|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Broadway
BROADWAYBROADWAY, a street in New York City running the length of Manhattan. Most of the lower course of Broadway is said to follow the routes of old Indian trails, and farther north it generally follows the line of the Bloomingdale Road to 207th Street. Beyond the Harlem River it becomes a part of the highway to Albany. In New Amsterdam (now New York City) its first quarter mile was originally called the Heerewegh or Heere Straat. The name was anglicized to Broadway about 1668. George Washington lived at 39 Broadway for a time during his presidency. In 1852 a cable-car line gained a franchise on Broadway, then the city's chief residential street. The line, fought in the courts for more than thirty years, was finally built in 1885, but by then the street had become the city's main business thoroughfare. The first subway line under Broadway was begun in 1900. In the late nineteenth century, theaters clustered along Broadway, first below and then above Longacre (now Times) Square, so that its name became synonymous with the American theater. The first arc electric streetlights in New York were placed on Broadway in 1880, and the brilliant lighting in the early twentieth century earned it the nickname "the Great White Way." BIBLIOGRAPHYBurrows, Edwin G., and Mike Wallace. Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1995. Alvin F. Harlow / c. w. See also Railways, Urban, and Rapid Transit ; Theater . |
|
|
Cite this article
Harlow, Alvin F.. "Broadway." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Harlow, Alvin F.. "Broadway." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401800563.html Harlow, Alvin F.. "Broadway." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401800563.html |
|
Broadway
Broadway (1926), a drama by Philip Dunning and George Abbott. [Broadhurst Theatre, 603 perf.] At the Paradise Night Club, Steve Crandall ( Robert Glecker) kills another gangster. Crandall's girlfriend, “Billie” Moore ( Sylvia Field), sees the body being carried out, but Crandall persuades her to claim she has seen nothing, telling her it was a drunken, though important politician. Roy Lane ( Lee Tracy), a hoofer at the club who loves Billie, reveals the truth about the murder. So Billie kills Crandall then goes off with Roy. Percy Hammond of the Herald‐Tribune called the Jed Harris mounting “the most completely acted and perfectly directed show I have seen in thirty years of professional playgoing.” A 1987 revival, staged by Abbott, failed to run. Philip DUNNING (1891–1968) was born in Meriden, Connecticut, and worked as an actor and stage manager before turning to playwriting. He originally wrote Broadway as A Little White Guy, then it was produced as The Roaring Forties, then as Bright Lights, before the play was put into final form by Abbott at Harris's suggestion. Dunning's other plays incude Lily Turner (1933), Page Miss Glory (1935), and Remember the Day (1941). On occasion he also produced shows, most memorably Twentieth Century (1934).
|
|
|
Cite this article
Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Broadway." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Broadway." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-Broadway1.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Broadway." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-Broadway1.html |
|
Broadway
Broadway famous thoroughfare in New York City. It extends from Bowling Green near the foot of Manhattan island N to 262d St. in the Bronx. Throughout its length Broadway is chiefly a commercial street. In lower Manhattan it runs through the financial center of the country; N of Union Square (14th St.) it passes a merchandising section; further N around Herald Square there are large department stores; finally around Times Square (42d St.), which has undergone significant redevelopment, it enters the theater district, or the "Great White Way," the most storied portion of Broadway. Points of interest along Broadway include Trinity Church (Wall St.); St. Paul's Chapel, built 1766 (near City Hall); the Woolworth Building (at Barclay St.); the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (64th-66th streets); Columbia Univ. (113th-121st streets); the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center (168th St.); and Van Cortlandt Park (at the north end of the city). Broadway was laid out by the Dutch and was the principal street of New Amsterdam ; its northern stretches in Manhattan were formerly called Bloomingdale Road.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Broadway." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Broadway." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Broadway.html "Broadway." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Broadway.html |
|
Broadway
Broadway . The street running north‐south the length of Manhattan Island, it has given its name as a synonym for American theatre or at least for New York theatre. A “Playhouse on Broadway” was shown on a map as early as about 1735. Over the years many important legitimate theatres have, indeed, actually stood on Broadway, the newer ones being built farther north as the city moved upward. Today the theatre district lies largely between Times Square and 53rd Street, with most theatres on Broadway itself film houses, while the legitimate theatres generally are clustered on side streets. When electric lights became prevalent, the area became known as “The Great White Way,” another expression that remained popular for decades. Since World War II the expression Off Broadway has been used to describe many small, often experimental theatres, most of which are situated away from the major playhouses and which some unions have allowed special lower pay scales. And later Off Off Broadway was devised to denote shoestring operations of an even more experimental nature than Off Broadway.
