Best Musical Nominee Hadestown to be featured in Brooklyn’s Restoration Plaza in the kick off performance. Fellow Best Musical Nominee Beetlejuice will help mint a brand new plaza in Staten Island
Queens showcase to feature Tony nominees The Prom and Be More Chill in Jackson Heights in partnership with NYC Pride
NEW YORK – The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) today announced the 2019 lineup for its popular “Broadway in the Boros” series, featuring free noonday performances by cast members and musicians of hit Broadway musicals in neighborhoods throughout New York City. Back for a fourth consecutive summer, this year’s “Broadway in the Boros” is bringing songs from four 2019 Tony-nominated shows as well as perennial award-winning favorites to new neighborhoods citywide, in public plazas that have deep resonance for the city and those who live nearby.
With 14 Tony nominations, including one for best musical, Hadestown, will be featured in the kick-off performance at Restoration Plaza in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, on June 14. Two weeks later, to help celebrate World Pride Month, seven-time Tony-nominated LGBTQ hit The Prom, along with Tony-nominee Be More Chill will be featured at the site of the annual Queens Pride Parade in Jackson Heights. MOME is partnering with NYC Pride to make this performance an official event of the first WorldPride in the United States, in conjunction with 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
On July 12 in the Bronx, MOME is bringing performers from Wicked and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical to Co-op City, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary as the largest and first ever housing cooperative in the country, home to over 40,000 New Yorkers and a naturally reoccurring retirement community, or NORC. Notably, Brittney Johnson became the first woman of color to play the role of Glinda the “Good Witch” in Wicked earlier this year. The companion show, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, is celebrating its five-year anniversary on Broadway.
Wrapping up the season in Staten Island on July 26, “Broadway in the Boros” will help mint a public plaza in the newly opened Empire Outlets on Staten Island’s waterfront. The showcase features Beetlejuice, with eight Tony nominations including best musical, and perennial hit Chicago.
“We are thrilled to bring back ‘Broadway in the Boros’ for a fourth year with new shows and in different neighborhoods across New York City,” said Media and Entertainment Commissioner Anne del Castillo. “We invite all New Yorkers to come out this summer to enjoy these free performances featuring actors and musicians that make our city the creative capital of the world.”
“Tourists come from across the globe to enjoy Broadway shows, but many Bronxites find that the high cost of tickets prohibits them from experiencing these world-class performances taking place in their own city. Co-op City is miles from Broadway but they will enjoy the glamour of a night at the theater as they watch performances of cultural classics right in their community. Thank you to Media and Entertainment Commissioner Anne del Castillo for increasing access to this program,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Broadway is an essential component of New York’s vibrant entertainment and cultural scene, contributing an estimated $12.5 billion to the local economy. “Broadway in the Boros” aims to increase access to the magic of Broadway to all New Yorkers and reflects MOME’s mission to connect communities in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island with the rich arts and cultural programming available in the theatre district, and to showcase diverse stories on Broadway. For many families, “Broadway in the Boros” may be their first or only opportunity to experience a currently-running Broadway musical. To ensure performances are fully accessible, ADA interpreters will be available onsite and live captioning (CART) will be available for those who identify as in need of the service, courtesy of GalaPro.
The “Broadway in the Boros” series is celebrated in partnerships with the Broadway theatre community including the American Federation of Musicians Union, Local 802, the NYC Parks Department, neighborhood organizations, local cultural institutions and local elected officials.
Additional support for this year’s Broadway in the Boros is provided by WNYC, JUST water and GalaPro, creators of an app that makes live theatre more accessible to the deaf, hard of hearing, blind and low vision communities. MOME has partnered with GalaPro to install their software in off-Broadway theatres year-round.
“We are proud and excited to be working together with MOME and the City of New York to promote accessibility and to provide accessible performances for everyone,” said Yonat Burlin, GalaPro CEO. “We believe that making every performance inclusive is a true game changer for everyone utilizing our services. GalaPro is grateful to be providing services for Broadway and off-Broadway performances and hopes to share our inclusivity mission with new theaters all over the city.”
All “Broadway in the Boros” performances take place Fridays from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, rain or shine. In addition to performances, each event features Broadway tickets and giveaways, trivia games and more! All performances are hosted by Julie James, host of the popular SiriusXM Radio show “On Broadway.”
Schedule of Events
Friday, June 14
Restoration Plaza at 1368 Fulton Street between New York Avenue & Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn (map)
Featuring performances from Broadway cast members and musicians from Hadestown, with 14 Tony Nominations this year, and hit Broadway musical Mean Girls
Friday, June 28
Intersection of 77th Street & 37th Road, Jackson Heights, Queens (map)
Featuring performances from Broadway cast members and musicians from 2019 Tony-nominated Be More Chill and The Prom
Friday, July 12
Co-op City, Greenway Section 1 at 140 Benchley Place, Bronx (map)
Featuring performances from Broadway cast members and musicians from award winning musicals Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Wicked
Friday, July 26
Empire Outlets in St. George Ferry Station, Staten Island
Waterfront (map)
Featuring performances from Broadway cast members and musicians from 2019 Tony-nominated Beetlejuice and award winning Chicago
“What could be better than Broadway in Bed-Stuy,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “I thank MOME for bringing the Tony Award-nominated Hadestown to Restoration Plaza for a performance filled with the excitement and energy of live theater. The arts are for everyone, and the cast members, musicians, and cultural partners who make this series possible embody that ongoing mission.”
“We are so happy that Broadway in the Boros will bring the hit Broadway musicals The Prom and Be More Chill to Queens,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.“This year’s Broadway in the Boros event in Queens will be especially meaningful because it will be an official NYC Pride event and will take place in Jackson Heights, one of the most diverse communities in what is the most diverse county in America. It is a pleasure to partner with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment in bringing currently running Broadway musicals to audiences throughout the City.”
“We are excited to host Broadway in the Boros at a new venue this year on Staten Island. This year, this special treat will be at the newly opened Empire Outlets. I encourage all Staten Islanders to come out and enjoy the show and the beautiful view. This has become a great summer tradition and we thank MOME for their continued partnership,” said Staten Island Borough President James Oddo.
“Arts and culture are a vital part of the fabric of every community. Here in District 36, we make a special point to support programming throughout the year that highlights the invaluable contributions artists, musicians, and performers make to our neighborhoods,” said Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. “This year, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment, we are grateful to be able to add Broadway in the Boroughs to our amazing line-up of arts programming in District 36. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this amazing opportunity to see the world’s best perform live right here in our own backyard.”
“Welcome, Broadway in the Boros, to Jackson Heights!” said NYC Council LGBT Caucus Chair Daniel Dromm. “I am thrilled that my constituents will soon be treated to numbers from the Tony-nominated musicals Be More Chill and The Prom. My district is home to one of the largest and most diverse LGBTQ communities in the nation as well as to many performing arts professionals, which makes this event’s official World Pride designation very fitting. I am pleased to partner with MOME Commissioner Anne del Castillo and her staff to bring this exciting programming to our neighborhood.”
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