Some aspects of theater have remained
remarkably constant over the last 120 years. To take Broadway theaters as a representative
example, the percentage of New Yorkers attending shows has fallen somewhat, due to competition
from various other forms of entertainment, particularly the cinema. However, due to the growth
in population over this period, the total number of theatergoers has actually risen
significantly. In 1900, there were thirty-three Broadway theaters, some of which only had a
capacity of a few hundred seats (see John Kenrick's Theater in New York: A Brief
History, 2004). Now, according to the Broadway League (website below), there are
forty-one Broadway theaters, most with a capacity of over 500 seats.
The type
of shows has also stayed relatively constant, with many of the biggest and longest-running shows
in 2019 being musicals, while in 1900 there was a fashion for operettas, such as those of Victor
Herbert, and light musical comedies. The biggest difference would have been the comparative
darkness and reliance on gaslight. There were no electric lights on Broadway until 1906, when it
suddenly became "the Great White Way," the most brilliantly lit section of
Manhattan.
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