Anyone who truly loves Broadway musicals knows the frustration of going to a show, sitting in your seat and trying to contain yourself from jumping up and bursting into song and dance when that one favorite tune begins to play.
Ethan Maccoby was all too familiar with this feeling when he set out to launch Broadway Rave, a live-music dance party event that provides a solution to musical theater enthusiasts’ dilemma.
Maccoby, along with co-founder and childhood friend Alex Badanes, are also the founders of Emo Night Brooklyn — the pop-punk-themed DJ dance party that has soared in popularity over the past couple of years.
“Me and Alex both grew up loving musical theater and Broadway,” said Maccoby. “Similar to Emo Night Brooklyn, we wanted to create a space where you could sing and dance to your favorite tunes surrounded by people who love the same music as you do.”
On Friday, Broadway Rave makes its Boulder debut at the Fox Theatre, inviting Front Range theater enthusiasts, drama nerds, musical aficionados and everyone in between to participate in a stellar celebration of all things show tunes.
The name “Broadway Rave” is a bit of a misnomer. While it does not feature Broadway tunes set to EDM dance music tracks, it does encourage attendees to get down and groovy to a live track from a DJ slinging all of the top musical hits from “Hello, Dolly” to “Hamilton.”
According to Maccoby, Broadway Rave tends to draw out a type of crowd that is even more dedicated than emo music lovers.
“At Broadway Rave, people really dress up,” said Maccoby. “They get into it. I’ve noticed that a lot of people coming out to these parties tend to get a bit more loose because they’re just excited to hear Broadway songs live. They don’t normally play show tunes at nightclubs, so it definitely makes for a fun vibe.”
One of the best parts about Broadway Rave is that, while there is a base playlist that the DJ adheres to, guests can request songs. Right now, Maccoby said a couple of musicals are hot on the request list.
“During the event, we get a lot of requests to play ‘Hamilton.’ ‘Rent’ is having a bit of a resurgence, it seems, as well as some songs from ‘Les Mis,’” said Maccoby.
Tickets to the event cost $25, and attendees are encouraged to dress up and leave their inhibitions at the door.
“Everybody who comes out to Broadway Rave is there because they love musicals,” said Maccoby. “No matter what, you’re going to have a good time, even if you go by yourself. With these events, we’ve found that people who really like certain genres of music, tend to really like each other, in turn.”
For more information and tickets to Broadway Rave, visit broadwayrave.com/shows.
