Biltmore Theater will be Samuel J. Friedman Theater on Sept.4!

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:04pm

Per playbill:
https://www.playbill.com/news/article/120320.html

I am not in favor of renaming old theaters~like what I said in another thread- everytime we rename on old theater-we lose our connections to the past! This and the Helen Hayes! (just my two cents!)

J*

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:05pm

I still like the name Royale Theater & Plymouth Theater. I think of PASSION at Royale!

J*

[roseaddams]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:14pm

This kinda bugs me, too. I wish people didn't put their names on theaters. Makes theater seem even more commercial than it already is.

Though I suppose better people than corporations.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:25pm

There's a difference between something like the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and things like the American Airlines, Hilton or the Cadillac Winter Garden (which is thankfully the Winter Garden again). Broadway turned its back on the Biltmore Theatre for 17 years as that building sat moldering, so as far as I'm concerned, MTC could have even gone the corporate renaming route if they wanted and no one on Broadway would really have any right to complain about it.

In general, I also really don't mind the name changes for some of the generically named Broadway theatres. It's more discomfiting though that Bernard Jacobs or Gerald Schoenfeld got theatres named for them before Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Cole Porter or any number of other deserving creative artists.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:28pm

The only theater renaming I like was AUGUST WILSON THEATER (from Virginia) bec. of the obvious reason- he is a playwright. but still I have memories of the VIRGINIA THEATER like THE WILD PARTY and LITTLE WOMEN.

I was not in favor of renaming SCHOENFELD THEATER (Plymouth) and JACOBS THEATER (Royale) I know that these two great man (from Shubert Organization) and contributed much to our theater. But still, If I am a famous person or a philantropist~ I would not want to rename a theater after me bec. I valued history more than anything!

J*
Updated On: 8/11/08 at 01:28 PM

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:32pm

In general, I also really don't mind the name changes for some of the generically named Broadway theatres. It's more discomfiting though that Bernard Jacobs or Gerald Schoenfeld got theatres named for them before Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Cole Porter or any number of other deserving creative artists.

I completely AGREE with you on that. Cole Porter, Arthur Miller are great american composer and playwright that DESERVED a theater to be renamed after them.

I am sorry but I REALLY NOT IN FAVOR of renaming the HELEN HAYES THEATER at all!

J*
Updated On: 8/11/08 at 01:32 PM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:35pm

I am sorry, I must've missed this but what is the Helen Hayes being renamed?

EDIT: Never mind, I found the article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/theater/17thea.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Updated On: 8/11/08 at 01:35 PM

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:36pm

I don't think the Virginia should have been renamed.

It's one thing to rename a theatre that's not named after a person.

But, rededicating a theatre that's already dedicated to someone else just doesn't seem right to me. You're invalidating the person it's already named after.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:39pm

Back off, sister. There's a NEW dead person center stage.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:45pm

** Could this gorgeous building be called anything other than The Palace Theatre'!

This is a pretty sad direction that the naming of Broadway theatres is going in! Why cant they be named along the lines of the Neil Simon, Eugenne O'Neil etc.
London has names such as The Novello, The Noel Coward, The Gielgud etc all names that are strong in British Theatre history. The recent renaming of 3 or 4 of the major Broadway houses are ridiculous and only have meaning to people sitting in offices above the theatre marquees!
What's wrong with The Hammerstein, The Kern, The Edward Albee the list of your great playwrights etc is as long as those of the UK. Why not take some of our names such as The Comedy, The Lyric, The Phoenix as throw away examples. Broadway already has some lovely names for its theatres like The Majestic, The Palace, The Music Box etc but names like The Bernard B Jacobs Theatre and the Gerald Schonfeild Theatre are laughable......... so lets not even start on The Hilton and The American Airlines Theatre names!!!

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:46pm

There's a new corpse in town and he's looking good.
There's a fresh wrinkled face, in the neighborhoood.
There's an old theater in town, with a brand new name.
It was the Biltmore once but that's gone for good,
but if things work out we'll keep this name a while....ba ba bum bum bummmm

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:48pm

The Hilton Theater was named Paris Hilton!

J*

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 1:52pm

The Bernard B Jacobs Theatre and the Gerald Schonfeild Theatre are laughable......... so lets not even start on The Hilton and The American Airlines Theatre names!!!

Dont forget the Snapple Theater?

J*

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 2:07pm

Exactly!!! Theres something 'theatrical' about going to see a show in a theatre with names like The Palace, The Theatre Royal, The Noel Coward.
When the London production of 'Once On This Island 'opened at The Peacock Theatre (many moons ago called The Royalty) it was renamed 'The Island Theatre' and was promoted by soft drink 'Lilt'! This renaming and the in your face product placing all over the building generated as much bad publicity as did the bad reviews of the show!
London is being promised a new theatre sometime in the future on Shaftesbury Avenue-the West Ends Broadway, it's name is to be 'The Sondheim'. Being built by Cameron Macintosh he decided to honor a great American musician, at no time did he think about being named The Cameron Mackintosh theatre! Cameron himself bought and changed the names of two of Londons major theatres from The Strand and The Albery to The Noel Coward and The Ivor Novello in honor of great British figures that are still major names today 100 years after their heyday of fame.

Updated On: 8/11/08 at 02:07 PM

[Princeton78]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 3:27pm

2 Things...

1. Jaystarr, PASSION played at the Plymouth, not the Royale.

2. I'm gonna miss the Biltmore. This is upsetting.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 3:33pm

Why don't they just call it The WHO?!? Theater.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 3:40pm

>Why don't they just call it The WHO?!? Theater.<

Better naming a theater for a lifelong theatrical press agent than for a corporation, a lawyer or worse yet, a theatre critic (and we have TWO of those).

[BradMajors]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 4:50pm

I can't believe the Helen Hayes is going to be renamed. I think it's wrong to rename a theater that was already named for someone else. Helen Hayes wasn't just anybody, she was a great actress who contributed greatly to the American theater landscape. To rename that theater is a slap in the face to her memory. It's sad.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 5:07pm

I'm still waiting for my theater!!!!

--Miss Ethel Merman, Astoria Queens

if it wasn't for me
then where would you be,
Miss Gypsy Rose Lee?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 6:36pm

If you are going to rename a theater, at least do it with names like Merman, Fosse & Verdon etc.

The lobby is named for 2 other people. Why not start renaming various parts of theaters? How about in the Palace the Lestat Mens Room?

Updated On: 8/11/08 at 06:36 PM

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 8:41pm

Jaystarr, have you been working out? Look at those guns! just wondering... from RC in Austin, Texas

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 10:40pm

Did I miss the announcement about the Helen Hayes being renamed?

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 10:44pm

The Fosse Verdon Theater
The Ethel Merman Theater
The Stephen Sondheim Theater

[chrysler99]

Posted: 8/11/08 at 11:09pm

I still have an issue with the renaming of the Royale.

and call me old, but when I hear the name Royale, I think of the original production of Grease which played there for so many years

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 8/12/08 at 12:16am

Bah, and right when HAIR is back in all its glory once again...