Come Blow Your Horn is Neil Simon 's first play, which premiered on Broadway in 1961 and had a London production in 1962 at the Prince of Wales Theatre . Simon rewrote the script more than two dozen times over several years, resulting in a hit premiere that allowed Simon to leave his full-time television writing career to write stage and film scripts.
152-507: Come Blow Your Horn opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on February 22, 1961 and closed on October 6, 1962 after 677 performances and one preview. The cast featured Hal March (Alan Baker), Arlene Golonka , Warren Berlinger (Buddy), Lou Jacobi (Mr. Baker) and Pert Kelton (Mrs. Baker). The director was Stanley Prager , with sets and lighting by Ralph Alswang. It was produced by Arthur Cantor. The play opened in
304-707: A frontage of 100 feet (30 m) on 47th Street and a depth of 100 feet. The Lena Horne shares the block with the Paramount Hotel to the south and the Hotel Edison and Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to the east. Other nearby buildings include the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre to the north; the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and Longacre Theatre to the northeast; the Richard Rodgers Theatre and Imperial Theatre to
456-476: A $ 35 million fundraising campaign for the theater. At the time, MTC had raised $ 20 million, including $ 5 million from the city government and $ 4.65 million from Biltmore 47. In addition, Biltmore 47 gave a construction loan of $ 10.35 million, for a total gift of $ 15 million. The city's share was increased to $ 6.4 million, while the MTC board gave $ 12 million. Polshek Partnership Architects restored surviving sections of
608-623: A Black theatrical personality. Accordingly, in June 2022, the Nederlanders announced that the Brooks Atkinson would be renamed for singer and actress Lena Horne . Horne's collaborative relationship with the Nederlanders included the Broadway production of Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music in 1981, for which she won a Tony and two Grammy awards. The venue became the first Broadway theater named for
760-431: A Black woman, as well as the third Broadway theater named after a Black theatrical personality. The Lena Horne's new marquee was unveiled on November 1, 2022. Productions are listed by the year of their first performance. This list only includes Broadway shows; it does not include shows taped at the theater. Waitress set a box office record for the theater in 2018, grossing $ 1,626,478 over eight performances for
912-545: A Broadway home would make their productions eligible for the Tony Awards . Duncan Hazard of Polshek Partnership, a longtime friend of MTC artistic director Lynne Meadow , was involved in the search. Hazard was watching The Iceman Cometh at the Brooks Atkinson in 1999 when he saw the Biltmore across the street during intermission. He contacted MTC director of operations Michael Moody, who had previously considered and rejected
1064-446: A Broadway theater was infeasible. In March 1996, the Nederlanders and Lane entered a contract to sell the theater to developer Joseph Moinian for $ 14.4 million. Moinian also bought five tenements on Eighth Avenue that were owned solely by the Nederlanders. The next year, Moinian announced he would build a 750-key hotel using air rights from the Biltmore and Brooks Atkinson theaters. The historic auditorium would be restored, but it
1216-480: A Secret . CBS also used the theater for shows such as Showcase , which showed actors in short clips. In 1958, Roger L. Stevens considered leasing the Mansfield Theatre from Myerberg, who still owned it. Myerberg announced in mid-1960 that the former Mansfield Theatre would be renovated and reopened as a legitimate theater. The Mansfield was renamed after Brooks Atkinson , who had then recently retired as
1368-458: A Spanish style. Since its renovation, the interior has been decorated in a cream and brown color scheme, with red and blue highlights. The rear (south) end of the orchestra contains a promenade. The orchestra is raked ; the angle of the rake was increased in the 2000s by excavating the front of the orchestra and raising the rear. The rear wall was moved forward by 20 ft (6.1 m) compared to its original position, creating space for
1520-731: A biography of Lenny Bruce that ran for 453 performances. The Negro Ensemble Company moved their off-Broadway production of The River Niger to the Brooks Atkinson in 1973, where it had 280 performances. Myerberg died in early 1974 and the Nederlanders bought his half-interest in the Brooks Atkinson's ownership. Three successful productions were featured at the theater the same year: Find Your Way Home with Michael Moriarty and Jane Alexander ; My Fat Friend with George Rose and Lynn Redgrave ; and Of Mice and Men with James Earl Jones , Kevin Conway , and Pamela Blair . The two-character comedy Same Time, Next Year opened at
1672-401: A buyer who wanted to use the valuable air rights above the theater. The Biltmore hosted Boys of Winter with Matt Dillon at the end of the year, limiting the audience to 499 seats because a 500-seat house would require negotiations with Broadway theatrical unions. In February 1986, Cogan sold the Biltmore to developer Samuel Pfeiffer for an estimated $ 5 million; Pfeiffer promised to keep
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#17330923420941824-661: A cast composed entirely of Black actors, it ultimately ran 640 performances. This was followed by numerous flops, which established the Mansfield Theatre as a "jinx house". The Chanins ultimately lost control of the Mansfield and their other theaters during the Depression. In October 1931, the Chanins relinquished their lease on the Mansfield to Irving Lewine. At the end of the year, the Group Theatre began presenting its productions at
1976-657: A five-performance run of Tennessee Williams 's The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore and solo appearances by Josephine Baker . The theater then hosted the controversial drama The Deputy , which ran for 318 performances for much of the same year. At the end of 1964, Julie Harris starred at the Brooks Atkinson in Ready When You Are, C.B.! ; followed in 1965 by a 176-performance revival of The Glass Menagerie . The Brooks Atkinson largely hosted flops for two years from November 1965 until Ustinov's Halfway Up
2128-480: A half years. Subsequently, Aren't We All? and Benefactors both opened at the Brooks Atkinson in 1985. This was followed in December 1986 by comedian Jackie Mason 's solo show The World According to Me!. Mason's show ran for two years, with a gap in early 1988 when Mason was shooting the film Caddyshack II . The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started to consider protecting
2280-403: A ladies' man. The playwright points out the fundamental spiritual and emotional emptiness of the playboy lifestyle for which the younger sibling desperately yearns. The play was made into a film in 1963, starring Frank Sinatra as Alan and Tony Bill as Buddy. Simon modeled the on-stage parents on his mother and father. Howard Taubman , in his review for The New York Times , wrote that
2432-450: A large balcony, and a coved ceiling . The balcony level contains box seats near the front of the auditorium, above which are murals. The Mansfield Theatre was developed with the Biltmore (now Samuel J. Friedman) Theatre across the street, opening on February 15, 1926. The Mansfield struggled to attract hits from its opening until 1945 when Michael Myerberg bought it. In 1950, the Mansfield
2584-554: A legitimate theater. Cogan sold the Biltmore in 1986, and it fell into disrepair after a fire in late 1987. Though the theater was sold several times afterward, including to the Nederlander Organization and Stewart F. Lane in 1993, it was not restored until MTC agreed to operate the theater in 2001. The theater reopened in 2003, and MTC took ownership of the Friedman after it was renamed in 2008. The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
2736-403: A modified Ionic style. Above the boxes are lunettes with cameo motifs, as well as archways. The spandrels above the corners of each arch have relief panels. During the renovations, lighting booms were installed in front of the boxes, and red draperies were placed behind the booms to draw attention away from the boom. Next to the false boxes is a proscenium arch. The archway is surrounded by
