Random Spotting: Grey Gardens/Butley Marquee with Pics- Page 2

Posted: 9/4/06 at 12:52am

Where was that LESTAT poster posted on?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 12:55am

The lobby doors.

[Yero]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 12:56am

Aww the Grey Gardens picture isn't working for me

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 1:11am

The lobby doors of what theater?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 1:13am

The Palace

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 1:26am

Ahhh.

Thank You for the pictures!

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 7:56am

yeah
who posted the LESTAT notice?
some die-hard LESTAT fan?

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 11:27am

Well it makes me happy, I totally rocked out in front of the palace with my lestat tee on, on saturday afternoon. lol. fun times.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 11:33am

I think the Butley artwork is OK. What's garbage is the marquee. What is with the marquees on the south side of W 45th St? The Booth, the Schoenfeld, the Jacobs...they're just ugly. If I remember correctly, the Schoenfeld and the Jacobs were not so bland when they were the Plymouth and the Royale, correct? Why did they have to put in such blah marquees when they were renamed?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 1:09pm

I don't think the theatres exterior changed at all...

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 1:27pm

Thank you as always, Yankeefan007, for the pictures People had me worried the BUTLEY marquee was bad- but it's not. I like it It's Nathan. What's not to love?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 1:29pm

Well, I know the August Wilson changed from the Virginia - it seems like the others changed slightly as well. I love the Walter-Kerr marquee. It's simple and beautiful. The Butley marquee isn't bad, but if you didn't know the name of the show, I think you'd be confused because Nathan Lane's name is the same font and size as the title of the show.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 1:32pm

I don't think the theatres exterior changed at all...

Having just found a few pictures of the old marquees, I think you're right. I stand corrected. Maybe I just don't like that the Plymouth and the Royale were renamed...I feel like it's more noticeable now how generic the marquees are. The Booth, Schoenfeld, and Jacobs all having the same brown marquee (on the same block) makes its blandness stand out more to me. But yeah, I guess they didn't change when the names changed (aside from the fact that the Schoenfeld and the Jacobs share the same boring lettering).

Updated On: 9/4/06 at 01:32 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 1:39pm

Yeah, and compared to the great Imperial marquee, that whole street of marquees is incredibly boring. I wish they'd take a note from the West End marquees (for the most part) and spruce it up a bit.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 1:55pm

Yeah, as much as I love Broadway houses and think they have their own unique charm, it's depressing when you look at the exteriors of some West End houses next to the exteriors of some Broadway houses. The look of many Broadway marquees doesn't help.

Just look at the Palace:
http://www.thisistheatre.com/londontheatre/palacetheatre.html

...or Her Majesty's (which houses "Phantom" and is actually a little reminiscent of the Paris Opera House architecturally):
http://www.thisistheatre.com/londontheatre/hermajestystheatre.html

Of course, these West End buildings are from a different time and place, and while most Broadway houses aren't quite as impressive they're usually still old and pretty. But can't Broadway houses at least step up the level of some of their marquees so that we don't have old, pretty theatres with...



...that slapped on them?

Updated On: 9/4/06 at 01:55 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 2:37pm

Exactly, I think the theaters themselves are beautiful for the most part, but there has to be a way to make a marquee fit the theater better. And I think we need to bring back the glitz and glamour of broadway with marquees like the Walter Kerr, Rodgers, and the Imperial. Bring back the class!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 2:43pm

I will agree that the Jacobs exterior is pretty droll and ugly, but you can't compare it to something like London's Palace.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 3:41pm

The exterior is fine, but the marquee should match the same style and architecture instead of this big metal box.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 3:54pm

When Jujamcyn renovated the Ritz/Walter Kerr in 1990, they built a facsimile of the theatre's original marquee. I do wish that the Shubert Organizaion would do the same. The marquees usually went hand in hand with the theatre's facade. For starters, here is the original marquee for the Royale/Jacobs. Makes a big difference, no?

Updated On: 9/4/06 at 03:54 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 4:00pm

And while the Booth seems not to have had a marquee, except for the overhang in Shubert Alley, it looks so much more graceful on its 45th Street side, with the friezes above the exit doors fully visible.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 4:04pm

Small picture, but here's the Plymouth. I don't know if this was the original marquee, but it's how the theatre looked in 1958, 40 years after its construction.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 4:30pm

I really can't understand the obsession people have with Broadway marquees. Geeze!

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 5:57pm

I really can't understand the obsession people have with Broadway marquees. Geeze!

They're...just so pretty. (At least the old ones are...I guess that's what this conversation is about). A beautiful marquee completes the experience and makes it more special. To me.

Great pictures, Smaxie! Wow...the original Royale marquee was stunning. Even the simple Shubert Alley marquee at the original Booth would be an improvement over many new marquees--that style is just more appropriate. They don't have to be as ornate as the Walter Kerr. If they're going to put up a more modern marquee, they can at least do a little better than a plain brown box all around.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 6:25pm

Responding to Dollypop's post, I think people get excited over marquees, because the artwork and physical front-of-house causes a certain level of anticipation and excitement. As a kid, I looked at all of those unfamiliar theatres and show logos, wondering what was in store inside. And when a theatre has a truly spectacular facade, marquee or front of house, practically welcoming you in, it just adds a little extra something to the experience.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 9/4/06 at 7:38pm

yeah, whenever im in NYC, maybe its just because im a tourist, but i take a video of every marquee that i see
:P
helps me remember the shows and all...haha