The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale) was originally built in 1927 by real-estate magnates, the Chanin Brothers, as part of a three-theatre complex that also included the Majestic (a large musical house) and the Theatre Masque, now the John Golden (a small house). The three theatres enabled producers to move shows based on their ticket sales to the most appropriately-sized venue. In 1930, the Chanins transferred ownership of all three houses to the Shuberts. During the Depression, control of the Jacobs passed to John Golden, who renamed the theatre after himself and ran it from 1934 to 1936. The Shuberts regained control in 1936, restored its name to Royale, and leased it to CBS as a radio studio until 1940. It was renamed the Bernard B. Jacobs in 2005 to honor the president of the Shubert Organization from 1972 - 1996. Herbert J. Krapp designed the Jacobs and the other theatres in this complex under the unifying theme of "modern Spanish style." The theatre's interior features a groin-vaulted ceiling supported on either side by archways decorated with two murals entitled "Lovers of Spain," by Willy Pogany.
Well-known productions include: Diamond Lil (1928) starring Mae West; The Glass Menagerie (1946- a transfer from the Playhouse Theatre) starring Eddie Dowling, Laurette Taylor, Julie Haydon, and Anthony Ross; The Boy Friend (1954) starring Julie Andrews; God of Carnage (2009) starring Yasmina Reza, Jeff Daniels, James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, and Hope Davis; Once (2012) starring Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti; The Color Purple (2015 revival) starring Cynthia Erivo, Danielle Brooks, and Jennifer Hudson; Bandstand (2017) starring Laura Osnes, Corey Cott and Beth Leavel; Company (2020 revival) starring Katrina Lenk, Patti LuPone, Jennifer Simard, Christopher Sieber, Rashidra Scott, Greg Hildreth, Nikki Renée Daniels, Christopher Fitzgerald, Matt Doyle, Etai Benson, Terence Archie, Claybourne Elder, Bobby Conte Thornton, and Kyle Dean Massey & many more!
The show to break the box office record at the Bernard B. Jacobs was Once! Once grossed $1,447,598 for the theatre over nine performances, for the week ending December 30, 2012. The show, based on the 2007 film of the same name, premiered on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on March 18, 2012. The show features music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, and a book by Enda Walsh, and starred Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti. The production received eleven Tony Award nominations, and won eight, including Best Musical!
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