2888-500: A nonprofit theater company. The theater's modern configuration dates to an early-2000s renovation by Polshek Partnership . The facade is designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style with low-relief classical ornamentation. It is made of glazed white brick with white terracotta decorations. The first story of the facade is symmetrically arranged and is faced with rusticated terracotta blocks. The center of
3040-403: A potential purchase. The landmark designation required the Biltmore to operate as a legitimate Broadway house if it were renovated or if the air rights above it were used. No further progress occurred until early 1991, when the theater was placed for auction again, without its air rights; this time, Pfeiffer was obligated to take the high bid. Jay Cardwell and David Yakir went into contract to buy
3192-587: A revival of Shakespeare's As You Like It . The theater mostly hosted short runs during 1942 and 1943, and producer Michael Myerberg signed a three-year lease for the Mansfield in June 1943. The comedy Janie was staged at the Mansfield for a short period during late 1943 and early 1944. Myerberg bought the theater outright in March 1944, and Anna Lucasta , an adaptation of an American Negro Theater production, opened that August, starring Hilda Simms for 957 performances. The New York Herald Tribune said at
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#17330923420943344-488: A rope molding, and there is a cartouche above the middle of the proscenium. The spandrels above the arch's corners contain Adam-style ornamentation. The stage extends behind the proscenium. When the theater was renovated, the stage was lowered significantly to accommodate MTC's productions, which were more intimate compared to other Broadway theatrical productions. The stage lighting was designed by Fisher Dachs Associates and
3496-560: A separate door whenever he bought cheap seats in an upper balcony level. Irwin Chanin was a newcomer to the Broadway theater industry when he was developing his first theater, the 46th Street (now Richard Rodgers) . Chanin hired Herbert Krapp, an experienced architect who had designed multiple Broadway theaters for the Shubert brothers. The 46th Street Theatre opened in early 1925 as Chanin's first Broadway theater. Chanin retained Krapp to design
3648-516: A shallow domed ceiling. The basement contains MTC's gift shop and the Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Lounge, while a mezzanine level contains another lounge. There are also false box seats near the front of the auditorium, flanking the proscenium arch. The modern configuration of the theater dates to a 2000s renovation, when the auditorium was redesigned to a smaller size, allowing the addition of MTC's lounges and offices behind it. The Biltmore Theatre
3800-404: A short run of the off-Broadway show Beyond Therapy , another revival of Ghosts with John Neville and Liv Ullmann , and the comedy Steaming with Judith Ivey . In 1983, the Brooks Atkinson hosted the mountain-climbing drama K2 as well as the solo show Edmund Kean with Ben Kingsley . At the end of 1983, the Brooks Atkinson staged Noises Off , which ran for one and
3952-414: A terrazzo water table. Unlike in the auditorium section, all four stories are faced in brick. At ground level, there is a doorway and a garage opening, between which are two bricked-up window openings. A string course runs above the ground story. On each of the second through fourth floors, there are three sash windows with two-over-two panes, and a brick lintel is placed above each window. The stage house
4104-605: A transfer from Off-Broadway, premiered at the Biltmore in April 1968. Hair , starring Melba Moore and Diane Keaton , had a total run of 1,750 performances (including off-Broadway) before it closed in 1972. Relatively short runs filled the Biltmore in the 1970s and early 1980s. The play Find Your Way Home with Michael Moriarty opened in 1974. Subsequently, the theater staged Jules Feiffer 's Knock Knock with Leonard Frey and Lynn Redgrave , as well as The Robber Bridegroom with Barry Bostwick , in 1976. The next year,
4256-533: A transfer of a West End revival of The Iceman Cometh , featuring Kevin Spacey . In early 2000, the theater hosted the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Uncle Vanya . From July to September of that year, Sachs Morgan Studio renovated the theater for $ 2.2 million. The original chandelier was retrieved from storage and reinstalled; the murals, lobbies, and restrooms were refurbished; and
4408-421: Is a three-centered proscenium arch next to the boxes. The archway is surrounded by a molded band with anthemia , egg-and-dart, and rope motifs. The spandrels , above the corners of the proscenium arch, contain Adam-style sphinx motifs. There are fluted pilasters with gilded Corinthian capitals along either side of the arch. Above these pilasters is a frieze containing motifs of arches with fans. A beam separates
4560-450: Is an aisle through the center of the orchestra; it had to be retained during the renovation, despite MTC's desire for center seats with unobstructed views. The orchestra's rear and side walls are curved and are covered in paneled wainscoting. The center of the orchestra's rear wall contains doors that connect with the lobby. Fire exit doors at either end lead to alleys. Staircases to the balcony are placed within doorways on either side of
4712-406: Is designed in a Spanish style and originally had a seating capacity of 1,125. The interior design scheme was overseen by Roman Meltzer , who was the architect for Russian emperor Nicholas II . The rear (east) end of the orchestra contains a promenade with paneled walls and a molded cornice. The orchestra is raked , sloping down toward the stage. There are two columns between the orchestra and
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4864-587: Is on 261 West 47th Street , on the north sidewalk between Eighth Avenue and Broadway , near Times Square in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City . The trapezoidal land lot covers 8,800 sq ft (820 m ), with a frontage of 75 ft (23 m) on 47th Street and a depth of 126 ft (38 m). The Friedman shares the block with the Ethel Barrymore Theatre , Longacre Theatre , and Morgan Stanley Building to
5016-416: Is raked, with a large central seating area and two smaller sections on the sides. There are decorative iron railings surrounding the staircases from the orchestra to the balcony. A technical booth was installed on the rear wall, and lighting sconces were originally placed on the walls. Before its renovation, the balcony level was divided into front and rear sections by an aisle halfway across its depth. In
5168-490: Is topped by a cornice and a parapet. The auditorium has an orchestra level, one balcony, boxes , and a stage behind the proscenium arch. The auditorium space is designed with plaster decorations in low relief . According to the Nederlander Organization, the auditorium has 1,069 seats; meanwhile, The Broadway League cites a capacity of 1,094 seats and Playbill cites 1,045 seats. The Lena Horne Theatre
5320-515: The Jean Anouilh play Peacock ran just two performances that April. The Columbia Broadcasting System ( CBS ) leased the Mansfield in August 1950 for five years, paying a very favorable annual rental of between $ 85,000 and $ 100,000. Ultimately, CBS used the theater for ten years. Known as CBS Studio 59, the theater was used to broadcast the long-running panel shows What's My Line? and I've Got
5472-528: The Roundabout Theatre Company 's version of She Loves Me in 1993. The theater had two flops in the mid-1990s: Donald Margulies 's What’s Wrong With This Picture? , which ran for 12 performances in 1994, and Budd Schulberg and Stan Silverman's On the Waterfront , which had just eight performances in 1995. The Steppenwolf Theatre Company 's production of Buried Child was produced at
5624-512: The Shubert brothers , one of the major theatrical syndicates of the time. The Chanin brothers developed another grouping of theaters in the mid-1920s. Though the Chanins largely specialized in real estate rather than theaters, Irwin Chanin had become interested in theater when he was an impoverished student at the Cooper Union . He subsequently recalled that he had been "humiliated" by having to use
