For everyone who loves music particularly the most influential, popular, and enduring Broadway shows--all of which have toured the country and been performed in theatres large and small everywhere, Broadway shows run for a varying number of weeks. Broadway's Florodora sextet and their male co-stars and their version of "Tell Me Pretty Maiden" made this musical comedy a sensation. At the start of the 20th Century, America was completely drenched the glory of cultural youth, satiated with energy and optimism. At that time London was still the theatrical capital of the world, but New York was gaining influence, sophistication and size. As of 1900, there were thirty-three legitimate Broadway theatres, and many more would be built within the next decade to meet growing audience demand. The New Yorkites also enjoyed the increase in the portability. During that time the subways under the railway lines were also built. These "subways," served as the homes of tens of thousands living far from the theatre district. They could catch a Broadway show and still sleep in their own beds. Add in the ever-increasing numbers of tourists who came into the city by rail and steamship, and it was easy to see why Broadway could now support more productions and longer runs than ever before. So its not surprising that the Broadway musicals of the early 1900s embodied a new sense of artistic and commercial value.

The first theatrical stir of the new century was the British musical comedy Florodora (1900 - NY 553), the story of a young woman looking for romance and the reinstatement of a stolen bequest. After it opened to raves in London a year earlier, various producers in New York rejected the show as "too British" -- but a team of newcomers took a chance, earning millions of dollars. When Florodora's sextet of attractive chorines accompanied their well-dressed male counterparts to sing the flirtatious "Tell Me Pretty Maiden" the audience went gaga. The Broadway musicals are longer than stage plays. The longest running show in Broadway history was Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, which closed in 2000 after running for 7,485 performances at the Winter Garden Theater. People visit New York City to see a real Broadway show. There's nothing to punch the total experience: the hustle-and-bustle on the streets, pre-theater dinner, the opening curtain raiser, the buzz at interval and at times an after-show stroll down the Great White Way to a post-dinner cocktail or dinner. Most New York City shows and especially Broadway shows are very well attended and it can be difficult to get tickets. People travel from all over the world just to see these shows. The leading New York City Broadway Shows are Mamma Mia!, the Producers, The Lion King, Chicago, and Phantom of the Opera. Phantom of the Opera is one of Broadway's most permanent attractions. It is Andrew Lloyd Weber's romantic musical of the Gaston Leroux novel. If you haven't seen this show, you have not experienced a true Broadway legend. Meanwhile, a stage musical based on the movie The Color Purple has just arrived on Broadway, soon to be joined by Tarzan.