The culture of Broadway started very small in the early 1900's on 13th Street in New York City. Several smaller theaters were doing good business attracting an audience of middle class income patrons. Theaters like "The Star" were the most popular at the time. The culture of Broadway grew during the coming decades and Broadway expanded to 45th Street.
After the first World War, Broadway started to boom again. The Times Tower was constructed in the now famous Times Square and many of the glitzy and flashy marquees that Broadway is famous for today were added. The Great Depression at the end of the 1920's caused a huge downturn in ticket sales. This trend continued slightly over time despite the production of classic musicals like "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music."
Broadway has seen many types of productions over the years. While the productions at the early stages of Broadway's life were typically lighthearted and escapist type fare, this changed over time. Eugene O'Neill, the American playwright, contributed to this change with a series of introspective and dark plays that dug deeper than the previous incarnations of Broadway shows. In the 1960's and early 1970's productions like "Hair" pushed the envelope on societal norms and used theater as a way of making a political statement. Today Broadway is host to mostly musicals. Musicals today incorporate familiar songs like, "Mamma Mia." Some shows are simply staged versions of movies like "The Lion King" and "Shrek."
Broadway is an integral part of our culture and as such is commonly spoofed or satirized. Perhaps the most famous spoof of Broadway is Mel Brookes' "The Producers." In this comedy a theater producer and an accountant realize that the only way to make any money on Broadway is if a play flops and the producers collect the insurance money. When the musical "Springtime for Hitler" actually takes off as a hit, the two gentlemen end up in deep water.
Broadway ranges from 7th Avenue to 8th Avenue and overlaps Broadway. It also runs from West 53rd to West 41st Street. Broadway also contains the famous Times Square on its southwestern end. Radio City Music Hall is just west of the main Broadway drag as is the Rockefeller Center.
Broadway has had a string of highly influential shows that have touched the hearts of millions. This influence extends out from Broadway in general with fans buying the soundtrack of musicals they are unable to see live. The most famous shows tend to be musicals and over the years Broadway has produced a massive number of hit musicals. These include "The Phantom of The Opera," "Cats" and "West Side Story." Even off-Broadway hits like "Rent" gained even more prominence and critical acclaim when they were moved to Broadway.