5776-798: The Shuberts , and Jujamcyn collectively sued the LPC in June 1988 to overturn the landmark designations of 22 theaters, including the Brooks Atkinson, on the merit that the designations severely limited the extent to which the theaters could be modified. The lawsuit was escalated to the New York Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States , but these designations were ultimately upheld in 1992. The Brooks Atkinson staged Cafe Crown with Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach in 1989. The same year,
5928-834: The West End in 1962 at the Prince of Wales Theatre , starring Michael Crawford as Buddy, Bob Monkhouse and David Kossoff . The following year the play was the first production to take place at the Wayside Theatre . The play was revived at the Jewish Repertory Theater, New York City, running in December 1987. In June 2005, Jacob Murray directed a production at the Royal Exchange, Manchester with Jamie Glover as Alan Baker, Andrew Langtree as Buddy Baker, Malcolm Rennie as Mr Baker and Amanda Boxer as Mrs Baker. The play tells
6080-406: The stage house , is four stories high and contains a brick facade. The third story of the auditorium is on an intermediate level between the third and fourth stories of the stage house. The first story of the auditorium's facade is symmetrically arranged. There is a water table made of terrazzo , above which are rusticated terracotta blocks made in ashlar . Several openings are placed within
6232-587: The 2000s renovation. Beyond the passageway are secondary spaces. This level includes a private lounge for MTC subscribers. There is another mezzanine above the balcony level, but it does not have any historical decorative elements. It contains another private lounge. Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and the Great Depression . During the 1900s and 1910s, many theaters in Midtown Manhattan were developed by
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6384-550: The 2000s, the balcony was rebuilt on a corrugated steel-framed deck atop a concrete slab. The modern balcony has vomitories on either side, which lead down to a vaulted passageway. The side walls of the balcony have pairs of engaged pilasters, above which is a wide frieze containing panels with shields. In front of the balcony are medallions with golden silhouettes, as well as panels. The balcony has low-relief plasterwork panels on its underside, which originally had medallions with small overhanging chandeliers. On either side of
6536-556: The 2008–2009 season commenced. The theater was renamed at a dedication ceremony held on September 4, 2008, and MTC officially acquired the Friedman the next month. The first production at the renamed theater was To Be or Not to Be . MTC continued its tradition of scheduling three plays a season at the Friedman. The theater closed on March 12, 2020 , due to the COVID-19 pandemic . It reopened on September 14, 2021, with previews of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's Lackawanna Blues . The theater
6688-446: The 21st century, such as the musical Waitress and Six . On November 1, 2022, the theater was renamed after singer-actress and civil-rights activist Lena Horne . The Lena Horne Theatre is at 258 West 47th Street , on the south sidewalk between Eighth Avenue and Broadway , near Times Square in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City . The square land lot covers 10,050 square feet (934 m ), with
6840-574: The Beatles and Relatively Speaking in 2011; Peter and the Starcatcher in 2012; Hands on a Hardbody and After Midnight in 2013; and Love Letters in 2014. As part of a settlement with the United States Department of Justice in 2014, the Nederlanders agreed to improve disabled access at their nine Broadway theaters, including the Brooks Atkinson. The Brooks Atkinson hosted
6992-586: The Biltmore (which included Reckless , Brooklyn Boy , and After the Night and the Music ) was more successful. During each subsequent season, MTC hosted three plays at the Biltmore. In June 2008, the Dr. Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman Foundation made a large donation to the MTC, though the amount of the donation was not disclosed. Subsequently, MTC announced it would rename the Biltmore in honor of Samuel J. Friedman before
7144-534: The Biltmore Theatre, was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the neo-Renaissance style and was constructed in 1925 for the Chanin brothers. Since 2008, the theater has been named for Samuel J. Friedman (1912–1974), a press agent; his children made a large donation to the theater through the Dr. Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman Foundation. The Friedman is operated by the Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC),
7296-495: The Biltmore and Mansfield theaters on 47th Street, which at the time was a largely residential street. Chanin purchased the lots at 261–265 West 47th Street, in November 1924 for $ 250,000. After Chanin acquired the property title to the two theater sites on 47th Street in March 1925, Krapp filed plans for the Biltmore the same month. Krapp designed the facade of the Biltmore in a more ornate manner than his previous commissions for
7448-436: The Biltmore as an official city landmark in 1982, with discussions continuing over the next several years. When the first theaters were designated as landmarks in mid-1985, Cogan placed the Biltmore for sale and considered demolishing it. Cogan had paid $ 250,000 to maintain the theater during the dark 1984–1985 season, a significant financial burden for him since the Biltmore was his only Broadway theater. Cogan quickly secured
7600-550: The Biltmore held solo appearances from Lily Tomlin in Appearing Nitely , as well as a short-lived revival of Hair . The Biltmore also staged The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds with Shelley Winters and The Kingfisher with Claudette Colbert, Rex Harrison , and George Rose in 1978. Peter Allen 's show Up in One opened at the Biltmore in 1979. The Nederlander Organization negotiated to lease
7752-582: The Biltmore hosted The Barker with Huston and Claudette Colbert , as well as the comedy Jimmie's Women and the Noël Coward play The Marquise . S. H. Stone purchased the Biltmore Theatre for $ 2.4 million in November 1927, leasing it back to the Chanins for 21 years. Numerous flops were shown at the Biltmore in 1928, including Tin Pan Alley with Colbert, which had 77 performances. The same year saw Mae West 's Pleasure Man , which closed after
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#17330923420947904-400: The Biltmore was What a Life , which opened in 1938 and lasted for 538 performances. This was followed in 1939 by Abbott's farce The Primrose Path for 166 performances, as well as See My Lawyer with Milton Berle for 224 performances. By contrast, Ayn Rand 's The Unconquered ran for only six performances in 1940, and A. J. Cronin 's Jupiter Laughs saw 24 performances
8056-485: The Biltmore, but reconsidered after Hazard requested the architectural drawings for the theater. In late 2000, MTC proposed taking over the Biltmore and restoring it. Biltmore 47 Associates (a consortium headed by the Jack Parker Corporation), which was planning a neighboring apartment building at Eighth Avenue and 47th Street, had planned to renovate the theater and restore it to legitimate use. In exchange,
8208-406: The Brooks Atkinson as a landmark in 1982, with discussions continuing over the next several years. The LPC designated the Brooks Atkinson's facade and interior as landmarks on November 4, 1987. This was part of the commission's wide-ranging effort in 1987 to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters. The New York City Board of Estimate ratified the designations in March 1988. The Nederlanders,
8360-446: The Brooks Atkinson in 1975. The theater celebrated its 50th anniversary in December 1976, ten months after the actual anniversary, because no one had noticed the date beforehand. Same Time, Next Year transferred to another theater in May 1978 and ultimately ran for over 1,400 total performances. The Brooks Atkinson then hosted the play Tribute with Jack Lemmon in 1978, as well as
8512-407: The Brooks Atkinson in 1996, as was the play Taking Sides with Daniel Massey and Ed Harris . The musical Play On! was hosted in 1997, followed the same year by the musical show Street Corner Symphony . The theatrical adaptation of Wait Until Dark , which featured film actress Marisa Tomei in her Broadway debut, ran for 97 performances in 1998. The next year, the theater hosted
