Gershwin Theater

Gershwin Theater
location
Address:	222 West 51st Street
City:	New York City , New York
Coordinates:	40 ° 45 ′ 45 "  N , 73 ° 59 ′ 6"  W Coordinates: 40 ° 45 ′ 45 "  N , 73 ° 59 ′ 6"  W.
Architecture and history
Opened:	November 28, 1972
Spectator:	1,933 seats
Architect:	Ralph Alswang
Named after:	Composer George Gershwin and songwriter Ira Gershwin
Internet presence:
Website:	gershwintheatre.com/
Property of the Paramount Group, rented to the Nederlander Organization

The Gershwin Theater is a Broadway theater in Midtown Manhattan in the Paramount Plaza building (222 West 51st Street). The theater is named after the composer George Gershwin and his brother, the songwriter Ira Gershwin . With 1,933 seats, it is the largest of all Broadway theaters. The theater room, designed by the set designer Ralph Alswang in Art Nouveau style , is located on the lower floors of an office complex on the site of the historic Capitol Theater . It cost approximately $ 12.5 million to build. The theater opened on November 28, 1972 as the Uris Theater (named after the client Uris Brothers) with the musical Via Galactica with the lead actor Raúl Juliá . The musical turned out to be an ominous start for the venue as it closed after just seven performances with a loss of a million dollars. From 1974 to 1976 the theater served mainly as a concert hall for famous pop and jazz musicians. Musicals have been performed continuously since 1977.

The American Theater Hall of Fame is located in the lobby.

On June 5, 1983, during the Tony Awards ceremony , the theater was renamed in honor of the Gershwins.

Notable productions

1972: Via Galactica 1973: Seesaw ; Gigi 1974: Sammy Davis, Jr .; Andy Williams with Michel Legrand ; Johnny Mathis ; Anthony Newley with Henry Mancini ; Mott the Hoople (first rock band on Broadway, supported by Queen ); The 5th Dimension ; Raphael 1975: Frank Sinatra , Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie 1975: Fonteyn & Nureyev on Broadway with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev 1976: D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ; Bing Crosby ; Barry Manilow ; Paul Anka ; Al Green with Ashford & Simpson ; Operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan 1977: The King and I 1979: Sweeney Todd 1981: The Pirates of Penzance ; Annie 1983: Show Boat

1984: Shirley MacLaine ; Patti LaBelle 1985: Singin 'In The Rain 1987: Starlight Express 1989: Meet Me in St. Louis 1990: Fiddler on the Roof (Anatevka) 1993: Raffi 1995: Show Boat 1997: Candide ; 1776 2000: Riverdance 2002: Oklahoma! 2003: Wicked

Commercial record

The blockbuster musical Wicked grossed $ 2,228,235 in just eight performances in the week ended January 2, 2011. This was the highest grossing in a week for a musical in the history of Broadway theater.

Web links

Commons : Gershwin Theater  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Theater website (English)
• New York Theater Guide (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Seating Chart ( English ) The Gershwin Theater. Archived from the original on February 1, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 21, 2008. 
2. ^ Theater 101 ( English ) The Theater Development Fund. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
3. ^ Lawson, Carol. "'Cats' And 'Torch Song Trilogy' Win Top Tonys" New York Times (abstract), June 6, 1983, p. C11 (English)
4. ^ The Associated Press. abcnews.go.com (English)