Theatre Interiors/Architecture- Page 2

[wafflehouse2005]

Posted: 6/24/11 at 4:55pm

I work in the New Amsterdam which is one of the best parts of the job - getting to be in that space every day. The stories of the theatre and how it changed both on the interior and exterior are fascinating. My favorite story is how the carpeting was replicated.

It's a beautiful house - almost too gorgeous for Mary Poppins.

[phantomcrazy14]

Posted: 6/24/11 at 6:15pm

I love the New Amsterdam throughout. It's so elaborate! I also really like the Palace. Does anyone have a clear picture of the Schoenfeld proscenium and stage?

[LegallyBroadway2]

Posted: 6/24/11 at 6:28pm

I absolutely love the detail to the Palace. I think it is absolutely beautiful, and stunning. The enormous house is beyond gorgeous. I took this photo to showcase the detail, but the quality sucked :/ sorry.

And I have not been in the Marquis, but the photo of its interior looks okay. Updated On: 6/24/11 at 06:28 PM

[egghumor]

Posted: 6/24/11 at 8:21pm

Thanks, LB2 for posting that photo of the Palace. It looks A LOT better than I remember the last time I was there (The Grand Tour methinks, among other flops).

No, it was La Cage. Updated On: 6/24/11 at 08:21 PM

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 6/25/11 at 10:45am

WaffleHouse, do share about the carpets!

[LFazin]

Posted: 6/25/11 at 8:37pm

I love all of these pictures! Any one else have interior shots they'd like to share?

[morosco]

Posted: 6/25/11 at 9:37pm

A few years back I went to a convention of an organization called The League of Historic American Theatres. That year it happened to be in New York City and it was a blast. A good portion of the conference was spent visiting a few of the broadway theatres. For about an hour in each theatre we all had free reign to roam all over the front of house (backstage was off limits) on our own. We went inside the New Amsterdam, Martin Beck, Lunt Fontanne, Shubert, Winter Garden, New Victory, and the Ford Center for the Performing Arts (now the Foxwoods Theatre).

I took a ton of photographs and video but sadly all was lost due to my hard drive crash.
League of Historic American Theatres

[LFazin]

Posted: 8/16/11 at 2:27pm

bump :)

[Justin D]

Posted: 8/16/11 at 2:59pm

I actually kind of liked inside the Marquis, compared with say the Minskoff and Gershwin.

Minskoff now is a bit better now that they have added some colour at the sides and made those 2 boxes for the drummers. I am trying ti imagine the Gershwin with out wicked and it's hard to see when you are inside, so dark.

I saw in the balcony of the Marquis and it was quite comfortable and could see very well. My only issues I guess wound be the boards in the waves in the ceiling need replacing and it seems somewhat a waste that these new theatres dont seem to like to use side boxes, so much space there just being wasted.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 8/16/11 at 4:10pm

Here is a website for used books that can be very useful when Amazon lets you down.

www.abebooks.com

There are 28 copies of Lost Broadway Theatres available at various used booksellers. They range in price from $11.75 to almost $180, and all are plus shipping.

Put the site on your favorites because you can find many books quite cheaply there. Sometimes the shipping is more than the price of the book.

Go for it.

[fosca3]

Posted: 8/16/11 at 10:17pm

Does anyone know if BAM's Harvey Theater is 'real-' or 'faux-' and I guess I'd say 'distressed' (cuz I can't come up with a better word just now)

The 2 times I was there I just couldn't stop looking around, it is all crumbling and so many different colors and finishes and just GORGEOUS (at least to me)

The person next to me thought it as faux, but I thought it was real

I'd love any details

[WOSQ]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 10:04am

From what I understand, The Harvey (nee the Majestic) is a bit of everything: faux, real and distressed. When I lived in Brooklyn in the 70s the Majestic was boarded up, derelict and pretty much waiting for the wrecking ball. It wasn't until the 80s that BAM took it over.

Rather than restore it, I think they shored up some of the falling plaster and chipped out a lot of what was already coming down. The 1st balcony was removed and the orchestra floor raised and then steeply raked under the gallery. The stage was also opened up and thrust forward beyond the proscenium.

But they also had to update the plumbing, heating and air-conditioning so I don't know whether the ceiling is a reconstruction or a save or a bit of both.

All of this was done to please Peter Brook who was going to have a resident company there. His 9 hour production of The Mahabarata opened the theatre, and also a 3 hour production without intermission of The Cherry Orchard was done under his direction.

The legendarily uncomfortable seating is his thought because an audience mustn't be too comfortable.

I like The Harvey, painful seating and all.

BAM addendum - If you go to the BAM Cinemas, these were carved out of the Playhouse which was a 1200 seat one balcony theatre. The proscenium of the Playhouse is intact in the large cinema that is entered upstairs (I forget what number it is). In the mid 70s this space was named after Helen Carey, the late wife of then Governor Carey who died in 1974 of cancer. The former Governor died last week.

[fosca3]

Posted: 8/17/11 at 10:22am

That is such interesting info! Thank you so much for sharing it

Now I'll want to look around even more next time, to see which parts may be new

The stairs up to the balcony are mind-blowing -- when I stood at the bottom and looked up I just wanted to cry. But I made it to the top eventually

[jamiekennywicked]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 8:40am

Does anyone have any more photos of the Marquis Theatre interior?

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 9:41am

I've seen so many wonderful shows at The Ritz/Walter Kerr I would always cherish it even if it weren't exquisitely designed.

Which it is!
Puttin' on the Ritz

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 9:48am

I was in the Freidman for the first time yesterday, and it was GORGEOUS.

[3bluenight]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 10:45am

here is a link to some wonderful pictures of the interior and exterior of the morosco.

http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/GuanoReturns/Legit%20Broadway%20Theaters/Morosco%20Theatre/?start=all

[LFazin]

Posted: 11/27/11 at 11:12pm

bump :)

[gypsy4]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 12:31am

[gypsy4]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 12:32am

New Amsterdam Updated On: 11/28/11 at 12:32 AM

[gypsy4]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 12:38am

I'm trying to load my Pics from my computer of the New Amsterdam but for some reason it's not letting me. Could someone tell me how?

[LFazin]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 3:00pm

gypsy4: What worked for me was going to tinypic.com and uploading individually from there. They give you a link for message boards/forums and you just copy and paste it to here. Hope that helps!!

[gypsy4]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 6:42pm

Here are my Pics from the New Amsterdam a Few Years Back.
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Updated On: 11/28/11 at 06:42 PM

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 7:28pm

My favourite OMG-what-were-they-thinking theatre doesnt even exist anymore, and it's a shame that I cant even remember its name.

Technically not a Broadway house, it was just south of Lincoln Centre by a few blocks, where now stands a high rise condo complex with a wall-climbing set up on the first floor. It was built by some heiress with too much money for a dance company, and the interior was all shocking baby blue, with this amazing mural that went around the prosc of dancers in motion, all leading you up to the incredible visage of the benefactress, seated and decked out in her best Martha-Graham-inspired neo-grecian finery.

Open for less than a year, it was a huge joke among theatre folks, which was a shame because the acoustics in the place were incredible.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 9:41pm

The theatre you are thinking of was the Harkness.