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Ethel Barrymore
243 West 47th Street
Built: 1928
Seats: originally 1,084 - now 1,096
Owners/Managers: The Shubert Organization (1928-present)
Architect: Herbert J. Krapp
History: Named for the distinguished American actress, the Shuberts have
called it simply "The Barrymore" since 1932.
Noteworthy Musicals: Gay Divorce (1932), Knickerbocker Holiday
(1938), Pal Joey (1940), Best Foot Forward (1941), I
Love My Wife (1977), Baby (1983), Company (Revival -
2006)
Eugene O'Neill
230 West 48th Street
Previous names: Forrest, Coronet
Built: 1925
Seats: originally 1,075 - now 1,049
Owners/Managers: The Shubert Organization (1925-1934), Lester Osterman (1953-1967)
Neil Simon and David Cogan (1967-1982), Jujamcyn (1982-present)
Architect: Herbert J. Krapp
History: Originally named for 19th Century American actor Edwin
Forrest,
this handsome auditorium was home to the long-running drama Tobacco Road
(1933-1941). The theatre was inexplicably renamed The Coronet in 1945, then named
for American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1959. The O'Neill was home to a series
of Neil Simon comedies when Simon was co-owner of the house from 1967 to 1982.
Noteworthy Musicals: Angel in the Wings (1947), Tickets Please
(1950), She Loves Me (1963), The Canterbury Tales (1969),
Little Me (Revival - 1982), Big River (1985), Grease
(Revival - 1994), Full Monty (2000), Nine (Revival - 2003)
Ford Center - see Hilton Theatre
Samuel J Friedman
261 West 47th Street
Former Name: Biltmore (1925-2008)
Built: 1925
Seats: originally 903 - 948 (as of 1984)
Owners/Managers: Irwin & Henry Chanin (1925-1933), Federal Theatre Project
(1935-1936), Warner Brothers (1936-1952), CBS (1952-1958), David Cogan
(1958-1986), Nederlanders & Stewart Lane (1993-??), currently owned
by The Manhattan Theatre Club
Architect: Herbert J. Krapp
History: Given a generic name, this intimate house was a favorite for dramas
and comedies until the rock musical Hair had its long run here in the late
1960s. Dark since 1987, this theatre was looted and torched by vandals.
Beautifully restored, it now serves as the home
of the Manhattan Theatre Club and was renamed for press agent Samuel
J.Friedman in October 2008.
Noteworthy Musicals: Hair (1968), Stardust (1987)
George Gershwin
1633 Broadway (at 50th Street)
Previous Name: Uris
Built: 1970-72
Seats: 1,933
Owners/Managers: The Nederlanders (1972-present)
Architect: Ralph Alswang
History: Originally named Uris for the developer who built the office
tower surrounding it, this ugly auditorium has the advantage of being Manhattan's largest
legitimate theatre. It was renamed for composer George Gershwin
during the Tony Award ceremony in 1983.
Noteworthy Musicals: Via Galactica (1972), Gigi (1973),
Treemonisha (1975), Porgy and Bess (1976), The King and I
(Revival - 1977), Sweeney Todd (1979), Pirates of Penzance (1981),
Show Boat (Revival - 1983), Meet Me in St. Louis (1989),
Fiddler on the Roof (Revival - 1990), Show Boat (Revival - 1994),
Riverdance (2000), Oklahoma! (Revival - 2002), Wicked
(2003)
 Helen Hayes
238 West 44th Street
Previous Name: Little Theatre
Built: 1912
Seats: originally 299, now 593
Owners/Managers: Winthrop Ames (1912-1931), New York Times
(1931-??), Little Theatre Group (1981-present)
Architect:
History: Producer Winthrop Ames leased out this theatre to a
long succession of managers through the 1930s. From 1942 to 1959, it
was a concert and meeting space managed by the New York Times, and was
used as a television studio by ABC from 1959 through 1963. It has
remained primarily a Broadway house ever since. Originally named for its
size, this theatre was renamed for American dramatic actress Helen Hayes
in 1983. Broadway's smallest theatre, it has only housed one musical
production.
Noteworthy Musicals: Oh Coward (Revival - 1986), Xanadu
(2007)
Hilton
213 West 42nd Street
Previous names: Apollo, Lyric, Ford Center
Opened: 1998
Seats: 1,821
Owners/Managers: Livent (1996-1999), SFX Theatrical Group (1999-present)
Architects: Beyer, Blinder & Belle
History: Elements of the Apollo and Lyric were combined in
1996-1997 to form one new theatre, retaining ornamental elements of both houses in a
lavish combination. Built by the Canadian production firm Livent, it was purchased by
SFX in mid-1999 as part of a $115 million bankruptcy buyout deal. After
the Ford Motor Company withdrew
sponsorship in 2004, this house was renamed for its new corporate donor,
Hilton Hotels.
Noteworthy Musicals: Ragtime (1998), 42nd Street
(Revival - 2001), Young Frankenstein (2007)
(Apollo)
Later Names: New Apollo (1979-1986), Academy (1987-1996)
Built: 1920
Seats: 1,194
Owners/Managers: Arch and Edgar Selwyn (1920-1934), The Brandt Organization
(1970s)
Architect: Eugene DeRosa
History: This theatre was named for the mythical Greek god of the sun,
who was once worshiped as a patron of the performing arts. Lost by the Selwyn
Brothers during the Great Depression, the Apollo became a burlesque house in 1934
and a movie house from 1938 to 1978. It returned to theatrical use as the
New Apollo in 1979, housing such dramas as On Golden Pond, Bent
and Fifth of July. Pointlessly renamed The Academy, it housed a series of
rock concerts, and was stripped of its seats to be used as a cabaret (Alcazar de
Paris) in 1989. The space fell into disuse in the early 1990s, and the interior
was demolished in 1996. Some interior ornamental plaster elements were preserved
and used in the new Ford Center, including the Apollo's proscenium arch
and auditorium dome. Now part of the Hilton.
Noteworthy Musicals: Poppy (1924), George White's Scandals
(1926 & 1931), Flying High (1931), Take a Chance (1932)
(Lyric)
Built: 1903
Seats: 1,350
Owners/Managers: Eugene C. Potter who leased the Lyric to The Shuberts (1903-1924),
Oppenheimer Brothers (1924-?), The Brandt Organization (1970s)
Architect: Victor Hugo Koehler
History: The Lyric was intended as a home for American composer Reginald
DeKoven's school of opera – hence, the music-inspired name
"Lyric."
But the school went bankrupt before construction was completed, so it was
leased to the Shuberts. A movie grind
house from 1934 to 1978, the Lyric sat abandoned through its demolition in 1996.
The Ford Center used the Lyric's original (and sumptuous) 42nd
and 43rd Street facades, as well as the lobby dome and other interior ornaments.
Now part of the Hilton.
Noteworthy Musicals: The Chocolate Soldier (1909), For Goodness
Sake (1922), Cocoanuts (1925), Fifty Million Frenchmen (1929)
Return to Broadway Theatres: Past
& Present
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