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Get a "behind-the-scenes" look at Broadway theatre with intimate tours that explore Broadway's past and present. All the Broadway Up Close tour guides are professional working actors and stage managers who will interweave their personal stories with Broadway insider info and stories from current and past shows, giving you an up-close glimpse at the life of a theatrical artist. Every guide is equipped with an iPad chock full of rarely seen photos and videos to enhance the Broadway stories.
Theater-goers have been flocking to "The Great White Way" for decades for one reason: to hear a story. And for an hour and forty-five minutes you'll hear those tales, from the flops and disasters to the successes and legends.
Broadway Up Close Website
Tour size: No more than 15 people
Reservations: Learn more about each tour, including where to meet, and reserve your spots via the links below.
Tour length: 1 hour and 45 minutes. All tours listed below are 1/2 mile in length.Adults: $37 (for Hudson Up Close, $52)
Children 12 & under: $32 (for Hudson Up Close, $47)Note that "ACT" Tours are divided geographically from the south end of the Theater District to the north, and do not have to be done in order.
Visit the Broadway Up Close website or the new Broadway Up Close kiosk on the Broadway Plaza between 44th & 45th Streets for more information and special merchandise.
Journey back in time to Broadway's early years, full of roof garden theaters, tap shoes, and theatrical con artists. Learn the true difference between a Broadway theater and an Off-Broadway theater, revel in the secrets hidden in plain sight in some of Broadway's most famous theaters, hear how a show is created from the first rehearsal to opening night, and see Broadway's past and present merge before you eyes. Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday at 11am. Reservations required.
As Times Square transformed from an area full of horse stables to a tourist destination, a battle for Broadway brewed between a group of theatrical titans and three scrappy brothers. Against the backdrop of Broadway's most famous theaters, hear how the Shubert brothers monopolized Broadway (with the help of an awkwardly-named architect), the true origins of the Tony Awards, and stories from famous musicals ranging from Oklahoma! to Hamilton. Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday at 11am. Reservations required.
The beautiful theaters at the northern end of the Theater District remain nearly identical to the days when they were first built. As you weave among these original facades, learn how Broadway transformed with the first million-dollar show and rock musicals; how a dog named Sandy changed one Tony Award winner's life — and Broadway's canine future; and discover backstage quirks and secrets from some of Broadway's longest running shows, from Hair! to Wicked. Wednesday and Sunday at 11am. Reservations required.
Every night when thousands of audience members leave the 41 Broadway theaters, a quiet nightly ritual takes place: the setting of the ghostlight. Explore this and other superstitions rooted in days gone by, and hear stories of spirits that still lurk in the shadows backstage, including acrobats, costume designers, playwrights, actors, and even a priets, with rarely-seen photographs, news clippings, and videos from years of research. Tuesday & Saturday at 11am. Reservations required.
Journey back to 1903 with a rare behind-the-scenes look at Broadway’s oldest theater: The Hudson. This interior tour offers tour-goers an exclusive view of the nooks and crannies of this historic building, which was restored in 2017 to its original glory after decades of narrowly avoiding demolition. For over 100 years the theater's walls have witnessed tragedy, gangsters, and legends of pop culture, music, and Broadway who created iconic moments amid the glow of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s original lighting. Bask in these stories told in the theatrical silence of an empty Broadway theater — a rare, one-of-a-kind experience to peek behind the curtain on Broadway.
