Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)
Universal's Colony Theatre B.S. Moss' Broadway Theatre Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre Ciné Roma | |
.jpg) The Broadway Theatre in 2019, playing King Kong | |
 | |
| Address | 1681 Broadway New York City United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°45′48″N 73°58′59″W / 40.7633°N 73.9831°W |
| Owner | The Shubert Organization |
| Type | Broadway |
| Capacity | 1,761 |
| Production | West Side Story |
| Construction | |
| Opened | December 25, 1924 |
| Rebuilt | 1956 1986 |
| Architect | Eugene De Rosa |
| Website | |
| www.shubert.nyc/theatres/broadway | |
The Broadway Theatre (formerly Universal's Colony Theatre, B.S. Moss' Broadway Theatre, Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre, and Ciné Roma) is a Broadway theatre located in midtown Manhattan. It has a large seating capacity of 1,761, and unlike most Broadway theaters, it is actually located on Broadway, at number 1681.
Designed by architect Eugene De Rosa for Benjamin S. Moss, it opened as B.S. Moss's Colony Theatre on Christmas Day, 1924, as a venue for vaudeville shows and motion pictures. The theater has operated under many names and owners. It was renamed Universal's Colony Theatre, B.S. Moss' Broadway Theatre, and Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre before becoming a legitimate theater house simply called Broadway Theatre on December 8, 1930. In 1937, known as Ciné Roma, it showed Italian films.[1] For a short time during the 1950s it showed Cinerama films.[2]
On November 18, 1928, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released to the public, Steamboat Willie, debuted at the Colony. Producer Walt Disney returned on November 13, 1940, to debut the feature film Fantasia in Fantasound, an early stereo system.[3]
The legitimate theater opened in 1930 with The New Yorkers by Cole Porter. Stars such as Milton Berle, Alfred Drake, José Ferrer, Eartha Kitt, Vivien Leigh, Zero Mostel, and Mae West have appeared on stage.[1]
The Shubert Organization bought the theater in 1939 and renovated it extensively in 1956 and 1986. It has long been a popular theatre for producers of musicals because of large seating capacity, and the large stage, which is nearly sixty feet deep. Often plays that have become successful in smaller theaters have transferred to the Broadway Theatre.[1]
On March 12, 2020, the theater closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It does not plan on reopening until at least June 1, 2021.[4]
Notable productions
- 1928: Steamboat Willie
- 1930: The New Yorkers
- 1932: Earl Carroll's Vanities (starring Milton Berle)
- 1940: Walt Disney's Fantasia
- 1941: Too Many Girls
- 1942: My Sister Eileen, This Is The Army
- 1943: The Student Prince, Carmen Jones (premiere), Lady in the Dark, Damn Yankees
- 1946: Beggar's Holiday
- 1948: The Cradle Will Rock, High Button Shoes
- 1951: Where's Charley?, Oklahoma!
- 1952: Kiss Me, Kate
- 1953: South Pacific
- 1956: Mr. Wonderful
- 1957: The Most Happy Fella, Shinbone Alley
- 1958: The Body Beautiful
- 1959: Gypsy
- 1960: The Music Man
- 1961: Fiorello!, Grand Hotel
- 1962: My Fair Lady, I Can Get It for You Wholesale
- 1963: The Girl Who Came to Supper
- 1965: Baker Street
- 1966: Funny Girl
- 1968: Cabaret
- 1969: The Pirates of Penzance
- 1970: Fiddler on the Roof
- 1972: Dude
- 1974: Candide
- 1976: Guys and Dolls
- 1977: The Wiz
- 1979: Evita
- 1983: Zorba
| Production | First preview | Opening date | Closing date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Three Musketeers | October 26, 1984 | November 11, 1984 | November 18, 1984 | |
| The King and I | December 26, 1984 | January 7, 1985 | June 30, 1985 | |
| Les Misérables | February 28, 1987 | March 12, 1987 | October 14, 1990 | Moved to the Imperial Theatre three years later to run until May 18, 2003. |
| Miss Saigon | March 23, 1991 | April 11, 1991 | January 28, 2001 | |
| Blast! | April 5, 2001 | April 17, 2001 | September 23, 2001 | |
| La bohème | November 29, 2002 | December 8, 2002 | June 29, 2003 | Staged by Baz Luhrmann |
| Sexaholix | — | November 11, 2003 | December 7, 2003 | |
| Bombay Dreams | March 29, 2004 | April 29, 2004 | January 1, 2005 | |
| The Color Purple | November 1, 2005 | December 1, 2005 | February 24, 2008 | |
| Shrek The Musical | November 8, 2008 | December 14, 2008 | January 3, 2010 | |
| Promises, Promises | March 27, 2010 | April 25, 2010 | January 2, 2011 | |
| Sister Act | March 24, 2011 | April 20, 2011 | August 26, 2012 | |
| Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella | January 25, 2013 | March 3, 2013 | January 4, 2015 | |
| Doctor Zhivago | March 27, 2015 | April 21, 2015 | May 10, 2015 | |
| Fiddler on the Roof | November 20, 2015 | December 20, 2015 | December 31, 2016 | Fifth Broadway revival |
| Miss Saigon | March 1, 2017 | March 23, 2017 | January 14, 2018 | Limited engagement; first Broadway revival |
| Rocktopia | — | March 20, 2018 | April 29, 2018 | Limited engagement |
| King Kong | October 5, 2018 | November 8, 2018 | August 18, 2019 | |
| West Side Story | December 10, 2019 | February 20, 2020 | March 12, 2020 (temporarily until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic) | Broadway revival |
References
- ^ a b c "The Broadway Theatre". New York TV Show Tickets Inc. 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
- ^ "Broadway Theater History". New York City Theater. 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
- ^ "Mickey Mouse debuts in sound in 1928 – Smithsonian Libraries Unbound". Retrieved 2019-02-25.
- ^ "Broadway League Extends Shutdown Until June 2021". NY1.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
External links
- The Broadway Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database
- Broadway Theatre | PlaybillVault.com
- New York Theatre Guide
- Broadway Theatre Venue Information at nytheatre.com, an information resource guide to theatre in New York City published by the nonprofit New York Theatre Experience, Inc.
- Skinner organ at the Colony Theater
- Wilmeth, Don B. (2007). The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre. Cambridge University Press. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0-521-83538-1.