The Lambs
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The Lambs, Inc., (aka The Lambs Club) is a social club in New York City for actors, songwriters, and others involved in the theater. It is one of America's oldest theatrical organizations[citation needed].
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[edit] History
The Lambs was originally founded in 1868 in London by actors, led by John Hare, the first Shepherd, looking to socialize with like-minded people. Several of those, most notably Henry James Montague, came to the United States and formed The Lambs of New York during Christmas week of 1874. It was later incorporated in 1877 in New York City, and shortly afterward, the London Lambs closed.
The club's name honors the essayist Charles Lamb, and his sister Mary, who during the early 19th century played host to actors and literati at their famed salon in London.[1]
The Lambs, the Friars Club, and The Players (Club) are often confused. The longtime syndicated columnist Earl Wilson put it this way in 1964: "Long ago a New Yorker asked the difference between the Lambs, Friars, and Players, since the membership was, at the time, predominantly from Broadway." It was left to "a wit believed to have been George S. Kaufman" to draw the distinction: "The Players are gentlemen trying to be actors, the Lambs are actors trying to be gentlemen, and the Friars are neither trying to be both."[2]
The Lambs ® is a registered trademark of The Lambs, Inc; and the club has been commonly referred to as The Lambs Club and The Lambs Theater since 1874.
[edit] 128 West 44th Street
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Lamb's Club
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| Location: | 128 W. 44th St., New York, New York |
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| Coordinates: | 40°45′23″N 73°59′7″W / 40.75639°N 73.98528°WCoordinates: 40°45′23″N 73°59′7″W / 40.75639°N 73.98528°W |
| Built: | 1904 |
| Architect: | Stanford White, George Freeman |
| Architectural style: | Classical Revival |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 82003382 |
| Added to NRHP: | June 3, 1982[3] |
Until 1973 the Club occupied a building at 128 West 44th Street. The building was designed by architect Stanford White, and was erected in 1904–1905. When the club relocated to its current nine-story quarters at 3 West 51st Street adjacent to Rockefeller Center, it sold its own quarters to the Church of the Nazarene which intended to use the old building as a mission in Time Square.[4] The church leased part of the building for what would become the Off Broadway Lamb's Theatre which is not related to the Club except for the name of the building.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 1982.
In 2006 the Church of the Nazarene sold the building and theatre, which has been renovated by the Chatwal Hotel. They operate a restaurant in the hotel and named it The Lambs Club although there was no relation between the hotel and The Lambs other than what was left of the building.[5]
[edit] Current activity
The Lambs, Inc. is still active in its nine-story quarters at 3 West 51st Street adjacent to Rockefeller Center. Its members have been instrumental in the formation of ASCAP, Actors' Equity and The Actors' Fund of America. Historically, The Lambs ® has been the spawning ground of plays, friendships and partnerships. "Mark Twain Tonight" (with Hal Holbrook) and Stalag 17 were first performed at The Lambs prior to their national successes.
Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe first met at The Lambs, often trying works-in-progress on their fellow Lambs. Since its founding, there have been more than 6,000 Lambs including Fred Astaire, Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, W.C. Fields, Will Rogers, John Philip Sousa, Fred Waring and Albert Hague. Current luminaries include the Academy Award winning actor Cliff Robertson, James Karen, Abe Vigoda, Joyce Randolph, and the award-winning conductor/arranger, Donald Pippin.
[edit] References
- ^ Hardee, Lewis J., Jr., The Lambs Theatre Club, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing, 2010 [2006]. ISBN 978-0-7864-6095-3. A book about the history of The Club. The Lambs was recognized on May 9, 2008, by the Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.(publisher's summary)
- ^ Wilson, Earl (1964). Earl Wilson’s New York. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 49–50.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04- 15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ Robertson, Campbell, "Lamb's Theater Company Receives Eviction Notice", The New York Times, June 2, 2006
- ^ Sam Sifton, "Retro Glamour Made New: Restaurant Review: The Lambs Club". New York Times. October 26, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/dining/reviews/27rest.html Accessed January 31, 2012
[edit] External links
- The Lambs, Inc. website
- "The Lambs Club" - the NYC Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
