New York shows are some of the best and most diverse in the nation. Most people think of Broadway shows in New York city when they picture popular entertainment in the Big Apple, but in reality there is so much more to it. A New York show can be anything from a big production of Cats or the Lion King to a small show in a back room theater in the village. It doesn't really matter – in New York, there is room for it all. New York theater shows, concerts, and other forms of entertainment are legendary all over the world. It is up there with London and Paris as one of the great cities, not only for economics but for culture as well. If you don't see shows in New York during a trip to the Big Apple, you are really missing out. It should be put in all the tour books alongside such sites as Ellis Island and the World Trade Center site.
When many people think of New York shows, the first thing they think of is musicals. This is pretty reasonable in my opinion. New York musicals are known the world over. New York City has such a vibrant and well off theater community, that it can support some of the most prolonged productions in history. The Phantom of the Opera continued to run continuously for years, show after show, before finally closing down. The same thing happened with Les Miserables and Cats. If you are into any of the big, mainstream productions, New York City is definitely the place to see them. They will be better done, more elaborately staged, and more glamorous than anywhere else.
In my opinion, however, the best New York shows are not the ones displayed in big lights up and down Broadway. Broadway shows are all rights, but if you really want to get into the cultural heart of New York City, you have to go off the beaten track a little bit. It takes some research to find them, but some of the best New York shows are held in small repertory theaters that most tourists do not know about. Many of them are held in back rooms, and work on a shoestring budget, but they have some amazingly good actors in them. New York is second only to Hollywood as a center for acting talent, so if you want to go to see serious theater in New York, you are in luck.
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