Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from The Broadway Theatre)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Broadway Theatre
Universal's Colony Theatre
B.S. Moss' Broadway Theatre
Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre
Ciné Roma
King Kong at the Broadway Theater (48047447453).jpg
The Broadway Theatre in 2019, playing King Kong
Address1681 Broadway
New York City
United States
Coordinates40°45′48″N 73°58′59″W / 40.7633°N 73.9831°W / 40.7633; -73.9831Coordinates: 40°45′48″N 73°58′59″W / 40.7633°N 73.9831°W / 40.7633; -73.9831
OwnerThe Shubert Organization
TypeBroadway
Capacity1,761
Construction
OpenedDecember 25, 1924
Rebuilt1956
1986
ArchitectEugene De Rosa
Website
www.shubert.nyc/theatres/broadway
Entrance, showing The Color Purple
The Broadway Theatre during the run of Sister Act, ca. 2011.

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.

History[edit]

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 Broadway 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 venue opened as a Broadway theater house 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.[1] In 1970, the Shuberts proposed replacing the Broadway with a 43-story building that contained a 1,800-seat theater.[4] 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 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the revival of West Side Story closed permanently.

Notable productions[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "The Broadway Theatre". New York TV Show Tickets Inc. 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  2. ^ "Broadway Theater History". New York City Theater. 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  3. ^ "Mickey Mouse debuts in sound in 1928 – Smithsonian Libraries Unbound". Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  4. ^ Peterson, Iver (1970-05-19). "Theater for 1,800 Gets Zone Permit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  5. ^ "Sexaholix". Playbill Vault. 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Broadway_Theatre_(53rd_Street)&oldid=1086871333"