For those of you who love the theater as much as I do, you'll be enthralled by a visit to the Museum of Broadway in Times Square.
The Museum of Broadway is not only for theater lovers. This museum is a hit with people who love immersive experiences, history, and displays of dazzling creativity.
- Location and Hours
- What to Expect
- How to Get Cheap Broadway Show Tickets
- Things to do Nearby
- Current Broadway Shows And Musicals
- Other Great Manhattan Museums
Tickets, Location, and Hours
The Museum of Broadway is at 145 W. 45th St. between Sixth and Seventh Avenues (map).
Hours:
- Every day except Wednesday from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm.
- Wednesday from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm
Note that on select Mondays and Tuesdays, the museum may close at 2:30 pm so be sure to check the ticket page/calendar for early closures. This is the same for holidays.
Tickets:
- General Admission $39.
- Grants you entry for a time slot you have selected.
- Flexible Entry/Late Afternoon $49.
- Arrive anytime between 3pm and 5pm.
TIP: On the first Tuesday of every month, tickets are $25.
Purchase tickets here.
A portion of each ticket sale will be donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
What To Expect
In total, over 500 productions from the 1700s to the present day are represented by objects and artifacts of various types.
The museum highlights the work of dozens of scenic designers, internationally renowned artists, theatre historians, and so many more.
The museum is divided into three parts, the Map Room, the Timeline, and The Making of a Broadway Show.
Many of the exhibits include the best Broadway plays and musicals playing now
A few times a year the museum will have special exhibitions.
For most people, it takes between one to three hours to go through the museum, depending on how long you choose to stay at each of the exhibits.
The Map Room
Walking into the Museum you’ll encounter the Map Room, where immersive video projections tell the history of New York City theater from the early 19th Century through today.
Maps reveal how the theater district slowly migrated north from the Financial District to Union Square and ultimately, Times Square.
The Timeline
Spread over two floors of the museum, the Timeline is where the bulk of the exhibits are located.
Chronologically-arranged items like costumes, vintage photographs, and show posters create a timeline of Broadway.
Special rooms are dedicated to some of Broadway's best musicals of all time, like The Ziegfeld Follies, Oklahoma!, Company, Rent, and others.
Rooms are filled with original costumes, stage props, posters, and playbills. Each show’s soundtrack plays in the background.
The Timeline is where you’ll find the best opportunities for selfies.
Pose in is Max’s office from The Producers or Doc's drugstore from West Side Story. Walk through the hall of mirrors in the A Chorus Line exhibit.
The Making of a Broadway Show
The museum's final section offers visitors a chance to see what happens behind the curtain.
Displays showcase the work that goes into costume and set design, lighting, and sound.
Original sketches, plans, and scale models of stage sets provide insight into the creative minds behind the transformation of a theater into the magical places that Broadway takes us.
This unique museum will surely take its place among the best museums in Manhattan.
Special Exhibition
2025 dates TBD. Last year, Moulin Rouge! The Musical: Spectacular, Spectacular! ran through September 8.
Immerse yourself in the sumptuous, romantic Belle Époque era by seeing Satine’s wonderous costumes up close.
Things to do Nearby
Explore Times Square
The Museum of Broadway is located in Times Square so it's easy to visit the museum and explore Times Square before or after.
If you are interested in other attractions, you can see your favorite celebrities (in wax) at Madame Tussauds.
Grab a seat on the TKTS red staircase and watch the world rush by. By the way, TKTS is one of several places to get cheap Broadway show tickets.
Read all about the many things to do in Times Square, where to eat, shop, and where to stay.
Take a Theater District Tour
If you've taken the time to visit the Museum of Broadway then you must be a theater lover!
Complement your trip to the museum with a self-guided Broadway Theater District Tour.
See the Sights of Midtown Manhattan
The Museum of Broadway is blocks away from so many great sights located in Midtown Manhattan.
From the museum, you are just five blocks from Rockefeller Center and Top of the Rock.
Grand Central Terminal and Bryant Park are also just five blocks away.
Head north just six blocks and you'll be at the Museum of Modern Art.
Walk south just 11 blocks to visit the Empire State Building.
Read our post, 50+ Things to do in Midtown Manhattan.
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