Rename a theatre for Hal Prince — Page 2

Rename the "Schoenfeld "

"Rename the "Schoenfeld ".

Not gonna happen, and why would you want to? Schoenfeld spent decades of his life as chairman in the Shubert organization. He and Bernie Jacobs (who the Jacobs was named after) arguably pulled Broadway out of its tailspin in the '70s. We need the moneymen, and they deserve their due. Without them, there is no Broadway.

Besides, the Jacobs and Schoenfeld are modest houses, not really big enough to suit Prince's legacy. I think, for many reasons, the Majestic is the obvious choice.

ghostlight2 said: ""Rename the "Schoenfeld ".

Not gonna happen, and why would you want to? Schoenfeld spent decades of his life as chairman in the Shubert organization. He and Bernie Jacobs (who the Jacobs was named after) arguably pulled Broadway out of its tailspin in the '70s. We need the moneymen, and they deserve their due. Without them, there is no Broadway.

Besides, the Jacobs and Schoenfeld are modest houses, not really big enough to suit Prince's legacy. I think, for many reasons, the Majestic is the obvious choice."



He also advocated and strongly supported the destruction of the Morosco, The Helen Hayes and two other theatres to build the Marriott. Without his and the Shubert Organazations cooperation, it would not have happened. Anyone who does that, should not have a theatre named for them

George in DC said: "ghostlight2 said: ""Rename the "Schoenfeld ".

Not gonna happen, and why would you want to? Schoenfeld spent decades of his life as chairman in the Shubert organization. He and Bernie Jacobs (who the Jacobs was named after) arguably pulled Broadway out of its tailspin in the '70s. We need the moneymen, and they deserve their due. Without them, there is no Broadway.

Besides, the Jacobs and Schoenfeld are modest houses, not really big enough to suit Prince's legacy. I think, for many reasons, the Majestic is the obvious choice."



He also advocated and strongly supported the destruction of the Morosco, The Helen Hayes and two other theatres to build the Marriott. Without his and the Shubert Organazations cooperation, it would not have happened. Anyone who does that, should not have a theatre named for them

They supported it because they believed that opening a huge Marriott was going to be good for roadway, and they were right. I don’t know how old you are, but Broadway 40 years ago was a disaster; overall business was down becausE it got seedier and seedier every year. I used to prefer shows at the BroadwY and (then Alvin and ANTA theaters because those streets were pretty good.

the loss of the Helen Hayes was a damn shame...it’s exterior and auditorium were beautiful. The Morosconwas an ugly theatre (that had a rich history, admittedly, but IMO it was no loss. There was also an off-Broadway theatre — I think it was the Bijou — which was no loss.

Map, while some (many?) will disagree, I think it was the right thing to do, even if we got the Marquis Theater in the process. That project was a pivotal starting point in the revitalization of Broadway. I miss a few of the closed movie places (and the Astor and Victoria theatres are not among the ones I miss) more than the Bijou, Morocco, and unfortunate Helen Hayes.

Jarethan said: "George in DC said: "ghostlight2 said: ""Rename the "Schoenfeld ".

Not gonna happen, and why would you want to? Schoenfeld spent decades of his life as chairman in the Shubert organization. He and Bernie Jacobs (who the Jacobs was named after) arguably pulled Broadway out of its tailspin in the '70s. We need the moneymen, and they deserve their due. Without them, there is no Broadway.

Besides, the Jacobs and Schoenfeld are modest houses, not really big enough to suit Prince's legacy. I think, for many reasons, the Majestic is the obvious choice."



He also advocated and strongly supported the destruction of the Morosco, The Helen Hayes and two other theatres to build the Marriott. Without his and the Shubert Organazations cooperation, it would not have happened. Anyone who does that, should not have a theatre named for them

They supported it because they believed that opening a huge Marriott was going to be good for roadway, and they were right. I don’t know how old you are, butBroadway 40 years ago was a disaster; overall business was down becausE it gotseedier and seedier every year. I used to prefer shows at the BroadwY and (then Alvin andANTA theaters because those streets were pretty good.

the loss of the Helen Hayes was a damn shame...it’s exterior and auditorium were beautiful. The Morosconwas an ugly theatre (that had a rich history, admittedly, but IMO it was no loss. There was also an off-Broadway theatre — I think it was the Bijou — which was no loss.

Map, while some (many?) will disagree, I think it was the right thing to do, even if we got the Marquis Theater in the process. That project was a pivotal starting point in the revitalization of Broadway. I miss a few of the closedmovie places (and the Astorand Victoria theatres are not among the ones I miss) more than the Bijou, Morocco, and unfortunate Helen Hayes."



I'm old enough. I lived in NYC most of my life, until 2003. Quite frankly, I prefer the seediness of the way Times Square used to be to the ugly Las Vegas Mall that it has become. But then I also prefer Broadway back then too, when there as many plays running as there were musicals.

Updated On: 8/1/19 at 02:46 PM

The speculation seems to be that a Shubert house could be renamed for Prince, but the Jujamcyns or Nederlanders could possibly take the lead. The only Jujamcyn house not already named for someone is the St. James, which is a possibility because it housed the original production of The Pajama Game. Of course, theaters that were previously named for someone have been renamed for someone else (Henry Miller's becoming the Sondheim and the Martin Back becoming the Hirschfeld are the most recent I believe), so that could be a possibility. If the Nederlanders take the lead, I believe the two Broadway theaters not named for anyone are the Marquis and the Palace. The Palace name is iconic and many people may not want to see the theater renamed, but with it being elevated a few floors, transforming the theater into 'something else' might be appropriate. If Prince supported the destruction of the Morosco, old Hayes, and other theaters to make way for the Mariiott, renaming the Marquis might be appropriate. Another option is renaming the Minskoff, which I believe was named for the builders of the office building that currently houses that theater. I do prefer the idea of the Majestic or Broadway being renamed, though.

"[Schoenfeld] also advocated and strongly supported the destruction of the Morosco, The Helen Hayes and two other theatres to build the Marriott. Without his and the Shubert Organazations cooperation, it would not have happened. Anyone who does that, should not have a theatre named for them"

Early in my career, I worked on the next to last show at the Morosco. I, too, disagreed with the decision to destroy 5 theaters in return for a hotel and the ill-conceived theater that is now the Marquis. I protested alongside Susan Sarandon, Michael Moriarty, Tammy Grimes and others when those those theaters were designated to be torn down, though I didn't get arrested as many did. I agree with Jarethan, though.The '70s and early '80s were a terrible time for New York in general and theater in particular. If you were in show business, you were starting to think about getting into another line of work.

Like you and Jarathen, I miss the old Times Square, but we are viewing through the lens of time. It wasn't just seedy, it was dangerous, the tourists weren't coming here, much less spending money, and whether we like it or not, Broadway is a business. Schoenfeld was a businessman. He did what he thought was right to save Broadway. Was there another way? Maybe, but the simple fact is, Broadway began to turn around afterwards. I know we will likely never come to an agreement here, and I understand very well the emotion you feel for what was lost, but if you really know Schoenfeld's story, it is awfully hard to deny that he loved Broadway. He literally spent his entire life supporting it.

Here's a timeline of those days, with photos. I still want to weep when I see the half-destroyed Helen Hayes. I wish it could have been saved - but I am very glad that there is still a Broadway to work on, which didn't seem at all likely back then.

Updated On: 8/3/19 at 04:51 AM