Roundabouts theatres

[winston89]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 1:52am

I know that roundabout has two broadway theatres ( studio 54 and american airlins) but I recall reading something about hows their productions were in a number of other broadway theatres. For example thier production of 1776 in 97 was not at any of those theatrs but instead it was at the gershwin. Was their a time when they produced thier shows but put them in other theatres or what?

[Mistress_Spouzic]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 2:02am

i think roundabout simply moves a show to another theatre or opens a scheduled show in another theatre when theyve had an unexpected success. they have a season and subscribers so they cant not open their next show because their current one is being extended.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 2:02am

Yes, while the Roundabout company has been around for decades, it only acquired its two current Broadway spaces in the past 10 years or so. It's had numerous homes over the years, each successive one being bigger than its previous ones as the company's financial fortunes rose and it became more established. I can recall it being located at the Criterion Center back in the 90s (a Times Square complex that now houses Toys R Us) and before that it simply rented out whatever Broadway houses that happened to be empty when they had to book a show.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 12:02pm

The Studio 54 Theatre began its life as the Gallo Opera House, opening with La Boheme in 1927. In 1933 it was converted to an elaborate nightclub restaurant called the Casino de Paris, run by showman Billy Rose. The Palladium was the theatre's name when it re-opened in 1936 as an English music hall. It had subsequent names as the Federal Music Theatre for WPA productions, and the New Yorker. In 1942 CBS acquired the theatre and used it for radio and TV productions for nearly 3 decades.In 1976 it was sold to Steve Rubell and a year later it reopened as Studio 54 as the megawatt disco of all time. In 1989 the original Italian Renaissance motiv was restored as the theatre became a rock concert hall called the Ritz. It is now known as the Studio 54 Theatre, owned by Roundabout.

Information for this entry came from the fascinating book, "Lost Broadway Theatres" by Nicholas Van Hoogstraten--a must for anyone interested in theatre architecture of the past and the present.

Updated On: 4/16/07 at 12:02 PM