8664-475: The LPC. By February 1988, Pfeiffer had placed the Biltmore for sale through auctioneer Properties at Auction at a starting price of $ 4 million. Morris Gluck bought the theater that month for $ 5.35 million, and the New York City Board of Estimate ratified the landmark designation that March. The Biltmore continued to deteriorate, and the LPC was unable to contact Pfeiffer about the issue; he remained
8816-518: The Mansfield for two years and reinstalled the furnishings. The Mansfield reopened in December 1932 with the Shuffle Along of 1933, which closed after just 17 performances. In June 1933, the theater was leased to the syndicate Players League Inc. for 19 months. The theater did not have any particularly distinguished shows in 1933 or 1934, but George Abbott directed the moderately successful comedy Page Miss Glory in late 1934. The next year,
8968-473: The Mansfield had a transfer of Moon Over Mulberry Street , as well as a run of On Stage with Osgood Perkins . This was followed in 1937 by Antony and Cleopatra featuring Tallulah Bankhead , as well as Behind Red Lights , which ran for 176 performances. In 1938, the Shuberts proposed leasing the Mansfield at $ 14,000 a year, an extremely favorable rate compared to other theaters; they ultimately took
9120-568: The Mansfield in February and March 1948, followed in April by the Billie Holiday Revue . The Mansfield's final productions of the decade included Red Gloves in 1948 and Lend an Ear in 1949. DuMont Television Network considered leasing the Mansfield during the 1949 season, but the Shuberts operated the theater instead when DuMont decided against using it. The Mansfield hosted All You Need Is One Good Break in February 1950, and
9272-588: The Mansfield the next month, running for several hundred performances across numerous theaters. This was followed by a revival of Eugene O'Neill 's Beyond the Horizon . At the end of the year, the Mansfield staged three Hebrew-language plays performed by the Habima Players of Moscow, including The Dybbuk . A revival of the Henrik Ibsen play Ghosts , with Minnie Maddern Fiske , had 24 performances at
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#17330923420949424-509: The Mansfield, first staging 1931- and then The House of Connelly . The Mansfield did not host any productions from March to December 1932. The Mutual Life Insurance Company subsequently foreclosed on the theater, and it was purchased by Nyamco Associates Inc. in October 1932 for $ 354,000. In the foreclosure process, all the theater's furnishings were removed. The same month as Nyamco's acquisition, Ray K. Bartlett and Edgar Allen took over
9576-484: The Park opened in October 1963, with Ashley and Robert Redford co-starring. Barefoot in the Park ran for about 1,530 performances before its closing in 1967, and it subsequently was adapted into film, becoming associated with the theater. This was followed by several short runs, including The Ninety Day Mistress in December 1967, as well as Staircase and Loot in early 1968. The rock musical Hair ,
9728-413: The Shuberts. Irwin Chanin, who built the theater with his brother Henry, wished to lure visitors with architecture because they did not have the booking chain or an established reputation in the theatrical industry. The Biltmore was the first theater on 47th Street's northern sidewalk. The Biltmore opened on December 7, 1925, with the play Easy Come Easy Go , which transferred from another theater. It
9880-778: The Tree opened in 1967. To combat the theater's unprofitability, the Nederlander Organization bought a half-interest in the Brooks Atkinson in May 1967. The next year, the Brooks Atkinson hosted Peter Nichols 's A Day in the Death of Joe Egg , followed by Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna 's Lovers and Other Strangers . Subsequently, Dustin Hoffman appeared in Jimmy Shine during late 1968 and early 1969. The Brooks Atkinson did not see another hit until 1971, when Cliff Gorman starred in Lenny ,
10032-584: The Truth , and Two for the Money . The producer David Cogan acquired the Biltmore in August 1960 for $ 850,000. Cogan announced the next year that he would return the Biltmore to legitimate use and that he would expand the theater from 979 to 1,120 seats. The first production at the revived Biltmore Theatre was Take Her, She's Mine , which opened in December 1961 and starred Art Carney and Elizabeth Ashley for 404 performances. The Neil Simon comedy Barefoot in
10184-525: The aisles and the seats are designed with hard backs. On average, the new seats are 20 to 22 in (510 to 560 mm) wide and have 32 in (810 mm) of legroom. The Friedman and Rodgers were the Chanins' only two Broadway theaters that Krapp designed in the Adam style . His other four theaters for the family (the Brooks Atkinson , Majestic , John Golden , and Bernard B. Jacobs ) were designed in
10336-428: The appearance of being owned by somebody who is not interested in running it as anything except into the ground". After Gluck went into default on the down payment for the theater, Properties for Auction sued him. The theater was placed for auction again in March 1989, but Pfeiffer did not agree to sell at the high bid of $ 5.25 million. Several developers and theatrical operators started negotiating with Pfeiffer for
10488-402: The balcony lead down to a vaulted passageway, which is on an intermediate level between the orchestra and balcony. The passageway is also accessible from the stairs at the rear of the auditorium. The walls of the passageway have wooden baseboards and moldings, above which are plaster walls with moldings. The ceiling of the passageway has plaster vaults. The modern design of the vaults dates to
10640-495: The beginning of 1927. The theater hosted short-lived plays for the rest of that year. That April, the Mansfield was sold to Irving Lewine, who leased the theater back to the Chanins for 63 years. In August 1927, Charles L. Wagner arranged to operate the Mansfield for a year. Just before Wagner was scheduled to assume operation that October, Lew Fields took over the lease and Wagner's shows were relocated to another theater. Fields planned to stage at least four shows and rename
10792-453: The border of the dome and an Adam-style centerpiece. During the theater's renovation, four openings were drilled into the dome, and a catwalk for the stage lights was placed above the ceiling. The installation of the catwalk and the dome's openings removed the need for a large lighting structure in front of the proscenium. The rest of the ceiling has molded bands that divide the surface into paneled sections. An Adam-style cornice runs along
10944-424: The boxes are curved outward and contain shields and foliate decorations. Twisting colonettes run beside each arch, while egg-and-dart moldings run along the tops of the arches. The arches are separated by fluted pilasters with Corinthian capitals, above which is a molding. At the tops of the boxes are murals that show commedia dell'arte and muses. These murals were painted by A. Battisti and G. Troombul. There
11096-463: The cast was arrested for "indecency" on opening night. Seven more flops followed in 1929. One of the first new productions of the 1930s was Edwin Justus Mayer 's Children of Darkness , which ran for 79 performances in 1930. Another relatively long production during this time was George Kelly 's Philip Goes Forth , with 98 performances in 1931. In general, most productions at the Biltmore in
11248-430: The ceiling into arch- and lozenge-shaped panels. Near the side walls, the moldings contain cartouches with foliate designs, from which are suspended four chandeliers. Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and the Great Depression . During the 1900s and 1910s, many theaters in Midtown Manhattan were developed by the Shubert brothers , one of the major theatrical syndicates of
11400-464: The ceiling into front and rear sections. The beam is decorated with a frieze containing arch-and-fan motifs (similar to the frieze above the proscenium). The front section is a coved ceiling , surrounded by a frieze with an arch-and-fan motif. Moldings divide the cove into sections, which are decorated with urns and foliate designs. A crystal chandelier hangs from the center of the cove. The rear section contains molded bands with bead motifs, which divide
