Broadway Will Come Back
New York is slowly reopening, but Broadway is closed for the rest of 2020. And with photos of dark marquees and ghostly streets in the back of our mind, with so much uncertainty and so many obstacles ahead of us, it’s easy to wonder if Broadway will recover.
But this isn’t the first time Broadway has endured the dark. In fact, its very beginnings are rooted in overcoming the dark: the area was initially known as Thieves’ Lair, but in 1895 the first theatre moved in with intentional, electric lights to keep criminal activity away and to encourage a safe and inviting atmosphere.
It worked. This was the beginning of “The Great White Way”.
In other words, Times Square would soon be defined by its brilliant illumination and its central role in culture. Theatres continued to migrate into area, and Broadway popularity peaked in 1927-1928 with 70 theatres and 250 shows. (For context, the Broadway of today only has 41 theatres and definitely not as many shows).
But then the Great Depression hit. Most theatres were either left to decay or converted into pornographic movie houses. Mushrooms and trees invaded once-significant theatres, and prostitution, drugs, and crime crept into the district. “The Great White Way” was soon called the “sleaziest block in America.”
But then, in the 1980s, the city began a Times Square clean-up. And while a few controversial decisions were made on the way, 1986 saw the opening of Phantom of the Opera (now the longest running Broadway show) and 1993 saw Disney’s 99-year contract to renovate historical theatres.
Theatres were preserved and expanded and transformed. Creative innovation, like Lion King and Hamilton, returned to its stages. And this was the Broadway we knew before the pandemic shut it down.
It’s promising that the Times Square we think of is the one that’s flooded with light and life—not the Thieve’s Lair or the district of degeneration. Broadway, much like the city itself, has had a history of overcoming impossible odds and the threat of “going dark” forever. And it will overcome again.
So as we pray for Broadway, live theatre, and the future of artists, let’s pray with hope. Let’s pray remembering that the story of Broadway has always been a redemptive one. Broadway will come back.
John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Let’s pray with confidence these things:
That Broadway will recover.
That artists will work again.
That the gospel of redemption will persist in this industry and district.
That when Broadway returns, it will be better than ever; that it would be more accessible to economically and racially diverse audiences, and that it would be uplifting diverse people.
