POPULAR
Marquee
Stage Door
1634 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
BUILT: 1911
SEATING CAPACITY: 1526
View Larger Map
Seating Chart
Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway) History
Shubert has owned the Winter Garden Theatre longer than any of its other venues. The playhouse occupies the second American Horse Exchange, built by William K. Vanderbilt in 1896, when Longacre (now Times Square) was the center of the horse and carriage trade. By 1911, when the Shuberts leased the Exchange, horses had given way to the automobile and legitimate stage was making inroads north of 42nd St. The Winter Garden was converted into a theatre in 1911, and had brief interludes as a movie house from 1928 to 1933 when Warner Brothers leased it, and again in 1945, when United Artists ran it. Architect William Albert Swasey converted the existing horse exchange building into a theatre by turning the showring into an auditorium with only one balcony, and decorating it with a garden motif. The existing space dictated that Swasey design a playhouse that was unusually wide (the proscenium opening is still the widest of all Shubert theatres), which brought the audience closer to the stage. Swasey left the Horse Exchange's trusses exposed, covered the ceiling in sky blue canvas, trimming both it and the walls with latticework. Garlands and leaves entwined the box fronts and proscenium arch. The stage at one point included a water tank, and in its first decade extended a runway out into the audience, dubbed by audiences "The Bridge of Thighs." Twelve years after the theatre opened, Herbert J. Krapp completed a major renovation of the interior which eliminated the runway, lowered the ceiling and proscenium arch, and covered the trusses, adding elegant ornamentation and bringing the theatre more in line with the traditional Adamesque style used in other Shubert venues. In 2001 after Cats closed, architect Francesca Russo oversaw a multimillion dollar restoration of the theatre to its Twenties' glory.
The Winter Garden Theatre has a long history of icons gracing its stage! Mary Martin flew across the stage as Peter Pan in 1954, Chita Rivera played Anita in West Side Story in 1957, Barbra Streisand starred in Funny Girl at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1964, Angela Lansbury starred in Mame in 1966, and Jerry Orbach starred in 42 Street in 1980, just to name a few! Some of the theatre's other well-known productions include Mamma Mia!, Cats, Follies, and Once Upon a Mattress.
The longest running show at The Winter Garden is Cats! Cats played the Winter Garden for 18 years, from 1982 to 2000, which had 7,485 performances, making it the longest-running show in history at the time. Stars who have graced the Winter Garden stage to belt out the evergreen 'Memory' as Grizabella include Betty Buckley, Laurie Beechman, Loni Ackerman, Lillias White, Liz Callaway, Linda Balgord, Leona Lewis and Mamie Parris.
Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway Frequently Asked Questions
What show is currently in Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway)?
Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway)'s current show is Back to the Future: The Musical which opened on 8/3/2023.
What when was Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway) built?
Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway) was built in 1911.
How many seats does Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway) have?
Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway) has 1526 seats.
What were the longest running shows at Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway)?
Cats which ran from 10/7/1982 to 9/10/2000, Mamma Mia! which ran from 10/18/2001 to 9/13/2015, 42nd Street which ran from 8/25/1980 to 1/8/1989, Mame which ran from 5/24/1966 to 1/3/1970 and Funny Girl which ran from 3/26/1964 to 7/1/1967,
What are the box office hours for Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway)?
Monday-Saturday: 10:00 AM-8:00 PM
Sunday: 12:00 PM-6:00 PM.
What accessibility options are there at Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway)?
Accessible seating is available for this performance as indicated on the seating map.
The theatre is not completely wheelchair-accessible. There are no steps into the theatre from the sidewalk. Please be advised that where there are steps, either into or within the theatre, we are unable to provide assistance.
Orchestra location: Seating is accessible to all parts of the Orchestra without steps. There are no steps in the designated wheelchair seating location.
Mezzanine location: Located on the second level, up two flights of stairs (34 steps). On the Mezzanine level, there are approximately two steps down per row. Entrance to the Mezzanine is behind row K.
Handrails: Available at the rear entrance stairs to every aisle, and at every row but only in the very far side aisle at each end of the Mezzanine.
There is a wheelchair-accessible restroom available.
The theatre provides infrared assistive listening devices for every performance at the theatre. In addition, beginning four weeks after a show’s official opening night performance, hand-held audio description devices and hand-held captioning devices are available, and there is unlimited access to downloadable audio description and/or captioning for personal mobile devices free of charge. (Hand-held devices are limited, although additional devices can be obtained with at least twenty-four hours’ notice.)
.
What show is next for Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway)?
Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway)'s next show Back to the Future: The Musical which opened on 8/3/2023.
Videos
TICKET CENTRAL
Recommended For You
Get Broadway's #1 Newsletter
Get the best news & discounts for Broadway Shows & beyond.
