Luckiest Bway Theater ?

Your Mom is the luckiest! lololololololol :)

lolol. Ok now getting serious, The Gershwin!

The Imperial is generally regarded as the house with the most hits. If you check out IBDB.com, it has had relatively few tenants for a vintage house, given the long runs of the shows that have played there. Chess strikes me as the only flop there in about the last 25 years, and that was at least a respectable flop, not an epic horror.

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The Gershwin does not have a good track record. Lots of flops and money losers, despite a few quality shows like the original Sweeney Todd and the 90s Show Boat revival.

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...which was a financial loser.

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Well, history goes much farther back than three shows.

I didn't mean the revival was successful, I was just... thinking aloud, if you will.

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Yes, emcee is right, I thought that there are maybe a couple that are considered very lucky in the sense that they have a very good track record ! I know there are a couple that are considered unlucky and poisonous, that's why I asked for the oppposite side !

Although not as flop-free as the Imperial, the St. James, the Shubert and the Majestic are the other three biggies.

The Winter Garden and the Neil Simon have had more hits than not, although I do remember the Winter Garden having flop after flop in the 70s, and the same thing with the Neil Simon/Alvin in the early 80s.

And although it has had a few flop tenants in recent years (Side Show, Steel Pier and Seussical), I think the Richard Rodgers still holds the record for most Tony Award-winning plays and musicals that opened there (Guys and Dolls, Damn Yankees, New Girl in Town, Redhead, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, 1776, Raisin, Nine, Fences, Lost in Yonkers).

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Updated On: 7/21/05 at 07:52 PM

I saw it in London twice and I enjoyed it immensely ! But i am surprised, because considering the huge production that means it was a flop of impressive proportions and I don't think I've ever seen it on the "flop" threads here !

"tracks encircle the audience.".... wow, that does sound really fun...

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I would also say the Imperial. Besides Les Miz, Boy From Oz and DRS, there was also The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dreamgirls, Chapter Two, Pippin, Cabaret, Oliver!, Fiddler on the Roof (orig.), Carnival! and I'm sure many more I'm too lazy to check which won Tony Awards there.

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The Imperial has indeed has many hits goiing back to 1924 with ROSE MARIE. Other hits: OH, KAY! (1926), THE NEW MOON (192, ON YOUR TOES (1936), LEAVE IT TO EM (193, LOUISIANA PURCHASE (1940), ONE TOUCH OF VENUS (1943), ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1946), CALL ME MADAM (1950), WISH YOU WERE HER (1952), THE MOST HAPPY FELLA (1956), JAMAICA (1957), OLICER! (1963), FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (1964), PIPPIN (1972), and DREAMGIRLS (1981.)

The 46th Street/Richard rodgers holds the records for the most Tony winners (including the revival of CHICAGO which opened there but had to move out to make way for the incoming STEEL PIER. CHICAGO moved to the Shubert and later the Ambassador.)

The Uris/Gershwin has been one of Broadway lest succesful theatres. Few shows until WICKED could sell it out. It had some minor hits with limited run revivals but it is an ugly building with a small marquee and awkward entrance. Similar to the Minskoff which has had some successful limited run revivals, transfers and concerts, but has never opened a full-fledged hit!

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