Gershwin Theatre
Coordinates: 40°45′55″N 73°59′04″W / 40.765266°N 73.984450°W
| Gershwin Theatre | |
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| Address | 222 West 51st Street |
| City | New York City |
| Country | USA |
| Architect | Ralph Alswang |
| Owned by | Paramount Group with lease to Nederlander Organization |
| Capacity | 1,933 [1] |
| Type | Broadway theatre |
| Opened | November 28, 1972 |
| Previous names | Uris Theatre |
| Production | Wicked |
| gershwintheatre.com/ | |
The Gershwin Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 222 West 51st Street in midtown-Manhattan in the Paramount Plaza building. The theatre is named after composer George Gershwin and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It has the highest seating capacity of any Broadway theatre, with 1,933 seats.[2]
Designed in an Art Nouveau style by set designer Ralph Alswang, it is situated on the lower levels of a towering office complex built at an estimated cost of $12.5 million[3] on the site of the historical Capitol Theatre. It opened as the Uris Theatre on November 28, 1972 (named for the building developer Uris Brothers) with the musical Via Galactica starring Raul Julia. It proved to be an inauspicious start for the venue, with the first show to lose a million dollars closing after only seven performances. From 1974-76 it served as a concert hall for limited engagements by a number of legendary pop music and jazz performers.
The American Theatre Hall of Fame is located in the lobby.
On June 5, 1983, during the Tony Awards ceremony, the theatre was rechristened to honor the Gershwins.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Notable productions
- 1972: Via Galactica
- 1973: Seesaw; Gigi
- 1974: Sammy Davis, Jr.; Andy Williams with Michel Legrand; Johnny Mathis; Anthony Newley with Henry Mancini; Mott the Hoople (first Rock band to play Broadway, supported by Queen); The 5th Dimension
- 1975: Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Count Basie
- 1975: Fonteyn & Nureyev on Broadway
- 1976: D'Oyly Carte Opera Company; Bing Crosby; Barry Manilow; Paul Anka; Al Green with Ashford & Simpson; Season of Gilbert and Sullivan
- 1977: The King and I
- 1979: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- 1981: The Pirates of Penzance; Annie
- 1983: Show Boat
- 1984: Shirley MacLaine on Broadway; Patti LaBelle on Broadway
- 1985: Singin' in the Rain
- 1987: Starlight Express
- 1989: Meet Me in St. Louis
- 1990: Fiddler on the Roof
- 1993: Raffi
- 1995: Show Boat
- 1997: Candide; 1776
- 2000: Riverdance on Broadway
- 2002: Oklahoma!
- 2003: Wicked
[edit] Box Office record
The blockbuster musical Wicked achieved the box office record for the Gershwin Theatre. The production grossed $2,228,235 over eight performances, for the week ending January 2, 2011. This was also the highest grossing week for any musical in the history of Broadway theatre.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Seating Chart- gershwin-theater.com - Retrieved January 21, 2008
- ^ "Theatre 101". The Theatre Development Fund. http://www.tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=103&%20do=v. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
- ^ "History of the Gershwin Theater" gershwin-theater.com, accessed May 2, 2011
- ^ Lawson, Carol." 'Cats' And 'Torch Song Trilogy' Win Top Tonys" New York Times (abstract), June 6, 1983, p. C11
- ^ The Associated Press.[1] abcnews.go.com
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Hollywood Palladium |
Host of the Grammy Awards 1975 |
Succeeded by Hollywood Palladium |
| Preceded by Radio City Music Hall |
Host of the Tony Awards 1999 |
Succeeded by Radio City Music Hall |
