in improving the level of American drama. The second is the provine Stown Drama Club, which was founded on 19 15 by some members of the Washington Square Theatre in provine Stown, Massachusetts, to "provide an opportunity for American playwrights to express their ideas freely". It moved to Greenwich Village in 19 16, and has been active for more than ten years, especially famous for its first performance of O 'Neill's plays.
During the Great Depression in 1930s, off broadway was once a place where workers' dramas and dramas with left-wing political thoughts were staged, among which the most famous troupe was the collective theater of M. Gorlik. After World War II, off broadway not only staged new plays, but also put the failed plays on Broadway, and made bold explorations in directing, performing and performing styles, thus forming a massive off broadway movement. In 1960s, off broadway staged more than 80 plays every year, including classical drama, serious drama, comedy, experimental drama and musical. However, after the 1960s, off broadway gradually commercialized, and the performance expenses kept rising. Some young playwrights perform more novel experimental plays at low cost in some cafes, bars, penthouses or churches in Greenwich Village.