From March 5 through April 25, 2011, the undeniable glamour and irresistible allure of orchids take
center stage at The New York Botanical Garden in a dazzling display created by Tony award-winning set
designer Scott Pask, image-maker Drew Hodges, and Botanical Garden curators. The result is must-see
horticultural theater. The Orchid Show: On Broadway features iconic architectural elements from
legendary theaters of the Great White Way dramatically interpreted with thousands of orchids in the Enid
A. Haupt Conservatory. Just a short stroll across the Garden’s grounds in the Library building, a
complementary exhibition, Hirschfeld’s Broadway Scrapbook, spotlights works by the American
caricaturist whose whimsical drawings so captured audiences that a Broadway theater was named in his
honor. On weekends, Broadway Cabaret performances highlight popular music from Broadway stages.
Combined with the art exhibition and live performances, The Orchid Show: On Broadway, the Botanical
Garden’s ninth annual presentation of the nation’s largest and only curated orchid exhibition, which has
been acclaimed as a “tour de force that leaves most visitors gasping with amazement and delight,” is a
not-to-be-missed showcase for orchid enthusiasts and Broadway theater-lovers alike.
In previous years, to the fascination of hundreds of thousands
of visitors, the Garden has placed a spotlight on geographic
regions such as Singapore, Brazil, and Cuba that are renowned
for collections or naturally occurring orchids in the
environment. In an exciting plot twist for the 2011 exhibition
that both underscores the breadth and depth of one of the most
distinguished orchid collections in the world, that of The New
York Botanical Garden, and solidifies the reputation of orchids
as the divas of the plant world, Scott Pask and Drew Hodges
utilize thousands of orchids in an astonishing variety of
shapes, sizes, textures, and colors in their design of
The Orchid Show: On Broadway.
More than 300 types of species and hybrid orchids, including Dendrobium (cane orchids), Paphiopedilum
(slipper orchids), Oncidium (dancing lady orchids), Cymbidium (Asian corsage orchids), and
Phalaenopsis (moth orchids) festoon set pieces that transport visitors to theaters where some of their
favorite Broadway productions have been mounted.
In the Reflecting Pool of the Conservatory’s Palms of the World Gallery, a proscenium arch and curtain
inspired by the Walter Kerr Theatre frame an orchid-bedecked stage heralding the starring role of these
coveted plants in this show.
A stroll through the long Seasonal Exhibition Gallery with a kaleidoscope of orchids grandly crisscrossing
and arching overhead reminds visitors of the ornate New Amsterdam Theatre promenade, while
the towering glass roof of the corner Seasonal Exhibition Gallery is the perfect setting for an orchid
chandelier reminiscent of the majestic lighting fixtures that decorated and illuminated Broadway theaters
such as the 42nd Street Theatre (formerly the Eltinge Theatre), suspended above a reflecting pool,
balustrade, and a tiered orchid “audience.”
On view
through April 25, 2011
The New York Botanical Garden
Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road
Bronx, NY
www.nybg.org
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