Longacre Theatre

The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 220 West 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan.

Longacre Theatre
The Prom, 2019
Address220 West 48th Street
Manhattan, New York City
United States
OwnerThe Shubert Organization
DesignationBroadway theatre
Capacity1091
Construction
Opened1913
Years active1913–present
ArchitectHenry Beaumont Herts
Website
shubert.nyc/theatres/longacre/

History

Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, the theatre was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square. The French neo-classical building was constructed by impresario Harry Frazee, better remembered as the owner of the Boston Red Sox who, needing money for his theatrical ventures, sold Babe Ruth's contract to the New York Yankees. A curse allegedly lingered on the theatre as a result, and there was a time in which superstitious producers avoided it for fear they would be backing a flop, as noted by William Goldman in his book The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway. Despite the rumor, a large number of performers who have appeared on stage here have taken home a Tony Award for their efforts.

The Longacre's first show was a production of the William Hurlbut–Frances Whitehouse comedy Are You a Crook?, which opened on May 1, 1913. With the exception of its use as a radio and television studio in the mid-1940s to early 1950s, the theatre has operated as a legitimate Broadway venue.

In 2019, Broadway’s first-known onstage wedding happened at the Longacre; it was a wedding between two women, and was also Broadway’s first-known onstage same-sex wedding.[1]

Notable productions

Box office record

The Broadway production of A Bronx Tale achieved the box office record for the Longacre Theatre in January 2017. The production grossed $1,293,151.00 over nine performances, for the week ending January 1, 2017.

References
  1. Gilchrist, Tracy E. "The Prom Makes Broadway Herstory by Ending in Actual Same-Sex Marriage". Advocate.com. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  2. Gans, Andrew (August 12, 2019). "Diana Musical, About Late Princess Diana, Will Play Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  • Parker, John, ed. (1947). Who's Who in the Theatre (10th ed.). London. p. 1184.
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