Lincoln Center

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 12:16am

I never knew this wasn't a Broadway theatre. Which yes I know is sad. I didn't know till Barbra Walters mentioned something.
Then I was thinking about it and I was like "Hmm I didn't see this Marquee when I was theatre hopping"

How does it work? Does the LC decide what shows to produce or do shows pick the LC?

What are some major shows that have been there?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 12:22am

I'm not sure about the answer to the first question, but the Vivian Beaumont wasn't always a Broadway theater. I believe I read an article about Patti LuPone just after the Anything Goes revival opened there that said they hoped the show would transfer to a Broadway house. the show played the Beaumont for its entire run and was nominated for, and won, several Tonys. so I'm...not sure how exactly that worked.

as for shows they've done, the Anything Goes revival is one. others include Contact, The Light in the Piazza, Carousel, Parade, and The Coast of Utopia.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 12:23am

Funny how several Broadway theatres aren't even on Broadway.

Hell, some are even as far away as 8th avenue!

Hell, some National tours call themselves "Broadway Series."

Hell, some regional productions across the country say they produce "Broadway shows."

Somebody call Equity! Something MUST be done!

[winston89]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 12:27am

I never knew that the Vivian Beaumont wasn't always a Broadway theatre. The question I am wondering is this. I can understand Anything Goes playing in a theatre that technically wasn't a Broadway theatre. But, how could it have won any tonys if it wasn't a Broadway show? And, at what point did te Beaumont go from not being a broadway theatre to being one?

[Boq101]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 12:30am

I always thought the Vivian Beaumont was a bway house and the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater was off-Bway.

[winston89]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 12:37am

I thought that to but here we are.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 1:46am

This seems to be brought up at least once a month. To be eligible for a Tony, a production must be in a house with 500 seats or more and be officially sanctioned as a Broadway Theatre. If the theatre has less than 500 seats it is Off-Broadway. That's the only difference between Broadway and Off. It's the number of seats.

[alfgiotir]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 2:11am

correct catsny, it is NOT based on location. the reason people think that broadway is just in midtown is because that is where most of the theatres are. it is a desireable location and that is where most of the theatres in the early 1900s were built.

[winston89]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 2:20am

I know what makes a theatre a Broadway theatre and I know what makes a off Broadway theatre an off Broadway theatre.


I was just a little surprised at what givemevoice said about how the Vivian Beaumont wasn't ALWAYS a sanctioned Broadway theatre during the time of the Anything Goes run with Patti. My question was was how could that show have won any Tonys if it wasn't playing at a sanctioned Broadway theatre?

[theatreguy]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 3:34am

The Beaumont was definitely a Tony-eligible Broadway theatre during the run of Anything Goes. Perhaps they were talking about transferring it to a commercial Broadway house?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 3:52am

According to IBDB The Beaumont opened in 1965 and as early as 1975 was hosting Tony Nominated Musicals so if it ever was an Off-Broadway house it would have been between 1965 and 1975. By the time Anything Goes opened in 1987 it was definitely already a Broadway house.
Updated On: 7/14/08 at 03:52 AM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 10:45am

Doesn't Lincoln Center operate off of a LORT contract like The Roundabout? Aren't they considered more of a resident theater rather than a Broadway production company?

[H.Higgins]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 11:06am

Is there a reason that City Center is not sanctioned as a Broadway house? It definite meets the seating requirement, but what other factors might be involved?

Just curious.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 11:13am

"Is there a reason that City Center is not sanctioned as a Broadway house?"

They are not zoned as a Broadway theater, they are considered a "venue" like Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall. They do more than just musicals there, they have dance performances, lectures and opera. In fact, when Encores first started, Encores was working under a cabaret contract. I think someone finally complained and they had to switch to an Equity contract.

[H.Higgins]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 11:19am

I see, that makes sense. I should have thought about the other types of work presented there.

Thank you for the information!

[winston89]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 11:38am

I got thrown off by what givesmevoice said. However it does make sens that they were talking about a transfer to a commercial theatre. However I too do wonder what makes a theatre a sanctioned broadway theare. I was going to use Radio City as an example. It has enough seats etc. does it have to do with the kind of shows they produce?

[Patash]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 12:09pm

And what about City Center -- they have a few more seats than 500! But yet shows there are not considered "Broadway shows", are they?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 8:25am

maybe they did mean a transfer to a commercial Broadway house. I have to dig up the article.

and as for City Center, hasn't that been ruled to be a Broadway house during certain seasons?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 8:35am

It's the fact that they're considered "venues" not theaters. The Theatre at Madison Square Garden and the Nokia Theatre have loads of seats...they're still venues.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 4:21pm

aha! I found the article. this is from January 1988, and the first sentence in the second paragraph says "'Anything Goes' is a hit revival of the 1934 Cole Porter musical that is expected to move sometime after June from Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater to Broadway."

now, they might have meant to a commercial Broadway house, but it is a little ambiguous. or else I just have poor reading comprehension skills.
NY Times: She's the Top

[winston89]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 8:11pm

All a venue is is where an event takes place. A Broadway theatre is a venue because it is where a show takes place.

[NSLV]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 10:34pm

Broadway houses ARE in fact limited by their location. It just so happens to be where all the Broadway houses are currently located. According to AEA it's called the "Broadway Box" which is bordered by 5th and 9th Aves, and 34th and 56th St. Lincoln Center is the exception of this rule. As stated, Broadway houses within this area have over 500 seats and are primarily for legit theatre (versus a place like City Center or Radio City). Also, a theater must be dubbed a Broadway by member of the Broadway League, the trade organization for theater owners and producers (formerly the League of American Theaters and Producers).

It's also entirely plausible that the Vivian Beaumont wasn't always a Broadway house given that its occupants have changed over the years.

This topic has also been discussed on the thread below:
What makes a theatre a sanctioned Broadway Theatre?