To Broadway With Love

The main attraction at the Texas Pavilion was the live stage show "To Broadway With Love". This tribute to Broadway musicals was an elaborate production featuring dozens of performers on a massive stage. The theater was truly Texas-sized, with seating for 2,400. The show, like the rest of the pavilion, was the brainchild of Angus G. Wynne, Jr., a Texas businessman who had recently opened the first Six Flags theme park.

Wynne and his partners spared no effort and expense in putting together this show, assembling a crew and cast with proven Broadway experience. The show was a salute to 100 years of Broadway musicals, featuring many well known songs and elaborate sets. Well received by the New York theater critics, it would seem that the show should have been a success. Unfortunately, it was a dismal failure and it closed after less than 100 performances.

More than 50 years later people are still debating what went wrong. Was it the lack of major name stars with proven marquee value? The rather remote location back in a corner of the Lake Amusement Area? The overall poor attendance of the Fair in the early months, which was well below the optimistic pre-opening predictions? Competition from the many free shows at the Fair, or it's relatively long running time? Whatever the reason, the show's closing was a major black eye for Wynn, Texas and the Fair Corporation.