11552-459: The comedy Bedroom Farce and the drama Teibele and Her Demon in 1979. The off-Broadway play Talley's Folly moved to the Brooks Atkinson in 1980. This was followed by four short runs: Tricks of the Trade and Mixed Couples in 1980, as well as Lolita and Wally's Cafe in 1981. The Dresser opened later in 1981 and ultimately ran 200 performances. This was followed in 1982 by
11704-430: The comedy It Shoulda Been You in 2015, as well as Deaf West Theatre 's production of the musical Spring Awakening the same year. Subsequently, the musical Waitress opened in 2016, with Sara Bareilles and Jason Mraz both performing in the show before it closed on January 5, 2020. Waitress became the Brooks Atkinson's longest-running production in 2019, and it ran through early 2020. The musical Six
11856-460: The comedy Clutterbuck in 1949, one of the first Broadway shows produced by David Merrick . Billy Budd , which ran for 105 performances in 1951, was among the last legitimate productions played during the Biltmore's initial Broadway run. In October 1951, the Warner Bros. and Abbott sold the Biltmore Theatre to Irving Maidman as an investment. At the time of the sale, Abbott's The Number
12008-518: The contract. That December, the court ruled in Lane and the Nederlanders' favor. The Nederlanders and Lane indicated their intent to restore the theater while developing the Eighth Avenue site as an apartment complex. The Manhattan Theatre Club had become one of New York City's most successful nonprofit theatrical companies in the 1990s. The club had been seeking a Broadway venue since the early 1990s, as
12160-509: The contractors poured a concrete slab across the new basement level. The basement contains a patrons' lounge, known as the Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Lounge. The lounge is named for Peter J. Solomon , chairman of MTC's board from 1997 to 2010, as well as his wife Susan. The basement also contains the Manhattan Theatre Club's gift shop and restrooms, as well as MTC offices and staff spaces. The vomitories on either side of
12312-502: The development team could increase their apartment building's floor area ratio by 20 percent. The deal required approval from the New York City Department of City Planning . MTC development director Andrew Hamingson recalled that the mechanical room was flooded in three feet of standing water. Many neighborhood residents supported MTC's renovation but opposed the proposed apartments, upon which Biltmore 47 agreed to reduce
12464-564: The dramas Jumpers and Democracy in 2004, as well as limited runs of the solo shows Mark Twain Tonight! and The Blonde in the Thunderbird in 2005. A revival of The Odd Couple opened at the Brooks Atkinson in late 2005, followed by the dance musical The Times They Are a-Changin' in 2006 and a revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten in 2007. The rock-and-roll musical Grease
12616-479: The early 1930s were unsuccessful. Among the short-lived works during this time were Her Supporting Cast in 1931; Zombie , Border-land , and Carry Nation in 1932; and The Scorpion in 1933. The Continental Bank and Trust Company sued in 1932 to foreclose on a $ 550,000 mortgage on the theater, held by the Chanins. Big Hearted Herbert , which opened on New Year's Day 1934, was the theater's next hit, with 154 performances. The First Legion later that year
12768-419: The east, designed with yellow-beige brick and terracotta . The ground floor, which contains the theater's entrance, is shielded by a marquee . Above is a set of Palladian windows on the second story, as well as rectangular sash windows with lunettes on the third story. The facade is topped by an entablature and a sloping tiled roof. The auditorium contains ornamental plasterwork, a sloped orchestra level,
12920-612: The east. Other nearby buildings include the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and Walter Kerr Theatre to the north; Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan to the northeast; the Hotel Edison and Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to the southeast; the Lena Horne (formerly Brooks Atkinson) Theatre and Paramount Hotel to the south; and the off-Broadway 47th Street Theatre to the west. The Friedman Theatre's site had previously contained three five-story apartment buildings. The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, originally
13072-413: The first story contains the main entrance to the theater, with glass-and-metal doors connecting with the box office lobby. Sign boards are placed on either side of the main entrance, and a frieze runs above the first story. A metal marquee , installed during the theater's 2000s renovation, hangs above the entrance. The marquee contains the letters "Samuel J. Friedman Theatre", which were installed when
13224-423: The first story. The easternmost opening contains recessed metal doors with sign boards. At the center are five metal double doors connecting with the box office lobby. The westernmost opening consists of a metal stage door. Sign boards are placed on the wall to the left (east) of the center openings, as well as on two of the double doors to the right (west) of center. A marquee hangs over the five center doorways and
13376-426: The floor. The stage and thirty seats were damaged. While someone identifying themselves as the theater's building manager said they would restore the theater, the LPC was unable to contact Pfeiffer about the fire. Broadway theatrical unions had classified the Biltmore as "endangered" because it was consistently underused. Due to the theater's interior-landmark status, it could not be modified without permission from
13528-418: The immediate adjacent sign boards. On the upper stories, the auditorium is arranged into three sections from left to right. The auditorium's outermost openings, on the second and third stories, have a single six-over-six sash window on either story. Lunettes with rosettes are placed above each of these windows. These windows are surrounded by a brick band, which is laid in a pattern resembling an arch. At
13680-408: The lobby behind it. Prior to the renovation, the front doors opened directly into the orchestra, and there was no lobby. This was in part because the original seating capacity was small compared to other Broadway theaters, making the Biltmore relatively unprofitable and prompting subsequent owners to extend the orchestra seating backward. The modern orchestra is several steps up from the lobby. There
13832-434: The lobby doors. The outside edges of the staircases contain plaster walls with rectangular panels, which are delineated by molded bands; the walls contain iron brackets with wooden handrails. The inside edges of the staircases have iron balustrades with wooden railings, as well as ornamented newel posts. The two staircases were rebuilt during the 2000s renovation, since they were necessary to reduce congestion. The balcony
13984-601: The mortgage. The Nederlander Organization and Stewart F. Lane acquired the Biltmore in July 1993 as part of an 140 ft-long (43 m) assemblage between 47th and 48th Streets. The new owners sought a low-interest loan from the New York state government, following a similar incentive for Disney 's New Amsterdam Theatre . The abandoned Biltmore had holes in the ceiling, through which rainfall leaked, and it suffered from vandalism. LPC chairwoman Jennifer Raab specifically cited
14136-508: The music for Chee-Chee , which was much less popular than Present Arms . At the end of the year, Lew Fields starred in Hello, Daddy , which was produced by his children Dorothy and Herbert Fields ; it had 198 performances. The theater reverted to its original name in March 1929 with the opening of the flop Indiscretion . The next success at the Mansfield was Marc Connelly 's The Green Pastures , which opened in February 1930. With
14288-561: The mystery play Whodunnit and the musical Doonesbury were staged in 1983. Barbara Rush appeared in the solo A Woman of Independent Means in 1984, but that production closed after only 13 performances. The theater stayed dark for an entire season; at the time, the Broadway industry as a whole was struggling to attract shows. The Nederlander Organization, which had paid $ 250,000 in rent per year, declined to renew its lease in August 1984. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started considering protecting
