The homeland of musicals that include both dance, music and drama, Broadway brings unforgettable moments to its audience every year with dozens of shows. So we headed to Broadway to watch the 33th anniversary of the legendary musical The Phantom of the Opera and observe the glory in place.
It is sort of Yeşilçam!
Let's start by giving brief information about the Broadway world for those who have no idea. The Broadway neighborhood of New York City, a few streets crossing the famous Times Square, known for its giant illuminated signs, is particularly central to the musical world. So Broadway, which is the general name given to American professional theater today, takes its name from this region. Just like the concept of Yeşilçam, which is used to describe Turkish cinema, takes its name from Yeşilçam Street in Beyoğlu…
Broadway, also known as the Theater District, has a total of 39 large capacity theatres between W 41st Street and W54th Street (along 13 blocks). In these stages, both musicals, theater plays and stand-up shows are performed almost 365 days a year. So you can understand that “show must go on” is Broadway 's motto.
Stay tuned for the last minute ticket
In fact, if you are a tourist in New York, you should definitely see one of the performances in Broadway. Just as a traveler who visits Istanbul shouldn’t skip the Historic Peninsula, visitors to New York shouldn’t skip the musical experience. Unfortunately, you have to pay at least 100 USD to watch a musical. But if you're lucky, you can get discounted last-minute tickets from the TKTS ticket office, located just below the stairs in Times Square. To get discounted last minute tickets, it is best to choose a weekday and a day matinee at 14:00. It is also interesting that buying Broadway and musical tickets online is much more expensive than box office tickets due to the commission and service fees added.
We were able to visit The Phantom of the Opera on Saturday. When we arrived at Times Square, there was a serious queue in front of TKTS about 18:00 for the soirées that start every day at 20:00. But luckily the queue went fast, we got our ticket at around 19:00 and headed for the Majestic Theater on 44th Street. One of Broadway's largest and well-equipped stages, the 1600-seat Majestic Theater has an atmosphere that puts you in the mood as soon as you step inside. The architecture of this highly aesthetic stage, built in 1927, is in harmony with the spirit of The Phantom of the Opera. When all the seats are full for the performances at Majestic, the entrance looks a bit crowded, but thanks to the meticulous staff, you'll find your place.
And action…
The songs and lines of The Phantom of the Opera, which was shown in the music band on a Sunday at TRT, will be remembered by the ones of its age. Even if you don't remember, there is no possibility that you miss a word because of the acoustics of the scene. There are even translation assistants with headphones at Majestic Theater.
This classic musical, written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, depicts an obsessed lover who conceals himself because of a scar on his face, his somewhat eerie and inspiring love for a young opera singer. Only the playwright, Webber, knows if the character called “ghost” in the play is a real ghost. Kaley Ann Vorhees, the leading actress of this magnificent musical, which makes the audience feel like in a real big production right from the first act, wipes enchants the audience with an angelic voice during the play which lasts for 2.5 hours. All other actors and dancers offer a visual feast without making a single mistake.
