MTA Launches Broadway Campaign Based on 1977 Subway Ad

Actors from ”Waitress”, ”Moulin Rouge!”, ”Mrs. Doubtfire”, and more participate.

November 9, 2021

Broadway stars ride the subway: Stephanie Torns (Waitress), Maiesha McQueen (Waitress), Danny Burstein (Moulin Rouge!), Adrianna Hicks (Six), Andrea Macasaet (Six), Bahiyah Hibah (Moulin Rouge!), Julia Udine (Phantom), Paul Schaefer (Phantom), Avery Sells (Mrs. Doubtfire), Rob McClure (Mrs. Doubtfire), Jordan Fisher (Dear Evan Hansen), Arian Keddell (Chicago), and Mary Claire King (Chicago). — Broadway stars ride the subway: Stephanie Torns (*Waitress*), Maiesha McQueen (*Waitress*), Danny Burstein (*Moulin Rouge!*), Adrianna Hicks (*Six*), Andrea Macasaet (*Six*), Bahiyah Hibah (*Moulin Rouge!*), Julia Udine (*Phantom*), Paul Schaefer (*Phantom*), Avery Sells (*Mrs. Doubtfire*), Rob McClure (*Mrs. Doubtfire*), Jordan Fisher (*Dear Evan Hansen*), Arian Keddell (*Chicago*), and Mary Claire King (*Chicago*).
(© Matthew Murphy)

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (better known to New Yorkers as the MTA) has launched a new advertisement featuring characters from Broadway shows riding the subway, calling it "The only sure way to make it to Broadway" (this claim has not been independently verified). The campaign is a collaboration between the MTA and the Broadway ad agency RPM, which represents several of the shows featured in the ad. The photo was taken by Matthew Murphy, who regularly captures some of the best production stills on Broadway.

The image is a remake of a 1977 campaign that featured actors from The Wiz, Grease, and Hello, Dolly! Back then, you could ride the A Train from Far Rockaway to Times Square for 50 cents (single rides are now $2.75). And when you got there, you could sit in the rear mezzanine of the Alvin Theatre and see a matinee of Annie for $10. Prices have changed since then, but Broadway and the MTA are still a big part of life in New York.

In recognition of their long-running symbiosis, the MTA has a new page on its website with links to buy Broadway tickets — with special discounts for straphangers. You can check it out here.