Remembering the Morosco Theatre (Through Pictures)

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

>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.

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

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

"one more parking lot"

What about another bank or a much needed skyscraper?

You can never have too many Starbucks.

Ha Ha

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

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.