14440-404: The original theater and EverGreene Architectural Arts restored plasterwork and reconstructed missing parts. EverGreene hired 18 plasterers to replace 70 percent of the plasterwork, including 6,000 ft (1,800 m) of moldings and 2,500 sq ft (230 m ) of ornamentation. In addition, John Civetta was hired to excavate the basement lounge, and Severud Associates was hired as
14592-422: The other two contain six-over-six sash windows. All three window openings have a lunette with rosette above them. Between the window openings are medallions that depict lyres. A sign with the name "Brooks Atkinson" projects from the western side of the third floor. Brackets run above the third floor, supporting a cornice and a Spanish tile roof. The Lena Horne Theatre's stage house is much simpler in design, with
14744-399: The outer sections of the windows are bordered by pilasters with Corinthian -style capitals . The center opening is an open-air loggia , behind which is a fire stair with an iron railing. The other two Palladian openings contain sash windows. At the third story, there are three openings, surrounded by twisting moldings and a terracotta frame. The center opening is a ventilation grate while
14896-516: The owner of record because Gluck had not fulfilled several terms of the sale. In August 1988, after two men walked through the smashed front doors to steal chandeliers, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) declared the theater to be unsafe. Subsequently, Pfeiffer obtained a court order preventing the DOB from sealing the theater. Jack Goldstein of nonprofit group Save the Theaters said: "It gives
15048-525: The play was "smoothly plotted and deftly written...Mr. Simon has served up a multitude of sprightly lines. Best of all, he has provided some explosively hilarious moments rooted in character." Brooks Atkinson Theatre The Lena Horne Theatre (previously the Mansfield Theatre and the Brooks Atkinson Theatre ) is a Broadway theater at 256 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City . Opened in 1926, it
15200-464: The promenade, between which is a decorative railing. Two staircases, with decorative metal railings, lead from either end of the promenade to the balcony level. The orchestra's north (right) wall has doors from the lobby, while the south (left) and rear walls contain exit doors. There are foliate swag motifs on either side of the exit signs above the doors. The orchestra's side walls contain decorative panels. Bronze lighting sconces are placed along
15352-411: The proscenium is a curved wall section with three arches, each of which corresponds to a box at balcony level. The wall section is flanked by fluted pilasters with Corinthian-style gilded capitals. At orchestra level, the wall sections contain a false rusticated wall with three rectangular openings. The undersides of the boxes contain crystal light fixtures similar to those on the balcony. The fronts of
15504-576: The proscenium is a wall section with a false box. At orchestra level, the wall sections on each side are paneled and contain doorways. The modern walls contain paneling in front of the original cast stone; the left-hand doorway leads to the dressing room. Console brackets support the false boxes at balcony level, which contain rectangular openings with triangular Adam-style pediments above them. The box openings are surrounded by panels with motifs of musical instruments. On either side of each box opening are fluted pilasters and columns, topped by capitals in
15656-477: The public because the federal government issued a censorship order prohibiting the impersonation of heads of state onstage. The second Living Newspaper production was Triple-A Plowed Under , which opened in March 1936. Other WPA productions included the Living Newspaper's 1935 in May 1936 and Injunction Granted in July, as well as the marionette show Stars on Strings in June. In October 1936,
15808-457: The roof slab. The auditorium has an orchestra level, one balcony, and a stage behind the proscenium arch; there are false boxes flanking the stage. In contrast to Krapp's earlier works, the auditorium is shaped like a horseshoe in plan and is oriented on a slightly diagonal axis relative to its site. The space is designed with plaster decorations in relief . The Friedman is one of the smaller Broadway theaters. The Broadway League cites
15960-551: The same year. Ruth McKenney 's My Sister Eileen , featuring Shirley Booth , opened at the end of 1940 and transferred to another theater in 1942. At the end of that year, the Biltmore also hosted the final performances of the long-running comedy Janie . F. Hugh Herbert 's Kiss and Tell , featuring Joan Caulfield , opened at the Biltmore in March 1943 and ran there for two years before transferring. The Biltmore then hosted Thomas Job's adaptation of Émile Zola 's Therese in 1945, which ran for 96 performances. This
16112-466: The seats, carpets, and drapes were replaced. The Brooks Atkinson reopened in December 2000 with the musical Jane Eyre , which closed after a short run. A late-2001 revival of Noises Off , two decades after the original production, ran for 348 performances. Next to be shown was a limited run of the tragedy Medea in 2002, as well as the revue The Look of Love and Jackie Mason's short-lived Laughing Room Only . The Brooks Atkinson hosted
16264-435: The size of its building from 61 to 55 stories. The neighboring apartment complex, also known as the Biltmore, was ultimately built as a 51-story structure; the developers had been allowed to build 18 additional stories in exchange for the theater's renovation. Initially, MTC predicted that the renovation would cost $ 18 million, but the costs rose to $ 27 million after additional damage was discovered. Before work started on
16416-402: The south; and the off-Broadway 47th Street Theatre to the west. The Lena Horne Theatre, originally the Mansfield Theatre, was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in a modern Spanish style and was constructed in 1926 for the Chanin brothers. The theater was originally named for British actor Richard Mansfield (1857–1907). From 1960 to 2022, it was named for Brooks Atkinson (1894–1984), who
16568-563: The story of a young man's decision to leave the home of his parents for the bachelor pad of his older brother who leads a swinging '60s lifestyle. Buddy is a 21-year-old virgin and his older brother Alan is a ladies' man. Alan lives in an apartment in the East Sixties, New York City. As the play progresses, Alan discovers feelings for one of the many women with whom he is sleeping, and when she leaves him, he falls apart. This juxtaposes Alan's hunger for companionship with Buddy's metamorphosis into
16720-458: The structural engineer. The theater's steel frame was reinforced, and contractors installed seismographs on the walls to monitor whether the excavations were causing damage. The orchestra, balcony, and stairs were reconstructed, with decorative elements being rebuilt to their original designs due to the interior-landmark status. The facade, which was not landmarked, received a new canopy and glass doors. Barbara Spandorf of Fisher Dachs Associates
16872-436: The theater as an example of "demolition by neglect". The Nederlanders and Lane also held talks with theatrical stage unions to determine the theater's future use. By early 1996, the theater's owners indicated that these discussions were unsuccessful and that the Biltmore might instead be converted for non-theatrical use. At one point, Lane considered leasing the theater to a delicatessen owner after concluding that restoration as
17024-428: The theater as having a capacity of 650 seats, while Playbill cites 637 seats. The first two rows of the orchestra can be removed to provide as few as 600 seats for small productions. Prior to a renovation in 2001, the theater had 948 seats. The entire theater is wheelchair-accessible via an elevator at the rear of the auditorium. Because MTC sought to have non-amplified sound, the auditorium has carpets only in
17176-405: The theater for $ 4 million later that year. Cardwell estimated that a restoration would cost $ 5–8 million, at which point the theater had falling plaster, charred seats, and water-damaged walls. By February 1992, the sale had not been finalized, but Pfeiffer's $ 2.25 million mortgage for the theater was in default. Manufacturers and Traders Trust took ownership of the Biltmore after foreclosing on