|
|
|
Cite this article
Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Broadway." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Broadway." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-Broadway.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Broadway." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-Broadway.html |
|
Broadway
Broadway a street traversing the length of Manhattan, New York. It is famous for its theatres, and its name has become synonymous with show business (it is also known informally as the Great of Chancery).
off-Broadway (of a theatre, play, or performer) located in, appearing in, or associated with an area of New York other than Broadway, typically with reference to experimental and less commercial productions. The term off-off-Broadway is now used for productions regarded as even more experimental, avant-garde, and informal. |
|
|
Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Broadway." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Broadway." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Broadway.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Broadway." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Broadway.html |
|
Broadway
Broadway Major thoroughfare of New York City that began as the principal n–s axis of the old town. It runs from the s tip of Manhattan to the northern city limit in the Bronx. Famous sites along the route include the Woolworth Building, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Columbia University. In the vicinity of Times Square, its theatres and cinemas have made it known worldwide as the ‘show-centre’ of the USA.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Broadway." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Broadway." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Broadway.html "Broadway." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Broadway.html |
|
Broadway
Broadway, long a residential street, became the main business thoroughfare of New York City in the mid‐19th century. It often figures in Whitman's poetry. Its most famous section is the theatrical district at 42nd Street (Times Square), known popularly as The Great White Way, a nickname derived from the title of a play by A.B. Paine (1901), referring to its brilliant lighting.
|
|
|
Cite this article
James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Broadway." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Broadway." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-Broadway.html James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Broadway." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-Broadway.html |
|
Broadway
Broadway, street running north—south of Manhattan Island, New York. It is used to denote the New York commercial theatre because many famous theatres stood on it, though the theatres are now mostly in side streets. The high cost and consequent unadventurousness of Broadway productions led to the establishment of smaller Off-Broadway theatres away from the area.
|
|
|
Cite this article
PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Broadway." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Broadway." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Broadway.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Broadway." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Broadway.html |
|
Broadway
Broadway, ‘(place at) the broad way or road’, OE brād + weg: Broadway Somerset. Bradewei 1086 (DB). Broadway Worcs. Bradanuuege 972, Bradeweia 1086 (DB).
|
|
|
Cite this article
A. D. MILLS. "Broadway." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Broadway." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Broadway.html A. D. MILLS. "Broadway." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Broadway.html |
|
Broadway
Broadway
•Kabwe • hatchway • trackway
•tramway • gangway • Yahweh
•archway • parkway • pathway
•headway • segue • expressway
•airway, fairway, stairway
•railway • gateway
•freeway, keyway, leeway, seaway
•speedway • breezeway • Midway
•ridgeway
•shipway, slipway
•Kitwe • alleyway • Hemingway
•anyway • carriageway • entryway
•steerageway • taxiway • passageway
•byway, highway, skyway
•guideway, tideway
•bridleway • Steinway • driveway
•Otway
•doorway, Norway
•Broadway • walkway
•Galway, hallway
•causeway • roadway • throughway
•sluiceway • footway • subway
•someway • runway • clearway
•areaway • flyaway
•stowaway, throwaway
•hideaway • foldaway
•breakaway, takeaway
•galloway • rollaway
•colourway (US colorway), mulloway
•Greenaway • Stornoway • runaway
•caraway • tearaway • castaway
•getaway • straightaway • waterway
•motorway • cutaway • Hathaway
•giveaway • companionway • sternway
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Broadway." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Broadway." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Broadway.html "Broadway." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Broadway.html |
|