Eugene O'Neill Theatre Will Be 'Out Of Service' Following Three-Alarm Blaze

BroawayWorld has been following a three-alarm blaze inside Eugene O'Neill Theatre, home to The Book of Mormon. The fire, which had been upgraded from a two-alarm fire to a three-alarm fire, is now extinguished.

At a press conference, FDNY Fire Chief David Simms stated the fire started in the electrical room between the fourth and fifth floor. After that fire was contained more fire was discovered between the fifth floor and the roof. The fire was reportedly difficult to get to, and one firefrighter was injured responding to the blaze.

No damanage was sustained to the auditorium, the fire and response was limited to the backstage areas. The building, per the FDNY, will be out of service pending repairs, with the NYC Department of Buildings investigating further. There is reportedly some water damage inside the building.

The Book of Mormon had no performances scheduled for Monday night. The production has yet to share an update on the status of the performance on Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 - though per FDNY the building will be 'out of service' for some time.

In a statement the production said "The production team for The Book of Mormon, in consultation with theatre owner ATG Entertainment, will take time to assess the extent of the damage, and any news of disruption to performances will be announced as soon as possible."

Aerial footage of the area appeared to show the fire had been brought under control a little after 11 AM - though we are still awaiting confirmation.

In a prior statement, Ambassador Theatre Group which owns the theatre stated "The NYFD is at the site of the fire now and are handling matters at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. Everyone has been safely removed from the theater. We will keep all parties abreast of this developing situation."

The Eugene O'Neill Theatre, located at 230 West 49th Street between Eighth Avenue and Broadway. Designed by prolific theatre architect Herbert J. Krapp and operated today by Jujamcyn Theaters (now part of ATG Entertainment), the venue first opened on November 24, 1925 as the Forrest Theatre, named for 19th-century tragedian Edwin Forrest, with the musical Mayflowers as its inaugural production.

The theatre was later renamed the Coronet in 1945 following a renovation, and in 1959 was rechristened the Eugene O'Neill in honor of the four-time Pulitzer Prize–winning American playwright - making it the first Broadway house to be named after a playwright.

In the late 1960s, playwright Neil Simon acquired the theatre and staged a string of his own plays there, including The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, and The Prisoner of Second Avenue. After Jujamcyn purchased the venue in 1982, the O'Neill went on to host such acclaimed productions as M. Butterfly, Big River, Spring Awakening, and the original Broadway run of Grease's revival, among many others.

The Book of Mormon, which opened at the O'Neill on March 24, 2011, has been the venue's resident production for nearly 15 years. The musical comedy, created by South Park co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone alongside Avenue Q and Frozen co-composer Robert Lopez, won nine Tony Awards in 2011, including Best Musical. The production marked its 15th anniversary earlier this year.

BroadwayWorld is following the story.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of FDNY