Old Theatres/New Theatres

[Braniff Forever]

Posted: 9/11/15 at 4:38pm

Are there any old theatres that could be renovated or revitalized that would qualify as a Broadway theatre?  It seems like I've read things about this or that theater that was in ruins then revitalized. Are there any theaters that are still in ruins that could be revitalized in the Broadway area? Plus, why art any new theaters built? Is it too expensive? 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/11/15 at 4:44pm

The old Mark Hellinger would be perfect..Problem is the Times Square church has it now.

 

Most of the other older buildings have been torn down in the name of progress.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/11/15 at 6:04pm

I went to a show at the Liberty in Times Sq. Kind of the "hidden' theatre. It's really gorgeous, but I don't know that they could return it to a theatrical space. But it could easily be used as a concert venue with some alterations. But the kitchen is where the stage is now, so they'd have to tear all that up. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/11/15 at 6:10pm

When 42 nd St was redone, a few theaters were sacrificed for the redevelopment of the area.

[Cesare2]

Posted: 9/11/15 at 6:36pm

A few months age, Riedel mentioned in his column that ATG might reopen the Hudson (on 44th Street) as a Broadway theater.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 9/11/15 at 8:36pm

The Hudson is in pretty good shape and would need minimal work done to get back to theatrical use. 

 

[sorano916]

Posted: 9/11/15 at 9:00pm

What about the Times Square Theatre on 42nd? They told down the top scaffolding, which nice to see some of its exterior again. I think in the same Riedel article, he mentioned ATG was also thinking of making that back into a legit Broadway theatre.

[Cesare2]

Posted: 9/11/15 at 9:12pm

Playbill reported last month that Broadway 4D might still go into the Times Square.

http://playbill.com/news/article/broadway-4d-project-back-on-track-times-square-theatre-to-be-rescued-358258

I think the only former Broadway theaters left are the Hudson, Liberty, Times Square, Hellinger, and Ed Sullivan.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/11/15 at 9:15pm

The Ed Sullivan is out of consideration.Ditto for the Hellinger for the foreseeable future.The Hudson seems to be the most viable of the 5.

 

 

[Braniff Forever]

Posted: 9/12/15 at 8:25am

Isn't the Ed Sullivan where they film The Late show with David Letterman, now Colbert? 

[The Other One]

Posted: 9/12/15 at 8:28am

"Isn't the Ed Sullivan where they film The Late show with David Letterman, now Colbert? "

 

Yes.

[Felm_heart]

Posted: 9/12/15 at 10:25am

Possibly unrelated, but I've always wondered... Why isn't the Town Hall a Broadway house? 

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/12/15 at 10:29am

It has little depth and no wing space.

[Timmer]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 12:18am

I can't remember the names, but I think there are two Off Broadway houses next to each other in the Theatre District that would have enough seats combined if they made them one house. 

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 12:28am

I know there are a myriad of reasons, but the Little Shubert (now Stage 42) really should be a Broadway house. It's in such beautiful shape and being wasted on stuff like this Trip of Love that'll be here today, gone today. 

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 8:37am

What about the Ziegfeld Theatre?  They're a movie house now, but it's such a beautiful space that obviously once housed shows.  Could it be converted back?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 8:51am

The current Ziegfeld Theatre was always a movie theatre and never housed shows.  

 

There WAS a Ziegfeld Theatre very close to that same location, but on Sixth Avenue and 54th Street.  It was a legit theatre that housed the original Show Boat, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Brigadoon, Kismet, among other shows.  But its remote location was unpopular and it was demolished in 1966.  From photos, it was an extraordinary looking building, inside and out.  

 

Updated On: 9/13/15 at 08:51 AM

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 9:05am

Assumed that the Ziegfeld was THE Ziegfeld.  Thanks for the info; that does look pretty beautiful.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 9:46am

The interior was also covered head to toe in spectacular murals. The entire building was created by the great Austrian-American architect, illustrator and set designer Joseph Urban.  A shame that it was demolished, but that was also the era when some of NY's greatest buildings met the wrecking ball, including Penn Station and the Roxy.  

 

Updated On: 9/13/15 at 09:46 AM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 12:32pm

Could not bring it back as the entire building was demolished for the skyscraper that stands there now. So much for progress.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 12:33pm

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 5:59pm

The Hudson would be awesome! 

 

And why not make the Little Shubert a Broadway house? Cause it's too far? It's such a wasted space.

[Neilfrombrooklyn]

Posted: 9/14/15 at 4:13am

1501 Broadway is known as the Paramount Building because it once housed the Paramount Theater, a 3,664 movie palace with a stage for live performances.  The building is still there, the space still exists.  However, the Hard Rock Cafe is the current tenant.  There are a couple of other former movie houses with stages for live performances in the neighborhood that are currently being used for other purposes.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1501_Broadway

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/14/15 at 8:42am

The Paramount Theater was gutted in the 1960s.  Nothing remains of the theatre space itself.  There's a small stage within Hard Rock, but a Broadway theatre requires a lot of space, which the current layout no longer has.   

 

The Paramount looked like this.  And again, none of this remains in 1501 Broadway.

 

Updated On: 9/14/15 at 08:42 AM

[Neilfrombrooklyn]

Posted: 9/14/15 at 9:12am

My theory is if they throw out all the extraneous Hard Rock debris, etc., the space is big enough for a good sized theater.