46 | JANUARY 12 • 2023 

ARTS&LIFE
MUSEUMS

Stationed in each room 
is a docent ready to answer 
questions and take a photo 
of you with your phone 
or camera. Instagram-able 
opportunities abound — 
visitors can pose in front 
of any display or have their 
picture taken while leaning 
over Max Bialystock’s desk 
chair from The Producers 
or sitting at the counter in 
Doc’s drugstore from West 
Side Story. Another one of 
the many popular photo ops 
is sitting on the chairs from 
Cabaret, posing in front of 
make-up mirrors. 
The museum winds down 
with a special section called 
The Making of a Broadway 
Show. It explains what goes 
on behind the scenes of 
every Broadway production 
and highlights all the 
backstage roles, including 
writers, stage managers, 
set designers and many 

more. Videos are available 
to view, with theater people 
describing their craft. 
Visitors can have their 
“on-stage moment” with a 
projection that makes it look 
like they are standing on the 
stage of a Broadway house 
with the seats behind them. 
In a very moving section, 
the AIDS quilt is on dis-
play, and on the walls are 
names of artists lost to the 
epidemic, including Michael 
Bennett, who directed A 
Chorus Line. (Bennett’s 
mother was Jewish.)
The museum is appro-
priately located off Times 
Square in the heart of 
Broadway, next to the 
Lyceum Theater. It was orig-
inally scheduled to open in 
2020 but was delayed because 
of the COVID pandemic. 
New exhibits will be added 
as new shows open. 

MONIQUE CARBONI

LEFT: Costumes 
from Hamilton. 
BELOW: The 
dress from Annie. 
Desk from The 
Producers, where 
you can have a 
photo taken. 

continued from page 45

ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER

ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER