Performing Arts

Broadway Show PostersProducts Relating to 'Broadway Show Posters'

Broadway show posters are the brightly colored oversized previews of the current popular live theater offering. They have been in existence for as long as Broadway shows have been around.

Originally, in order to obtain items from a particular Broadway posters, you had to buy a ticket, attend the show, and hope the theater souvenir items were not already sold out. In recent years, classic posters for such offerings as My Fair Lady,

Jesus Christ Superstar and The Phantom of the Opera have become much in demand by collectors, Broadway memorabilia devotees, and historians. There are even a number of Broadway memorabilia stores carrying such items, some of which have carried their offerings to the general public via online marketing and auction sites.

The show advertisements were originally designed to catch the attention of passers-by in order to encourage them to buy tickets for the current presentation. Show posters needed to be large, brightly-colored but not garish, and to catch the spirit of the production as well.

Much effort was expended to hint at the content and style of the presentation, while not giving away any plot secrets which would spoil the enjoyment of those attending the theater production.

Subway-size show posters, as their name explains, were designed to be placed in New York City subways to advertise current popular shows. They were also known as three sheet posters and are now very rare.

The average life expectancy for a oversize Broadway show poster was one day, due to the vandalism problem in the subways. Because of their scarcity, such posters are very much in demand and very expensive. An example is a recent offering of an original poster from the 1969 production of '1776' which carries a price tag of $1500.

The actors and actresses, of course wanted to be recognized not only for the publicity, but for ego gratification. Sometimes, the focus of the Broadway show poster was on the producer such as "Neal Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs" poster. Sometimes the credit was given to the author of the original book. Often, extensive credit was given to the star -- remember "Bernadette Peters in Gypsy". Lesser cast members and crew names and pictures sometimes appeared on the poster.

Other important components of the Broadway Show poster would be the location of the theater, date and times of performances and sometimes the ticket price to attend the production.

As a fun and unusual collector's item, these show posters might be something to consider.

Article Published: Thursday 30th November 2006