Al Hirschfeld Theatre (Broadway) - Theater Information
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| Address: 302 W. 45th St. New York, NY BUILT: 1924 SEATING CAPACITY: 1424 |
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Al Hirschfeld Theatre (Broadway) History
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre is one of the only Broadway theaters to have an outdoor box office window. On the building's exterior is an old-fashioned ticket booth that says 'Martin Beck Theatre', a feature kept after the renaming of the theatre to honor its original namesake. Another special element of the theatre, is that when the theatre was built in 1924, it was designed to be the most opulent of its time- the building features dressing rooms for 200 actors.
The theatre opened in 1924, and was built by Vaudeville theatre owner, manager, and promoter Martin Beck, founder of the famous Orpheum Circuit. The theatre was called the Martin Beck until 2003, when it was renamed for Al Hirschfeld, the caricaturist famous for his drawings of Broadway stars, musicians and more. Those immortalized by Hirschfeld's caricatures include Cole Porter, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, The Beatles, Elvis Presley and more. Hirschfeld was also responsible for the original movie posters for films such as The Wizard of Oz.
What is now Private Eyes Gentlemen's Club next-door used to be Ted Hook's Backstage! Ted Hook was a performer who appeared in over 400 films before he opened his own restaurant and bar in 1973. At Ted Hook's each table had a lamp with a star's name on it, and when that star came to the restaurant the lampshade with their name on it would be brought to their table. Those who could be seen at Ted Hook's included Liza Minnelli, Richard Burton, Robin Williams, Meryl Streep and more.
Famous performances in the theatre include Richard Gere in Bent; Frank Langella in Dracula; Elizabeth Taylor in The Little Foxes; Christina Applegate in Sweet Charity; David Hyde Pierce as Lt. Coffi in the musical Curtains; Daniel Radcliffe in the most recent revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and more. Famous productions that have run in the Al Hirschfeld theatre include On the Town, Bye Bye Birdie, Oliver!, The Rink, and more.
The longest-running show at the theatre is Kinky Boots! Kinky Boots ran at the Al Hirschfeld from April 4, 2013 to April 7, 2019, a total of 2507 performances. The musical featured music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein, and starred Stark Sands, Billy Porter, Annaleigh Ashford, Lena Hall and more. Kinky Boots won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and is currently 26th longest running show of all time.
What Shows Played the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (Broadway)
DATES PRODUCTION ? - ? Moulin Rouge! (2019) 3/3/2013 - ? Kinky Boots (2013) 11/9/2012 - 1/6/2013 Elf The Musical (2012) 7/9/2012 - 8/4/2012 Fela! (2012) 2/26/2011 - 5/20/2012 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (2011) 11/2/2010 - 1/2/2011 Elf - The Musical (2010) 3/6/2009 - 6/27/2010 Hair (2009) 8/19/2008 - 11/9/2008 A Tale of Two Cities (2008) 2/27/2007 - 6/29/2008 Curtains (2007) 3/30/2006 - 12/31/2006 The Wedding Singer (2006) 4/11/2005 - 12/31/2005 Sweet Charity (2005) 11/5/2003 - 1/30/2005 Wonderful Town (2003)
Frequently Asked Questions
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre provides wheelchair-accessible seating on the Orchestra level of the theatre for all performances for patrons who use wheelchairs and their companions. There are no steps leading into the Orchestra level of the theatre from the sidewalk. There are steps to access seating on other levels of the theatre. Pricing for wheelchair-accessible seats on the Orchestra level varies so as to capture the range of prices available throughout the theatre.
There is a wheelchair-accessible unisex restroom located on the Orchestra level.
Orchestra Location:
Seating is accessible to all parts of the Orchestra without steps. There are no steps to the designated wheelchair seating locations. Wheelchair seating is in the Orchestra only.
Mezzanine Location:
Located on the second level: up 20 steps from the Orchestra. There are an additional 7 steps up from the Mezzanine lobby to the Mezzanine entrance (located behind row D), and an additional 28 steps up to the remainder of the Mezzanine.
Please note: On the Mezzanine level, there are approximately 2 steps up/down per row.
Reservations for assisted-listening devices are not necessary. A driver’s license or ID with a printed address are required as a deposit.
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