Longacre Theatre facts for kids
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The Prom, 2019
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| Address | 220 West 48th Street Manhattan, New York City United States |
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| Owner | The Shubert Organization |
| Designation | Broadway theatre |
| Capacity | 1091 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1913 |
| Years active | 1913–present |
| Architect | Henry Beaumont Herts |
| Website | |
| shubert.nyc/theatres/longacre/ | |
The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre made for music and dance located at 220 West 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan.
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.
Notable productions
- 1913: Adele
- 1914: A Pair of Sixes
- 1916: Nothing But the Truth
- 1917: Leave It to Jane
- 1919: Adam and Eva
- 1921: Thank You
- 1923: Little Jessie James
- 1925: The Butter and Egg Man
- 1927: The Command to Love
- 1930: Overture
- 1930: Ritzy
- 1935: Waiting for Lefty
- 1940: Leave Her to Heaven
- 1955: The Lark
- 1961: The Rhinoceros
- 1966: Mark Twain Tonight
- 1975: The Ritz
- 1976: The Belle of Amherst
- 1977: The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel
- 1978: Ain't Misbehavin'
- 1980: Children of a Lesser God
- 1985: A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
- 1994: Medea
- 1997: The Young Man From Atlanta
- 2001: Judgment at Nuremberg; A Thousand Clowns
- 2002: Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam
- 2005: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- 2006: WELL
- 2007: Talk Radio
- 2008: Boeing Boeing
- 2009: Burn the Floor
- 2010: La Cage aux Folles
- 2011: Chinglish
- 2012: Magic/Bird; The Performers.
- 2013: First Date the Musical
- 2014: Of Mice and Men
- 2014: You Can't Take It with You
- 2015: Living on Love
- 2015: Allegiance
- 2016: A Bronx Tale
- 2018: The Prom
- 2019: The Lightning Thief
- 2020: Diana
Box office record
The Broadway production of A Bronx Tale achieved the box office record for the Longacre Theatre. The production grossed $1,293,125.32 over nine performances for the week ending January 1, 2017.
- Longacre Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database
Images for kids
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Main entrance
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The interior, seen around 1910–1915
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Illuminated sign
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Entrance
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Viewed from the west
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Side view of sign on the facade
