外国人最想和你聊的文化话题：百老汇

　Realize Broadway　认识百老汇
     1　百老汇简介
     Broadway, as the name implies, is a wide avenue in New York City, and is the oldest north-south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to the first New Amsterdam settlement. The name Broadway is an English translation of the Dutch name, Breede weg. The street is famous as the pinnacle of the American theater industry.
     Broadway originated as an Indian trail called the Wickquasgeck Trail, which was carved into the brush land of Manhattan. This trail originally snaked through swamps and rocks along the length of Manhattan Island. Upon the arrival of the Dutch, the trail soon became the main road through the island from New Amsterdam at the southern tip. The Dutch explorer and entrepreneur David de Vries gives the first mention of it in his journal in the year 1642.
     Broadway runs the length of Manhattan, being the only street running from almost the southern tip of the island, to the northern tip. South of Columbus Circle, it is a one-way street with all vehicle traffic traveling southbound. It crosses Spuyten Duyvil Creek via the Broadway Bridge and continues through the Bronx to Westchester County.
     Broadway continues running through several Hudson River towns as U.S. Route 9, before becoming the "New York-Albany Post Road", and running through the state capital, Albany, terminating in Champlain, New York at the Canadian border. Diagonally crossing the Commissioners Plan of 1811 of Manhattan streets, its intersections with avenues have been marked by "squares" and induced some interesting architecture, such as the famous Flatiron Building.
     A view up Broadway from Bowling Green, with the Chrysler Building visible in the background. The section of lower Broadway from its origin at Bowling Green to City Hall Park is the historical location for the city's ticker-tape parades, and is sometimes called the "Canyon of Heroes" during such events. West of Broadway as far as Canal Street was the city's fashionable residential area until circa 1825; landfill has more than tripled the area and the Hudson shore now lies far to the west, beyond TriBeCa and Battery Park City.
     2　一些著名歌剧和简介
     1. Cats(猫) has been translated into more than 20 languages and has been shown around the world. It tells the story of the Jellicle Cats and their life stories.
     2. The Phantom of the Opera (歌剧魅影) has been the longest running show in the history of Broadway. Running continuously since 1988-21 years-it has been a consistent sell-out and favorite for many of those visiting New York City. The show tells the dramatic story of a disfigured man who haunts the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with Christine Daae and trains her to sing like an angel.
     3. Les Miserables (悲惨世界) based on the 1862 novel of the same title by Victor Hugo, is the longest running play in London. Set in the period of social unrest during the French Revolution, the themes of the book and play are discussed in high school classes the world over.
     4. Rent (吉屋出租) is a rock musical that tells the story of poor
     young artists living in New York. The musical, along with winning a Tony Award for Best Musical has also won a Pulitzer Prize. Rent became famous for its appeal to a younger audience.
     5. The Lion King (狮子王) maintains a place at the top of the lists for the "longest-running musicals" and "winners of many viewers"choice awards. The musical is mostly along the lines of the animated Disney movie and is appealing to young children and families.
     6. Wicked (坏女巫)though not as long-standing as some of these other productions, this new musical has the audience seeing green. It was selected by viewers as the best musical of 2007. The musical has broken box-office records around the world. It was also named by Time magazine as the "Best Musical of the Year". Wicked tells the story of what Oz was like, long before Dorothy got there.
     百老汇可以说是喜欢歌剧的人的圣地，基本上世界出名的歌剧都从那里诞生，很多知名的艺人也从那里开始走上星途。百老汇已经成了美国的一个不可或缺的艺术圣地，现在，越来越商业化的百老汇吸引了很多的海外游人。
Part 2　Key words ＆ Sentences　关键词语全知道
     "Broadway" actually has three meanings：The first concept is a geographical concept that refers to an area within 12 blocks of 36 theaters near to Time Square. The second meaning is the performances playing on Broadway. The third notion is the theater industry in America.
     "百老汇"实际上有三个含义：第一个概念是一个地理概念，是指在时代广场附近有着36个剧院的12个街区。第二个意义是在百老汇表演的歌剧。第三个概念是美国的歌剧产业。
     Broadway runs twenty-five kilometers length of Manhattan, being the only street almost running through the island from north to south. At present the "Broadway area" refers to four theatres：Marquis, Palace, Winter Garden and Broadway along the Broadway avenue, from Manhattan West 41st Street go north to West 53rd Street. And the forest of theaters around "Broadway area" also belongs to it.
     百老汇位于曼哈顿岛上，有2500公里长，是唯一的从北到南贯穿曼哈顿岛的街道。目前，"百老汇区"是指沿着百老汇大街的四个剧院：侯爵剧院、故宫剧院、冬日花园剧院和百老汇剧院，分布于曼哈顿西41街到北边的西53街。同时围绕着"百老汇区"的剧院森林也属于百老汇区。
     With the changes and developments in the history and culture, Broadway has become synonymous with the theater and drama.
     随着历史文化的变化和发展，百老汇已成为了剧院和戏剧的代名词。
     The most famous plays in Broadway are Cat, Beauty and Beast, the Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, Misérables Les, Miss Siagon, Titanic, etc.
     最有名的戏剧是《猫》、《美女与野兽》、《歌剧魅影》、《狮子王》、《悲惨世界》、《莱斯小姐》、《泰坦尼克号》等。
     In those musical plays, songs and dances are fully integrated into well-made stories. The purpose is not only to let the audience laugh but also to arouse their true feelings.
     这些音乐剧的歌曲和舞蹈与制作精良的故事有机结合，目的就是除了让观众发笑以外还能够唤起他们的真实情感。
     For the last 100 years, the Broadway theatre district in New York City has been the center of the live entertainment industry in the United States and across the Western World. Broadway has become a global brand, marking the pinnacle of live performances.
     在过去的100年，位于纽约的百老汇剧院区一直是美国和整个西方世界的现场娱乐表演业的中心。百老汇已经成为一个全球品牌，标志着现场表演的巅峰。
     Each year Producers and actors, technical and creative talents travel from across the world to New York City in the hope of becoming one of the very few but succeed on Broadway.
     每年世界各地的制片人、演员、技术人员以及其他具有创新精神的人才，怀揣着成为百老汇极少数成功人士的希望来到纽约。
     People use Broadway to refer to the essence of American drama. Everyday it attracts thousands of people from all over the world.
     人们用百老汇这个词来指美国戏剧的本质。每天它吸引了数以千计来自世界各地的游客。
     Laughter, tears, pride, decadent here can be seen everywhere. You may overnight become a pauper from a millionaire.
     欢笑、泪水、骄傲，颓废在这里到处可以看到。你可能在一夜之间从百万富翁变成穷光蛋。