Are there any old theatres that could be renovated or revitalized that would qualify as a Broadway theatre? It seems like I've read things about this or that theater that was in ruins then revitalized. Are there any theaters that are still in ruins that could be revitalized in the Broadway area? Plus, why art any new theaters built? Is it too expensive?
I went to a show at the Liberty in Times Sq. Kind of the "hidden' theatre. It's really gorgeous, but I don't know that they could return it to a theatrical space. But it could easily be used as a concert venue with some alterations. But the kitchen is where the stage is now, so they'd have to tear all that up.
What about the Times Square Theatre on 42nd? They told down the top scaffolding, which nice to see some of its exterior again. I think in the same Riedel article, he mentioned ATG was also thinking of making that back into a legit Broadway theatre.
I can't remember the names, but I think there are two Off Broadway houses next to each other in the Theatre District that would have enough seats combined if they made them one house.
I know there are a myriad of reasons, but the Little Shubert (now Stage 42) really should be a Broadway house. It's in such beautiful shape and being wasted on stuff like this Trip of Love that'll be here today, gone today.
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
What about the Ziegfeld Theatre? They're a movie house now, but it's such a beautiful space that obviously once housed shows. Could it be converted back?
The current Ziegfeld Theatre was always a movie theatre and never housed shows.
There WAS a Ziegfeld Theatre very close to that same location, but on Sixth Avenue and 54th Street. It was a legit theatre that housed the original Show Boat, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Brigadoon, Kismet, among other shows. But its remote location was unpopular and it was demolished in 1966. From photos, it was an extraordinary looking building, inside and out.
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The interior was also covered head to toe in spectacular murals. The entire building was created by the great Austrian-American architect, illustrator and set designer Joseph Urban. A shame that it was demolished, but that was also the era when some of NY's greatest buildings met the wrecking ball, including Penn Station and the Roxy.
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1501 Broadway is known as the Paramount Building because it once housed the Paramount Theater, a 3,664 movie palace with a stage for live performances. The building is still there, the space still exists. However, the Hard Rock Cafe is the current tenant. There are a couple of other former movie houses with stages for live performances in the neighborhood that are currently being used for other purposes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1501_Broadway
The Paramount Theater was gutted in the 1960s. Nothing remains of the theatre space itself. There's a small stage within Hard Rock, but a Broadway theatre requires a lot of space, which the current layout no longer has.
The Paramount looked like this. And again, none of this remains in 1501 Broadway.
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