Longacre Theatre

Coordinates: 40°45′37.5″N 73°59′08.73″W / 40.760417°N 73.9857583°W / 40.760417; -73.9857583

Longacre Theatre

Address 220 West 48th Street
Manhattan, New York City
United States
Owner The Shubert Organization
Designation Broadway theatre
Capacity 1091
Production A Bronx Tale
Opened 1913
Years active 1913-present

The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 220 West 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.

History

Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, the theatre was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square. The French neo-classical building was constructed by impresario Harry Frazee, better remembered as the owner of the Boston Red Sox who, needing money for his theatrical ventures, sold Babe Ruth's contract to the New York Yankees. A curse allegedly lingered on the theatre as a result, and there was a time in which superstitious producers avoided it for fear they would be backing a flop, as noted by William Goldman in his book The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway. Despite the rumor, a large number of performers who have appeared on stage here have taken home a Tony Award for their efforts.

The Longacre's first show was a production of the William Hurlbut-Frances Whitehouse comedy Are You a Crook?, which opened on May 1, 1913. With the exception of its use as a radio and television studio in the mid-1940s to early 1950s, the theatre has operated as a legitimate Broadway venue.

Notable productions

Box Office Record

The second Broadway revival of La Cage aux Folles in 2010 achieved the box office record for the Longacre Theatre. The production grossed $687,824.90 over eight performances, for the week ending June 20, 2010.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ BWW News Desk , broadwayworld.com
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