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 Nederlander
208 West 41st Street
Previous names: National, Billy Rose
Built: 1921
Seats: Originally 1,164 - now 1,181
Owners/Managers: Walter Jordan (1921-1927), The Shuberts (1927-1959),
Billy Rose (1959-??), The Nederlanders (1978-present)
Architect: William Neil Smith
History: Originally a tennis court, this space was converted by
the Shuberts and theatrical agent Walter Jordan – who soon sold his
rights to the Shuberts. When the Shuberts were forced to sell off
theatres as part of an antitrust settlement, producer Billy Rose bought
this venue and named it after himself. The Nederlanders bought it and renamed it The National in 1978, then
named it for
themselves in 1980. After years of disuse, it became home to the
long-running Rent in 1996.
Noteworthy Musicals: Tonight at 8:30 (1936), Call Me Mister
(1946), Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music (1981), Rent (1996)
Neil Simon
244 West 52nd Street
Previous name: Alvin
Built: 1927
Seats: Originally 1,362 - now 1,428
Owners/Managers: Alexander Pincus (1927-1946), Herman Bernstein
(1946-1977), The Nederlanders (1977-present)
Architect: Herbert J. Krapp
History: This popular musical comedy house was built by producers
Alex Aarons and
Vinton Freedley, who gave it a combination
of their first names(Al+vin). The theatre was renamed for playwright
Neil Simon in 1984.
Noteworthy Musicals: Funny Face (1927), Girl Crazy (1930),
Anything Goes (1934), Boys From Syracuse (1938),
Lady in the Dark (1941), Forum (1962), Company (1970),
Annie (1977), The Music Man (Revival - 2000), Hairspray
(2002)
New Amsterdam
214 West 42nd Street
Built: 1903
Restored: 1997
Seats: Originally 1,702 - now 1,793
Owners/Managers: Erlanger & Klaw (1903-??), The Nederlanders
(1983-1993), The Disney Corporation (1993-present)
Architects: Herts & Tallant - restored by Hugh Hardy (1994)
History: The flagship of Klaw and Erlanger's theatrical empire,
the New Amsterdam (New York City's original Dutch colonial name)
remains one of America's most outstanding examples of art nouveau
architecture. When the Great Depression made tenants scarce in the
1930s, the New
Amsterdam became a studio for Ed Wynn's radio series. The main theatre
served as a
movie grind house from 1937 to 1983, at which time the theatre closed
for "renovations." Delays and ownership battles stretched over a decade, until Disney
took over the property in 1996 and invested
$34 million in a sumptuous restoration. After more than a century, The
New Amsterdam is once again Broadway's grandest theatre, and is
designated an official New York City landmark. A 693 seat rooftop theatre housed Ziegfeld's Frolics, and served
as a radio
studio and rehearsal space through the 1950s -- unfortunately, it was too far gone to
be part of the restoration.
Noteworthy Musicals: Forty Five Minutes From Broadway
(1906), The Merry Widow (1907), Sweethearts (1913),
Ziegfeld Follies (1913-1927), Watch Your Step (1914),
Sally (1920), Sunny (1925),
Rosalie (1928), The Bandwagon (1931),
Face the Music (1932), The Lion King (1997), Mary
Poppins (2006)
New Victory
207 West 42nd Street
Previous names: Republic, Belasco (1st), Minsky's
Built: 1902
Seats: Originally 982 - now 489
Owners/Managers: Oscar Hammerstein I (1902-1904), David Belasco
(1904-1910), A.H. Woods (1910-??), Minsky (1930-1942)
Architect: Albert E. Westover (1902); Bigelow, Wallis &
Cotten (1904)
History: Built by Hammerstein as the
Republic, this intimate house was
soon leased by producer David Belasco,
who renovated the interior and renamed the theatre for himself. When
Belasco built the Stuyvesant and
gave it his name in 1910, producer A.H. Woods took over this house and
promptly renamed it the Republic again. Home to
Minsky's Burlesque from 1930 to 1942,
it became a movie grind house during World War II and was patriotically
named the Victory. Handsomely renovated
in 1995, this is now the only theatre in the Broadway area dedicated exclusively to family
entertainment. Because of the reduced seating capacity, productions at
the New Victory are not Tony eligible.