17328-608: The theater for a year and renovated it. The theater then hosted a transfer of the long-running What a Life in 1939, as well as the Group Theatre's Thunder Rock featuring Lee J. Cobb and Frances Farmer . In 1940, the Mansfield hosted a revival of Juno and the Paycock , a transfer of the long-running comedy Separate Rooms , and the popular revue Meet the People . The theater staged In Time to Come in 1941, as well as
17480-485: The theater for himself. The beginning of 1928 saw short runs of the plays Mongolia and Atlas and Eva . The first Fields production at the Mansfield was the Rodgers and Hart musical Present Arms in April 1928, which ran for 147 performances. The theater's sign was changed to display the name "Lew Fields Theatre", though programs referred to the house as "Lew Fields's Mansfield Theatre". Rodgers and Hart also wrote
17632-476: The theater had limited appearances by musicians Victor Borge , Peter, Paul and Mary , and Stephanie Mills . This was followed in 1990 by a two-month-long run of The Cemetery Club and an adaptation of William Nicholson 's Shadowlands with Jane Alexander and Nigel Hawthorne . The Brooks Atkinson hosted Death and the Maiden with Glenn Close , Richard Dreyfuss , and Gene Hackman in 1992, then
17784-419: The theater in 1980, ultimately taking it for five years. The same year, the Biltmore hosted Nuts with Anne Twomey and a revival of The American Clock . In 1981, the theater hosted To Grandmother's House We Go with Eva Le Gallienne , as well as A Talent for Murder with Colbert and Jean-Pierre Aumont . The long-running thriller Deathtrap transferred to the Biltmore in 1982, and
17936-468: The theater opened with the melodrama The Night Duel . Generally, the Mansfield's early productions were flops . The Night Duel lasted for 17 performances before closing, and three similarly short-lived shows followed. The theater's first moderate success was If I Was Rich with Joe Laurie Jr. , which opened in September 1926 and had 92 performances. The Ladder with Antoinette Perry opened at
18088-492: The theater operational for at least six months. The theater's last productions of the 20th century were the Black vaudeville Honky Tonk , in 1986, and the revue Stardust , featuring Mitchell Parish 's songs in early 1987. Honky Tonk and Stardust also limited their audiences to 499 seats. The LPC designated the Biltmore's interior as a landmark on November 10, 1987, but the exterior did not receive landmark status. This
18240-519: The theater was renamed in 2008. There are enclosed alleys on either side of the theater. The facade's upper stories are divided into three vertical bays , separated by four fluted terracotta pilasters with composite -style capitals . The central bay contains four windows at the second story, while the outer stories each contain one window. All of the second-story windows are six-over-six double hung windows , placed within terracotta surrounds. Above these windows, there are rectangular brick panels at
18392-440: The theater was sold to a client of Arthur A. Hershkowitz for $ 150,000. The buyer was subsequently revealed as film distributor Warner Bros. , who used the theater to show George Abbott 's works. The first of these was Brother Rat , which opened in December 1936 and was the theater's first major success, with 575 performances. Two subsequent Abbott plays, Brown Sugar and All That Glitters , were flops. The next hit at
18544-443: The theater, Hazard designed a foam model of his proposed modifications and sent it to Meadow, who approved the plans immediately. The plans called for making the theater smaller and more intimate by relocating the rear wall, which would also provide a "tower" for MTC functions behind the auditorium. To make space for MTC's club facilities, Hazard suggested excavating a basement. The renovation started in December 2001, when MTC launched
18696-527: The theatrical critic for The New York Times . The Brooks Atkinson would be the first Broadway theater to be named for a theatre critic, as well as the second named for a newspaper writer, beside the Mark Hellinger Theatre . The theater was renamed at a ceremony on September 7, 1960. The first production at the Brooks Atkinson was David Merrick 's Vintage ' 60 , which opened on September 12, 1960, and lasted just eight performances. This
18848-453: The third and fourth stories, with terracotta floral decorations at each corner. A lighted sign with the theater's name is placed in front of the central bay's panel. The outer bays are topped by short, rectangular terracotta panels, which contain cartouches with molded wreaths . Similar rectangular terracotta panels are placed above the center bay. These are surrounded by bands of stretcher brick. The pilasters support an entablature near
19000-550: The time that all-Black casts had performed the only two "outstanding hits" in the Mansfield's two-decade history: Anna Lucasta and The Green Pastures . The Mansfield's next hit was Ruth Gordon 's Years Ago , which opened in 1946 which ran for 206 performances. For the most part, the Mansfield hosted short runs during 1947. A revival of the musical The Cradle Will Rock opened at the end of that year and ran for two weeks. The Dublin Gate Theatre performed three shows at
19152-449: The time was a largely residential street. Irwin Chanin, who built the theater with his brother Henry, acquired the property title to the two theater sites on 47th Street in March 1925. Though the Biltmore was completed that December, the Mansfield was not finished until early the following year. On February 15, 1926, prior to the theater's opening, a luncheon was hosted in honor of Mansfield's widow Beatrice Cameron . Later that night,
19304-434: The time. The Chanin brothers developed another grouping of theaters in the mid-1920s. Though the Chanins largely specialized in real estate rather than theaters, Irwin Chanin had become interested in theater when he was an impoverished student at the Cooper Union . He subsequently recalled that he had been "humiliated" by having to use a separate door whenever he bought cheap seats in an upper balcony level. Irwin Chanin
19456-450: The top of the facade. The entablature contains a frieze with molded rosettes above each pilaster, interspersed with wave moldings above the bays. The frieze is topped by a cornice with modillions and dentils . Above the cornice, the center bay has a brick parapet while the other bays have blind balustrades . During the theater's 2000s renovation, the roof was rebuilt with a steel frame, and HVAC and electrical systems were placed on
19608-432: The top of this arch is a molding with corbels , as well as a brick panel with bond work in a basket-weave pattern. Above this are terracotta friezes with fleur-de-lis and rosette patterns, topped by a brick parapet. The central section contains three Palladian window frames at the second floor, with bracket-shaped keystones above each window. Twisting colonettes divide the openings in each Palladian frame, while
19760-422: The upper panels and plain decorations in the lower panels. A cornice runs above all of the walls. The front rail of the balcony contains shields and foliate decorations. Light boxes are installed on the front rail. The underside of the balcony has plasterwork panels with crystal light fixtures suspended from medallions. Air-conditioning vents are placed along some of the panels under the balcony. On either side of
19912-411: The walls just below the ceiling. There are also air-conditioning vents in the ceiling. During the theater's renovation, a basement was excavated from the bedrock. The basement, which is about 19 ft (5.8 m) deep, was excavated by local contractor John Civetta & Sons , which removed about 3,000 cu ft (85 m ) of rock. The basement was excavated into a layer of soft rock, so
20064-465: The walls of the orchestra and its promenade. The balcony level is divided into front and rear sections by an aisle halfway across the depth. On either side of the crossover aisle are exit doors, which are placed between pilasters and wall panels on either side. Above the exit doors are arch decorations and a frieze with swags. The rest of the balcony's side walls contain panels, which are divided into upper and lower sections, with foliate decorations in
20216-457: The week ending on January 28, 2018. This was surpassed by Six , which grossed $ 1,649,206 over eight performances for the week ending January 1, 2023. Samuel J. Friedman Theatre The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre , formerly the Biltmore Theatre , is a Broadway theater at 261 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City . Opened in 1925, it
