Broadway Up Close Walking Tours

This was so great of an experience. I’m 11 years old and I went with my aunt, we both loved it and thought it was amazing! We went on the tour with Tim and he was very imformative, friendly, and wonderful. I did act one and hope i can do act two soon.

I wasn’t sure what I was signing up for and I have to say this tour went completely beyond my expectations! From show and theatre history to incredibly interesting architectural details to thrilling ghost stories, I was completely fascinated by everything I learned. I will definitely be recommending this tour to all of my friends who are looking for something different to do in the city. Tim was our guide and his love for the theatre was palpable. If you’re on the fence about taking this tour DO IT. You won’t regret it!

I recently took this tour with Drew as my guide. He is an actual actor on Broadway and knows about the theater! This was the first tour they offer as part one. It starts at the Netherlander theater and finishes at the Belasco theater which is called Act 1
On this tour I learned that the original theater district was located near Macy’s at Herald Square but later moved to it currently location as the garment district set in. Drew showed me on his IPAD a dining spot still in existence on 36^th St! The Netherlander theater was originally a playhouse and was used for musicals such as «Rent.»
I learned that the old Empire theater had been reconverted into a modern AMC movie house and when you go inside you can actually see the top of the stage and the balcony behind you.
Yet they were required to keep the theater name on the outside.
Drew was very helpful with my questions and pointed out a lot of features about several theaters we visited. You are not permitted to go inside but there is so much architectural work on the outside it is like going back to the glamour days of 42^nd St.
42^nd St was the place to be on Broadway. It suffered a downhill trend in the late 60s and early 70s but was revitalized with the advent of Disney musicals at the New Amsterdam theater. For example the current New Victory Theater was formerly the home of MInsky’s famous house of burlesque with the famed Gypsy Rose Lee as one of it’s top stars.
I learned that Oscar Hammerstein 1^st was handled much about Broadway in the old times. I was also amazed that they even moved one theater down the street just to make way for another business.
Some of the theaters had apartments for the owners and ghost stories abound. It is here where they leave a solitary lamp on when the theater is dark.
These are only a few highlights of my tour. It starts promptly and ends in Times Square where they take a picture of you and your group. The price is very reasonable and I was very impressed with the knowledge of my guide. Even when I had a question that I was able to «stump» him on, he agreed to research it and let me know what he finds out.
They have a second tour available called Act 2 which takes you farther up the theater district. They are currently working on Act 3.
If you love theater then this tour is definitely a must!!! It was one of the biggest highlights of my trip!

I went on this tour with a friend of mine — we both enjoy theatre and were curious what kind of content a walking tour like this would have to offer.
We. were. floored! We were lucky enough to have company owner, Tim, give us the tour and we were engaged the entire time! From ghost stories, to history lessons, to facts about today’s theatre scene, Tim knew it all. He was equipped with an iPad that helped our imaginations along.
I can’t even tell you how long the tour was b/​c, honestly, time didn’t matter. We were engaged the entire time. If you think you know about theatre, you don’t…until you’ve taken a BUC tour. Worth every dollar for both the tourist and New Yorker.