Broadway theatre, also known simply as Broadway, refers to the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theatres with 500 to 1900 seats each (avg. 1230) located in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

The majority of Broadway shows are musicals. Historian Martin Shefter argues that “‘Broadway musicals’, culminating in the productions of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, became enormously influential forms of American popular culture” and contributed to making New York City the cultural capital of the Western Hemisphere.