20368-412: Was Chanin's second Broadway theater, opening on December 7, 1925, with the play Easy Come Easy Go . The Biltmore largely hosted flops during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It was used by Federal Theatre 's Living Newspaper project in 1936 before being acquired by Warner Bros. The Biltmore was a CBS radio and television studio from 1952 to 1961, when producer David Cogan turned the Biltmore back into
20520-418: Was a major donor to MTC. The facade is largely designed in terracotta and buff-colored brick. The ground floor, which contains the theater's entrance, is shielded by a marquee. The upper stories are divided into bays separated by fluted pilasters , and the facade is topped by an entablature and balustrade . The auditorium contains neo-Renaissance detailing, a raked orchestra level, a large balcony, and
20672-430: Was a newcomer to the Broadway theater industry when he was developing his first theater, the 46th Street (now Richard Rodgers) . Chanin hired Herbert Krapp, an experienced architect who had designed multiple Broadway theaters for the Shubert brothers. The 46th Street Theatre opened in early 1925 as Chanin's first Broadway theater. Chanin retained Krapp to design the Biltmore and Mansfield theaters on 47th Street, which at
20824-472: Was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. MTC's first season at the Biltmore was marked with difficulties, including a controversy when Terrence McNally 's Dedication was swapped out with The Violet Hour as the inaugural production. In addition, The Violet Hour and the next production, Drowning Crow , both opened to negative reception. By contrast, MTC's second season at
20976-677: Was another minor hit, followed by more flops such as a 15-performance run of Fyodor Dostoevsky 's Crime and Punishment . The Chanins ultimately lost control of the Biltmore and their other theaters during the Depression. In December 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) leased the Biltmore Theatre. The WPA used the theater for the Federal Theatre Project (FTP)'s Living Newspaper , which presented factual information on current events in theatrical form. The first Living Newspaper, Ethiopia , never opened to
21128-417: Was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in a Spanish Revival style and was constructed for Irwin Chanin . It has 1,069 seats across two levels and is operated by the Nederlander Organization . Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks . The facade is divided into two sections: the four-story stage house to the west, covered in buff-colored brick, and the three-story auditorium to
21280-428: Was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the neo-Renaissance style and was constructed for Irwin Chanin . It has 650 seats across two levels and is operated by the Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC). The auditorium interior is a New York City landmark , and the theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Since 2008, the theater has been named for Broadway publicist Samuel J. Friedman (1912–1974), whose family
21432-483: Was followed in 1946 by Jed Harris 's Apple of His Eye and Loco , as well as an adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre 's No Exit . Konstantin Simonov 's comedy The Whole World Over ran for 100 performances in 1947, and The Heiress premiered at the Biltmore the same year, running for 410 performances. Other hits of the decade included the comedy The Silver Whistle in 1948, which had 219 performances, and
21584-421: Was followed the same year by Send Me No Flowers , which featured David Wayne and Nancy Olson for 40 performances. The next year, the theater hosted a success with Neil Simon 's first play, Come Blow Your Horn , which ran for 677 performances. This was followed in late 1962 by Sidney Kingsley 's Night Life and in 1963 by Peter Ustinov 's Photo Finish . In early 1964, the Brooks Atkinson staged
21736-451: Was in rehearsal and was set to open on March 12, 2020, when all Broadway theaters were forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Six premiered when the Brooks Atkinson reopened on September 17, 2021. During the COVID-19 shutdown, the Shuberts, Nederlanders, and Jujamcyn had pledged to increase racial and cultural diversity in their theaters, including naming at least one theater for
21888-481: Was intended to be sufficient for about 90 percent of MTC's productions. The diagonal orientation of the theater complicated the installation of the new rigging , which was typically placed perpendicularly to the proscenium. Of the Friedman's 40 line sets , 39 are aligned with the proscenium and the other is aligned to the rear wall. A red house curtain and a fire curtain were also installed. The ceiling has an oval dome at its center, with Adam-style moldings around
22040-545: Was involved in redesigning the interior for theatrical use. The theater was officially rededicated on October 15, 2003, and the Biltmore reopened on November 6 with The Violet Hour . The Biltmore received the New York Landmarks Conservancy 's Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, as well as accolades from the Municipal Art Society of New York and the magazine New York Construction . The theater
22192-494: Was leased to CBS for television productions under the name Studio 59. When Myerberg returned it to legitimate use in September 1960, he renamed it after the former New York Times theater critic Brooks Atkinson . The Nederlander Organization purchased a partial ownership stake in the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in 1967 and became a full owner in 1974. Following a renovation in 2000, the theater has hosted several shows in
22344-561: Was part of the LPC's wide-ranging effort in 1987 to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters. On December 11, 1987, a month after the theater was designated as a landmark, the theater's interior caught fire, which the New York City Fire Department quickly determined to be an arson. Trespassers had entered the empty theater several times, and the New York City Police Department found hypodermic needles on
22496-399: Was planned to become part of the hotel's lobby. The LPC rejected Moinian's plan for the Biltmore. Although Moinian was able to obtain additional air rights for his planned hotel, the Nederlanders instead decided to place the property back for sale in April 1999. Moinian sued the Nederlanders in New York Supreme Court that year, alleging that the Nederlanders had inappropriately reneged on
22648-408: Was revived at the theater in August 2007, and the show ultimately ran for 554 performances over the next year and a half. It was immediately followed by a transfer of the off-Broadway rock musical Rock of Ages , which opened in April 2009 and ran for nearly two years before transferring. In the early 2010s, the Brooks Atkinson hosted both plays and musicals. These included Rain: A Tribute to
22800-553: Was scheduled to be produced at the Biltmore. After The Number closed, the Columbia Broadcasting System ( CBS ) leased the theater in February 1952 as a broadcast studio called Studio 62. Among the shows produced at Studio 62 were The Al Pearce Show , Bank on the Stars , The Big Payoff , Dotto , The Egg and I , For Love Or Money , The Herb Shriner Show , The Jack Paar Show , Keep Talking , Strike it Rich , To Tell
22952-445: Was the Chanins' second Broadway venue and was mainly intended for comedies and small productions, unlike the brothers' other venues. Theatrical historian Ken Bloom described the Biltmore's early productions as "for the most part, unexceptional". The Biltmore's shows in 1926 included the comedies Kongo , starring Walter Huston for 135 performances, and Loose Ankles , featuring Osgood Perkins for 161 performances. The next year,
23104-491: Was the theater critic for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960. Since 2022, the theater has been named for African-American actress and singer Lena Horne (1917–2010). The Lena Horne is operated by the Nederlander Organization . The facade consists of two sections. The three-story-tall eastern section is wider and is symmetrical, containing the auditorium entrance. It is made of yellow-beige brick with white terracotta decorations. The western section, which contains
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