Palace
1564 Broadway
Built: 1913
Seats: Originally 1,736 - now 1,695
Owners/Managers: Martin Beck (1913), Keith & Albee (1913-??),
The Nederlanders (1965)
Architect: Kirchoff & Rose - restoration by Ralph Alswang
(1965)
History: America's premiere vaudeville theatre from 1913 to 1932,
the Palace was used as a movie house for the next three decades. There
were several attempts to revive a variety format headed by top stars,
most notably Judy Garland (1951 and 1967). It became a Broadway house in
1966.
Encased in a high rise hotel since 1990, the theatre's original interior is mostly
intact.
Noteworthy Musicals: Sweet Charity (1966), George M (1968),
Applause (1970), Woman of the Year (1981), La Cage Aux Folles
(1983), Will Rogers Follies (1991), Beauty and the Beast (1994),
Aida (2000), Legally Blonde (2007)
Gerald Schoenfeld
234 West 45th Street
Previous Name: Plymouth
Built: 1917
Seats: Originally 1,036 - now 1,079
Owners/Managers: The Shuberts (1917-present)
Architect: Herbert J. Krapp
History: Managed initially by producer Arthur Hopkins, this
relatively intimate theatre (named for the early pilgrim settlement in
Massachusetts) did not see its first musical until 1946. In 2004, this
house was named for the longtime head of the Shubert
Organization, Gerald Schoenfeld.
Noteworthy Musicals: Lute Song (1946), Irma La Douce
(1960), Runaways (1978), Ain't Misbehavin' (Moved - 1981), Passion
(1994), Jekyll and Hyde (1997), Bells
Are Ringing (Revival - 2001)
Richard Rodgers
226 West 46th Street
Previous name: Chanin's 46th Street, 46th Street Theatre
Built: 1925
Seats: Originally 1,429 - now 1,322
Owners/Managers: Irwin & Henry Chanin (1925-1931),
The Shuberts (1931-1945), City Playhouses (1945-1982),
The Nederlanders (1982-preent)
Architect: Henry J. Krapp
History: A generously raked auditorium gives this house
excellent sight lines. Long known as the 46th
Street, it was renamed for composer/producer Richard Rodgers in 1990.
Noteworthy Musicals: Good News (1927), Hellzapoppin'
(1938), DuBarry Was a Lady (1939), Panama Hattie (1940),
Finian's Rainbow (1947), Guys and Dolls (1950), Damn
Yankees (1955), Redhead (1959), How to Succeed (1961),
Chicago (1975), Movin' Out (2003), Tarzan (2006)
Bernard Jacobs
242 West 45th Street
Other Names: Golden (1934-1937), CBS Radio Theatre (1937-1940),
Royale (1940-2004)
Built: 1927
Seats: Originally 1,172 - now 1,066
Owners/Managers: Irwin & Henry Chanin (1927-1930), The Shuberts
(1930-present)
Architect: Herbert J. Krapp
History: After many ill-fated productions, the Shuberts leased
this house to producer John Golden,
who named it for himself. The Royale was leased out as the
CBS Radio Theatre
from 1937 to 1940. At that time, Golden gave
his name to a neighboring theatre, and the Shuberts renamed this house
the Royale. It has since been home to dozens of
hits. In 2004, plans were announced to rename this theatre for the
late head of the Shubert Organization, Bernard
Jacobs.
Noteworthy Musicals: Piggy (1927), Oh Ernest!
(1927), Rang Tang (1927), The Second Little Show (1930),
New Faces of 1952, The Boy Friend (1954),
Grease (Moved - 1972), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat (1982), Song & Dance (1986), Jekyll &
Hyde (1997)
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