Second Stage takes over the Helen Hayes Theatre

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:16pm

Off-Broadway non-profit Second Stage is buying the Helen Hayes Theatre and giving it a $35 million renovation, according to tomorrow's NY Times. The theatre is expected to be renamed, which sucks for Helen Hayes, who will have lost two Broadway theatres.

Second Stage at the Helen Hayes Theatre

Updated On: 7/16/08 at 06:16 PM

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:18pm

Will it still be a Broadway theatre, or will they downsize it and make it another off-Broadway house?

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:20pm

"...the Marquis Theater is now home to the musical “Xanadu.”"

What?

[BwayBoundJoe]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:20pm

it says that " the Marquis Theater is now home to the musical “Xanadu.”


is it moving? and what about 9 to 5?

[RyToast1]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:25pm

it says

"It was named the Helen Hayes in 1983, after the original Helen Hayes Theater on West 46th Street was razed to make way for the Marriott Marquis Hotel. The Helen Hayes is now home to the musical 'Xanadu.'"

[EugLoven]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:27pm

1. Calm down, it was a typo. It now reads "Helen Hayes" as the home to Xanadu

2. Also, the opening paragraph says they are buying the rights to buy it. Basically, they're not planning on moving-in until 2010 (by then, it's safe to say Xanadu may be outta there)

3. Congratulations to 2nd Stage! Seriously, their repertoire has just been getting better and better! I wonder if they'll hang-onto their current spaces, for a nice healthy 3-house family.

[BwayBoundJoe]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:27pm

nevermind :)

Updated On: 7/16/08 at 06:27 PM

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:27pm

It wasn't like that before. I copy and pasted it on my post. They must have fixed/edited it.
Updated On: 7/16/08 at 06:27 PM

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:28pm

It says it will be a 507 seat permanent home for 2nd stage, so its safe to say its gonna stay a broadway house.

[Yero]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:30pm

Next to Normal transfer?

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:32pm

Wait, but in the Playbill article it says "499 seat residence". Curiouser and curiouser...

[jaystarr]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 6:33pm

I dont like the idea of renaming Helen Hayes...specially if its a product or named after a company, say so... The Verizon Theater ...yuck!

J*

[Dangerous Divine]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 7:09pm

They will be keeping both the mainstage on 43rd street and the McGinn/Cazzale uptown.

[lakezurich]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 7:14pm

I really don't like the fact that they will be renaming the theatre either.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 8:21pm

Xanadu can't fill the Helen Hayes on a regular basis, it couldn't even come close to filling the Marquis. Obviously a typo.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 8:27pm

NEXT TO NORMAL won't be coming to Broadway that soon.

They are doing extensive re-writes and working on perfecting the show and smoothing out some of it's bigger imperfections and THEN a Broadway transfer will likely happen. But not this season, which is the season in which XANADU will likely close (even though I don't want it to) and another show will probably snatch up the Hayes (or whatever it will be called) as soon as possible. But, N2N would fit wonderfully in the Hayes.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 8:33pm

Two years isn't enough time to fix Next to Normal? They fixed it greatly from the awful Feeling Electric in about as much time, and they had a longer road than they do now! But I think they're wanting an open ended run. We can assume that Second Stage will be offering a few productions at their new Broadway house per season like MTC and Roundabout.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 8:39pm

IMO- Every time we rename a Broadway Theater, we lose our connection to the past!

J*

[whatever2]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 10:17pm

mostly, this is very good news for theater, and for a very good company.

however, i have to agree with jaystarr and the other similar posters: to remove helen hayes' name from this theater would be an absolute sacrilege. surely there's some way to tease out a naming oppoortunity for the shallow souls with the deep pockets that doesn't defile the name and memory of the first lady of the american stage???

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/16/08 at 11:52pm

Yeah, they're buying a Broadway house just so they can transfer Next to Normal. That's the sole purpose of this expansion.

On a serious note, I this is really exciting news for a wonderful company. I do hope there's a way to keep Helen Hayes' name in there somehow. It'd be an awfully long name if they did, but it's better than just eradicating it completely.

Updated On: 7/17/08 at 11:52 PM

[BestOfBothWorlds]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 12:15am

I dunno. After seeing the "Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport" back home because people didn't want Reagan to trump a real president makes me think twice about a big long name.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 12:22am

So they're not hopeful about the Arena Stage staging of N2N providing the tweaking needed? I thought that was kind of the point of that whole dealie.

[Chance]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 12:29am

While the thought that 2ST is buying the helen hayes just to transfer N2N to Broadway is wildly ridiculous and almost sadly pathetic, I wouldn't be suprised if that were the first show they put in there.

My guess is that they'll gauge responses at Arena, make whatever additional alterations they deem necessary and then shelve it for a year (as the arena run will trickle in the beginning of 09 if i remember correctly), or maybe a small workshop in the fall of 09 just to make sure everything's fresh and then move it in as the innagural show.


Do i think thats what they'll do? no, more out of selfishness as I'd rather not have to wait til '10 to see N2N on bway, but if thats what they're gonna do c'est la vie.

[winston89]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 1:02am

I agree with jaystar here about renaiming theatres. I feel that if you rename a theatre you are loosing a connection to the past regardless of the theatre that is being renamed. It doesn't matter if the new name is better then the old one. For example I do think that The Jacobs has a better ring to it then The Royal. But, I do realize that by changing its name part of the history is lost.

I also agree that the whole idea of Second Stage buying the Hayes JUST so that they have a theatre to transfer Next To Normal in is just the dumbest idea I have heard of in a long time.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 1:12am

So it WILL remain a Broadway house, right? The playbill.com article mentions something about Second Stage wanting to own a house at the heart of Broadway.
I think it's interesting news. Though I don't like the idea of a non-profit taking a small house that an intimate/smaller commercial production could benefit from. Oh well.