New Broadway Theater

The chatter about B’juice, Music Man, and the Winter Garden got me thinking. The easiest solution to avoid this in the future is build more 500+ seat theaters. But is that realistic? The cost must be astronomical. How much would a new theater cost? Do the handful of major owners have that kind of capital? The risk seems worth it, according to the League and others Broadway is booming year after year and new attendance and revenue records are made every year (unless that’s hyperbole). And is there any space in the relatively small footprint that is Broadway? Would it be cheaper and more feasible to build outside Times Square and still have productions eligible for Tony’s? When if ever will we see more Broadway theaters built?

The Shuberts were in talks for the lot next to the Imperial, but apparently it would cost upwards of $150 millions so they didn't do it. It's a lot of money, but I agree. I mean, the Marquis was built because they demolished 3 mid-size theaters. We need more mid-size theaters. And that's the problem we're seeing today.

Of course another consideration is that the owners are in the catbird seat in the current situation, with producers at their mercy to house their shows. Opening more theaters would be counter-productive for them (primarily the Shuberts and Nederlanders.) ATG has demonstrated a willingness to spend lots of money to get a foothold on Broadway, and perhaps they are the ones most able to add another theater (as they did a few years ago with the Hudson).

As for building one (rather than rehabbing an unused theater) - I suspect the economics would only support a erecting really big theater, as opposed to a mid-sized house.

Updated On: 12/14/19 at 07:22 AM

It would be really great if, when they inevitably build a new tower next to the Imperial, they carve out space in, say, the 3rd-5th floors for a St. Ann's Warehouse-style/mini-Armory type theater. It would have a small dedicated lobby opening directly to 45th or 46th with escalators going to a larger lobby upstairs.

Or maybe on lower levels. But a flexible space on Broadway would be nice.

The Music Man and Beetlejuice situation is unique because the majority of shows nowadays do not want to play a 1400+-seat venue, unless it has a high running cost or brand name. It's better to sell all your seats in a small (DEH, Come From Away) or mid-sized (Hamilton) theatre. MM/BJ happen to be both working with the Shuberts, which only has 4 Big Musical Houses (Shubert, Imperial, Winter Garden, Broadway...and Majestic).

Bob Wankel of the Shubert Org also has a valid point that it can be better to have too few theatres instead of too many. Broadway is booming right now, but it won't always be this healthy. The audience is still somewhat limited, especially for titles that appeal to similar demographics. It's a matter of quality control, too: when you have a bunch of houses to fill, that's when you end up with "filler" shows that shouldn't be on Bway. (Even this season has filler: "In Residence," Lightning Thief, and arguably ~5 others.) And the recoupment rate is still the same.

Theres's a big difference between a landlord wanting to own another theatre (to increase their market share) vs wanting to increase the overall number of Broadway houses.

From a commercial standpoint, the most "useful" new theatre would be modeled on the Schoenfeld or Music Box: 1,050 seats with one mez (no rear mez or balcony).....and 400 gender-neutral bathroom stalls and a massive lobby. It would be nice, artistically, to have a thrust/round/flex space, but shows have to be tailored to THAT venue. The majority of proscenium shows (especially plays and smaller musicals) would work equally well in any similarly-sized theatre with limited modifications. It all comes down to space availability, and a producer rarely "chooses" their theatre.

Ideally, when the Palace re-opens, they would take out 300-400 seats to bring its cap down to 1400. NOBODY needs 1743 seats nowadays.

Updated On: 12/14/19 at 02:57 PM

As pointed out earlier in this thread the Mark Hellinger Theatre the legendary venue of My Fair Lady and Jesus Christ Superstar was sold by the Nederlanders to the Times Square Church because they couldn’t get a tenant in the 1980’s.

Why can’t the Mark Hellinger Church be both a church and theatre? I mean the church use it on Sunday morning, then it can convert back to a theatre the rest of the week? It’s not like the church is catholic, where they believe the actual building is sacred?

The Hellinger is another question that gets asked often, and the answer never changes. It is not gonna happen. They are not interested in engaging. They don't care if you think it is odd; they think we are odd.

After a few too many visits to the Spirit of Halloween in the fall, I still keep trying to find a way in my head to make the Liberty work again, in spite of the obvious drawbacks and hurdles to be cleared.

" Not having been in Manhattan for almost 4 years I have to ask. What happened to the old Times Square which was to have been used for a few different projects all of which died on the vine."



From everything I have heard The Times Square can't go legit because when Garth Drabinsky took over the space occupied by the The Apollo and Lyric, he took up the block on 43rd St. and left no room for a loading dock to the Times Sq. Apparently the city won't allow a loading dock on 42nd St.