Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)

The Broadway Theatre (formerly Universal's Colony Theatre, B.S. Moss' Broadway Theatre, Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre, and Ciné Roma) is a Broadway theatre located in midtown Manhattan. It has a large seating capacity of 1,761, and unlike most Broadway theaters, it is actually located on Broadway, at number 1681.

Broadway Theatre
Universal's Colony Theatre
B.S. Moss' Broadway Theatre
Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre
Ciné Roma
The Broadway Theatre in 2019, playing King Kong
Address1681 Broadway
New York City
United States
Coordinates40.7633°N 73.9831°W / 40.7633; -73.9831
OwnerThe Shubert Organization
TypeBroadway
Capacity1,761
ProductionWest Side Story
Construction
OpenedDecember 25, 1924
Rebuilt1956
1986
ArchitectEugene De Rosa
Website
www.shubert.nyc/theatres/broadway
Entrance, showing The Color Purple
The Broadway Theatre during the run of Sister Act, ca. 2011.

Designed by architect Eugene De Rosa for Benjamin S. Moss, it opened as B.S. Moss's Colony Theatre on Christmas Day, 1924, as a venue for vaudeville shows and motion pictures. The theater has operated under many names and owners. It was renamed Universal's Colony Theatre, B.S. Moss' Broadway Theatre, and Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre before becoming a legitimate theater house simply called Broadway Theatre on December 8, 1930. In 1937, known as Ciné Roma, it showed Italian films.[1] For a short time during the 1950s it showed Cinerama films.[2]

On November 18, 1928, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released to the public, Steamboat Willie, debuted at the Colony. Producer Walt Disney returned on November 13, 1940, to debut the feature film Fantasia in Fantasound, an early stereo system.[3]

The legitimate theater opened in 1930 with The New Yorkers by Cole Porter. Stars such as Milton Berle, Alfred Drake, José Ferrer, Eartha Kitt, Vivien Leigh, Zero Mostel, and Mae West have appeared on stage.[1]

The Shubert Organization bought the theater in 1939 and renovated it extensively in 1956 and 1986. It has long been a popular theatre for producers of musicals because of large seating capacity, and the large stage, which is nearly sixty feet deep. Often plays that have become successful in smaller theaters have transferred to the Broadway Theatre.[1]

The theatre has been closed as of March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It does not plan on opening until January 3, 2021.[4]

Notable productions
Production First preview Opening date Closing date Notes
The Three Musketeers October 26, 1984 November 11, 1984 November 18, 1984
The King and I December 26, 1984 January 7, 1985 June 30, 1985
Les Misérables February 28, 1987 March 12, 1987 October 14, 1990 Moved to the Imperial Theatre three days later to run until May 18, 2003.
Miss Saigon March 23, 1991 April 11, 1991 January 28, 2001
Blast! April 5, 2001 April 17, 2001 September 23, 2001
La bohème November 29, 2002 December 8, 2002 June 29, 2003 Staged by Baz Luhrmann
Sexaholix N/A November 11, 2003 December 7, 2003
Bombay Dreams March 29, 2004 April 29, 2004 January 1, 2005
The Color Purple November 1, 2005 December 1, 2005 February 24, 2008
Shrek The Musical November 8, 2008 December 14, 2008 January 3, 2010
Promises, Promises March 27, 2010 April 25, 2010 January 2, 2011
Sister Act March 24, 2011 April 20, 2011 August 26, 2012
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella January 25, 2013 March 3, 2013 January 4, 2015
Doctor Zhivago March 27, 2015 April 21, 2015 May 10, 2015
Fiddler on the Roof November 20, 2015 December 20, 2015 December 31, 2016 Fifth Broadway revival
Miss Saigon March 1, 2017 March 23, 2017 January 14, 2018 Limited engagement; first Broadway revival
Rocktopia N/A March 20, 2018 April 29, 2018 Limited engagement
King Kong October 5, 2018 November 8, 2018 August 18, 2019
West Side Story December 10, 2019 February 20, 2020 Broadway revival
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References
  1. "The Broadway Theatre". New York TV Show Tickets Inc. 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  2. "Broadway Theater History". New York City Theater. 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  3. "Mickey Mouse debuts in sound in 1928 – Smithsonian Libraries Unbound". Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  4. Moniuszko, Sara M (June 29, 2020). "Broadway suspends performances through 2020 amid coronavirus, extends ticket refunds to 2021". Retrieved July 2, 2020.
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