Harry Potter Marquee

[RippedMan]

Anyone have an idea of what it is going to look like? Walking down 43r tonight it looks like it’s going to be epic. Everything is painted black and a giant metal feather detail is on the brick wall.

[Call_me_jorge]

Omg, that looks intense!! https://instagram.com/p/BejOx58FDFP/

edit: here’s a video https://instagram.com/p/Bege2UNnbLy/

[BroadwayConcierge]

I've walked by it multiple times over the last week or so and it looks insane. Can't wait to see the final product.

[RippedMan]

Happy to see they aren’t just replicating! But I also see no a actual marquee/signage!

[blaxx]

RippedMan said: "Happy to see they aren’t just replicating! But I also see no a actual marquee/signage!"

The Palace in London has the unique facade that allows to build structures for the shows. A replica of it would look out of place at the Lyric, it was never an option. 

[uncageg]

Cannot wait till May when I see it! I need to walk by the theater.

[fashionguru_23]

Love it! Interesting, that it's the 43rd Street side of the theatre, and not the main 42nd Street side. In the refurb, are they changing where the audience enters?

[VotePeron]

fashionguru_23 said: "Love it! Interesting, that it's the 43rd Street side of the theatre, and not the main 42nd Street side. In the refurb, are they changing where the audience enters?"

Correct.

[bwayphreak234]

It looks AWESOME so far! I can't wait to see the finished product.

[RippedMan]

Love that they have painted everything black. So curious to see the interior as well.

[Call_me_jorge]

This photos shows just a glimpse of the interior: https://instagram.com/p/BebfGlYlsG7/

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

fashionguru_23 said: "Love it! Interesting, that it's the 43rd Street side of the theatre, and not the main 42nd Street side. In the refurb, are they changing where the audience enters?"

Yes. The 42nd Street entrance has always posed a problem for the Lyric. The entrance there is sandwiched between the New Victory Theater and the currently vacant Times Square Theater. Both of which have a larger footprint on that street despite being smaller houses. So its hard for the marquee of the Lyric to stand out. Plus it has to compete with all the lights and chaos that is 42nd Street. 

The new renovation moves the main box office and entrance to 43rd. Since no other theater has an entrance on that street, Harry Potter becomes the star attraction, and only attraction, on the block. They also have plenty of room to stretch the ticket holder line down towards 8th ave. The 42nd Street doors will remain, but most likely just be used for an exit post-show.

[ARTc3]

Unfortunately, the image(s) of the interior of the Lyric has been taken down. I would love to see how they are transforming the theater to look more like Hogwarts.

The Palace in London has been under construction, so although there is quite an impressive display in front of the theater, you can't easily see it. The theater is also on a block of its own, normally with a nice plaza in front of the main entrance. This isn't the case for the Lyric, so they did have to come up with their own design. From the photos of the marquee, it looks like its going to be quite impressive.

I am so excited that this 'event' is coming to Broadway. I was deeply moved by the London production.

[blaxx]

The Palace in London has been under construction, so although there is quite an impressive display in front of the theater, you can't easily see it. 

 

That was done a while ago. The Palace has no obstruction whatsoever now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JBroadway]

For what it's worth, I was walking by the the theatre on 42nd street, and it seems like they are prepping for something on that side as well! The upright marquee has been taken down, and it seemed to me that there had been other changes, but I don't know the theatre well enough to pinpoint what else they had done. 

[Justin D]

You get a quick glimpse of the set model in one of those rehearsal videos and it seems to come out into the first set of boxes, like what Spiderman did.

[everythingtaboo]

I hope they keep that thing lit 24/7, because the Lyric covers almost half the block so covering it in black on a fairly quiet street would terrify me after hours. I did hear that inside, the lobby as we know it has been completely covered up and/or blown out for the production, so it's virtually unrecognizable. If memory recalls, the hall coming from the 42nd St side is going to be turned into a huge merch shop and experience.

[Fosse76]

Justin D said: "You get a quick glimpse of the set model in one of those rehearsal videos and it seems to come out into the first set of boxes, like what Spiderman did."

So they are making the physical production bigger to fill the space. Personally, I think the Lyric was a poor choice. Even with a larger set, the show is actually quite intimate, so even with the reduction in the size of the house, I still feel the performances can get lost in that space. But I guess we'll see soon. I just hope I can somehow get a ticket, since the process to buy them is extremely restrictive. I'm definitely curious about the marquee and exterior signage going up. I noticed the wall bracing installed about two weeks ago and wondered what they were doing.

[Notreallysilent 2]

Does anyone the validity of those rumors about decorating and modeling the lyric lobby to look like Hogwarts?

[SomethingPeculiar]

Notreallysilent 2 said: "Does anyone the validity of those rumors about decorating and modeling the lyric lobby to look like Hogwarts? "

When the play was announced, the producer confirmed to Riedel, “when you step over the threshold of the theater, you will be entering the word of Harry Potter” and said the set designer is involved with the refurbishment of the theatre. https://nypost.com/2016/12/01/harry-potter-has-a-broadway-theater-for-2018/

[DrewJoseph]

Sounds awesome to me. However, I do love entering a beautiful “regular” theatre and discover a world onstage during the show. Especially waiting in front of that curtain and getting those butterflies to find out whats behind it. Curious to see if that gets lost when the whole theatre feels like the show. Makes it more of a themepark experience?

[TotallyEffed]

This whole thing is going to be such an event.

[SomethingPeculiar]

DrewJoseph said: "Sounds awesome to me. However, I do love entering a beautiful “regular” theatre and discover a world onstage during the show. Especially waiting in front of that curtain and getting those butterflies to find out whats behind it. Curious to see if that gets lost when the whole theatre feels like the show. Makes it more of a themepark experience?"

 

"Environmental" theatre is so rare on Broadway, it's pretty cool that these people have the money and willingness to do something (potentially) spectacular beyond the proscenium.

What other shows have been legitimately environmental in the past few decades? GREAT COMET and Roundabout's CABARET are the only two that come to mind (though I guess there were environmental elements to Lady Day, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the Follies and LaCage revivals).

[amoni]

"The new renovation moves the main box office and entrance to 43rd"

Since the day the theater opened, the box office and main entrance was on 43rd.

 

[RippedMan]

That’s what it looks like yes, but you enter on 42 where the box office is. That photo is deceiving.