Disney saved Broadway

[roomthreeseventeen]

From this link: (warning, strong language)

Without Disney, Broadway—and New York theater in general—would be like those depressing days when Chorus Line was the only show to see in a grim Times Square and you had to fight past hookers in rabbit fur coats to get to the box office.

 

[Imzadi]

Yes, that was the days like in the Death Wish, movie.

 

[RayaniFoxmur]

I don't know. I think Disney did bring a lot to Broadway, but that's really discounting other ground breaking shows such as Rent that really changed the face of Broadway theater as we know it.

 

[eliza61]

From this link: (warning, strong language)

Without Disney, Broadway—and New York theater in general—would be like those depressing days when Chorus Line was the only show to see in a grim Times Square and you had to fight past hookers in rabbit fur coats to get to the box office.

I guess it depends on who you ask. Many New Yorkers hate what Disney has done to 42nd street, there are many who while couldn't say they liked the XXX theaters for the most part, they didn't bother anyone and it was always interesting walking down the street. I use to go by there every day to catch the E train back home. Now I avoid the area like the plague. If some one I know is visiting and happens to want to see a play I go but I would not recommend it to visitors, just too many other areas of the city with more character and better places to eat. We like our city with Character. If I wanted Main street USA I would go to Disney world.

Pretty much many Disney musicals are homoginized, fifties musicals. I did enjoy the Lion King but I've heard many of my fellow gothamites complain that there pretty much the same as seeing "Oklahoma" on dvd.

It's a tourist trap and like many tourist traps in other places, the locals generally just pass on by.

 

[Kimberle]

Was this written BY Disney??? I moved to the area in the mid 80's, long before the Disney shows arrived. I went to B/way shows all the time. They were wonderful, Tap Dance Kid, Dreamgirls, Cats just to name a few. They had full orchestra's. Yes, there were "seedy" peep shows around times square. It was NYC itself who "cleaned" up the area, NOT Disney.

 

[huey duey & luey]

While I certainly loved the Disney shows (just saw Mary Poppins last week), they are really no Les Mis or even Jersey Boys
I think Lion King is a standout and very unique, but both B&the B, and TLM were really a step of from the versions at hollywood studios.

I credit Disney for reintroducing broadway to an entire new generation of theatre goers, but there are ALOT of wonderful shows out there

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

It was pretty much Guiliani who cleaned up the area, I think Although clean is a strange word for 42nd Street, which I still find pretty skeevy.

 

[Imzadi]

It was pretty much Guiliani who cleaned up the area, I think

Yes, Guilliani is the one who cleaned up the area. He made a deal with Disney to bring them in. They said they would only come if he was able to get rid of the XXX theatres & head shops. He promised them he would do it, he delivered.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

As far as their shows go, TLK was pretty spectacular, and I liked Beauty & the Beast.

Tarzan had the greatest opening of any show I've seen in many years, followed by two hours of trainwreck.

 

[tiggger1]

Was this written BY Disney??? I moved to the area in the mid 80's, long before the Disney shows arrived. I went to B/way shows all the time. They were wonderful, Tap Dance Kid, Dreamgirls, Cats just to name a few. They had full orchestra's. Yes, there were "seedy" peep shows around times square. It was NYC itself who "cleaned" up the area, NOT Disney.

I agree 100% I was seeing amazing show long before Disney came to Broadway!

Here are a few I have seen The Who's Tommy, Guys and Dolls, The Secret Garden, 42nd Street, Grease, Sunset Blvd, Will Rogers Follies, Crazy for You, Damn Yankees, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Miss Saigon.

I have seen BaTB twice on Broadway and while I do love it, nothing beats since a great show with a FULL orchestra!

 

[bicker]

I think that a lot of folks not giving Disney its due in this regard are insisting on making a non-viable choice: Broadway they'd want it to have been. Rather, the choice was between "No Broadway" and "Broadway as it is now" and a few other related options, but nothing like how they'd want Broadway to be.

Before Disney and the city worked together to revitalize the theater district, things were on a downward trend. To say that X would have been better, when there is no reason that X was practicable is not really saying anything at all.

 

[akhenaten]

Yes, Guilliani is the one who cleaned up Times Square, as well as cleaned up NYC. He made a deal with Disney to bring them into Times Square. They said they would only come if he was able to get rid of the XXX theatres & head shops. He promised them he would do it, and other than Show World and a few joints, he delivered.

YES! and Broadway had and still has many wonderful non- Disney productions!! Just saw "In The Heights" for the second time last night.. great show !!!!

I hated the XXX theaters /shops... but I liked when you used to be able to walk on the sidewalks used to be less crowded and not all of those street vendors tables... ( there were always a few.. but now there are way too many!!!)

We ate at the cafe in the Edison Hotel... it was like a slice of old new york!! Loved it... pretty much only locals... no problem getting a table on a Saturday night.. i bet the TGI Fridays a block away was packed though....

 

[gina2000]

Broadway's longest running shows:

http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/75222-Long-Runs-on-Broadway

While it could be argued that Times Square was cleaned up due to Disney's promise to pump money into Broadway theater, it doesn't seem justified to suggest that Disney "saved" Broadway. Yes, there are Disney shows in the longest running list but there are wonderful musicals, comedies, and dramas there also.

I've been going to the Broadway theater for 40 odd years and while I appreciate a cleaner Times Square, the old area didn't inhibit my theater habits one bit.

(And yes, I know the link is a year old.)