Remembering the Morosco Theatre (Through Pictures)

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 1:10am

I recently stumbled upon the wondrous treasure trove of Broadway theater photography on the NYPL database, so I thought I would share with the kind people of BWW (since the summer is always a dearth of show opening anniversaries!).

Up first is the lamentably demolished Morosco Theatre. Torn down in 1982 along with several other theaters and historic buildings to build the Marriott Marquis Hotel, it is now only viewable through the power of photography. Most of the pictures featured here were presumably taken in 1981 to preserve the details in preparation for the demolition. The two exceptions are the above (of unknown date) and the last few which show the theater mid-demolition.

Above are the original seats as still seen in the balcony and below are more modern replacements from the orchestra.

 

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 8:23am

My heart is breaking all over again.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 8:32am

Love posts like this, the one from a couple of years ago about lost theatres on Broadway was incredible 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:18am

One of the first shows I ever saw there was Woody Allen's "Don't Drink The Water" I still have the Playbill for this.

New York has lost so many theaters over the years (movie palaces & legit) it isn't even funny.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:23am

It was a little tattered looking near the end, but still, a wonderful playhouse.  I think the Morosco may still hold the record for housing the most Pulitzer Prize-winning plays?  (Beyond the Horizon, Craig's Wife, Our Town*, Death of a Salesman, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Shadow Box).    

* - Our Town actually opened at Henry Miller's Theatre, but only played there for a week, before transferring to the Morosco, where it played the rest of its run. 

[morosco]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:32am

My favorite theater.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:33am

The Morosco had the best acoustics and (except for the boxes) the best sightlines of any straight play house.

 

Agreed it was a bit shabby toward the end, but they figured it was coming down so why maintain it.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:33am

Could have fooled me.

Updated On: 6/3/15 at 09:33 AM

[Huss417]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:35am

I was put in a paddy wagon with Colleeen Dewhurst and Celeste Holm and a few others the day the Morosco and the Helen Hayes were demolished. There were several hundred people trying to stop the demolition the day it happened. 

 

Thanks for sharing the pictures of the theatre Mr Nowack.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 9:39am

At least you were in good company

Progress ain't what it is cracked up to be.

Updated On: 6/3/15 at 09:39 AM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 10:54am

>Progress ain't what it is cracked up to be.<

I too miss those theatres and the way 45th and 46th Street used to look.  The Marriott Marquis is one of the worst things ever to happen to New York City.  But the news since 1982 hasn't been all dire.  Since then, we've gained the New Amsterdam, Selwyn/AA, Studio 54, Biltmore/Friedman and the Ritz/Walter Kerr, and like them or not, the Marquis, Lyric and Sondheim.  Though not a legit theatre, the New Victory returned to live performance. Ambassador Theatre Group has closed on the Hudson, with the Times Square also rumored to be a possibility.   So we lost three active Broadway theatres (Morosco, Helen Hayes and Bijou), but five old theatres returned to legit use, with two more possibly on the way, and three new theatres were constructed.  

Also during that time, many of the vintage Broadway theatres have received beautiful restorations (Shubert, Winter Garden, Belasco, Barrymore, Longacre, Schoenfeld, Booth, Golden, Music Box, Hirschfeld, August Wilson, St. James, O'Neill, Friedman, Kerr, Rodgers, Nederlander).  Many of these theatres look better now than they have in decades.  The Cort is rumored to be next on the Shubert's list, and when its original riotous color palette gets restored, it will be a dazzler.

During the 80s and early 90s, the Nederlander and the Ambassador were empty for years at a time.  The Minskoff and the Gershwin were also often dark, hosting numerous flops.  Obviously, three of the four now have long-term tenants, and the once-scorned Nederlander is booked rather steadily.  

[Cesare2]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 5:46pm

I saw only one show at the Morosco, "A Moon for the Misbegotten."  Saw two shows at the 46th Street Helen Hayes: "The Royal Family" and "Rodgers and Hart."  The Hayes was a beautiful theater.  http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GON/GON037.htm

Until the very end, the Morosco was a very popular theater; it always seemed to be booked.  Great location, only one balcony, good acoustics, nice size.  Look at ibdb for the kinds of bookings it had.  (The Hayes was less popular, in part, because it had a second balcony.) If the Morosco seemed a little shabby towards the end, so were most of the other theaters during that time. 

Updated On: 6/3/15 at 05:46 PM

[Replacement Cast]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 6:03pm

Great post and amazing pics!  Progress for the sake of . . . what?  Ah.  History ain't what it used to be.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 6:11pm

Huss417, I was there too.

[skies]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 1:34am

"Cat on a hot tin Roof" AND "Death of a Salesman".

[Musical Master]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 2:15am

"Progress ain't what it is cracked up to be".

 

"It's progress, what this city needs is one more parking lot".

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 10:25am

"one more parking lot"

What about another bank or a much needed skyscraper?

[wonkit]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 1:18pm

Or Starbucks.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 1:22pm

You can never have too many Starbucks. 

Ha Ha

Updated On: 6/4/15 at 01:22 PM

[Dfgtoronto]

Posted: 1/13/17 at 9:13pm

This was posted a long time ago, but I'm just now enjoying the wonderful photos of this beautiful theater. At the back of balcony, near the ceiling, on each side, is a curved box-like structure that I haven't seen in other theaters. Can anyone tell me what this was? 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 1/16/17 at 8:06pm

Thanks belatedly, Mr. Novack.  The single greatest performance in 50+ years of theatergoing occurred at the Morocco: A Moon For the Misbegotten, with Colleen Dewhurst, Jason Robards, and Ed Flanders, so it will always have a special place for me.  It was not an attractive theatre, however, drabber than the Belasco before it was refurbished.

The Helen Hayes, on the other hand, was one of my favorite theatres, a real jewel box that had a unique smell.  I saw a number of productions before it was 'murdered', with two shows remaining among my all-time favorite productions: The Royal Family, with Rosemary Harris giving one of the all-time great comedy performances; and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, with Zoe Caldwell reminding everyone that 'my girls are the creme de la creme; give me a girl of an impressionable age, and she is mine for life,' pretty amazing since I saw it 49 years ago, have not seen a life production since, and only saw the movie once.  I will always miss that theatre.  

I do have to acknowledge, however, that IMO the building of the Marriott played a major role in the revitalization of Times Square, so I will only blame its owners not caring about / figuring how to have the Marquis Theatre entrance and lobby at street level, largely independent of the hotel.

 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 1/16/17 at 9:44pm

Since I posted this I also found out a bit more about the photos that make up the majority of the post. They are part of the Historic American Buildings Survey or HABS, originally developed as a way to give out of work architects and photographers work during the depression but evolved as one of the best ways to document a building before demolition. They also did a survey of the Helen Hayes at this same time.