The Gershwin Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 222 West 51st Street in midtown-Manhattan in the Paramount Plaza building. The theatre is named after brothers George Gershwin, a composer, and Ira Gershwin, a lyricist. It has the largest seating capacity of any Broadway theatre with 1,933 seats.
Designed in an Art Nouveau style by set designer Ralph Alswang, it is situated on the lower levels of a towering office complex built at an estimated cost of $12.5 million on the site of the historical Capitol Theatre. It opened as the Uris Theatre on November 28, 1972 (named for the building developer Uris Buildings Corporation) with the musical Via Galactica starring Raul Julia. It proved to be an inauspicious start for the venue, with the first show to lose a million dollars closing after only seven performances. From 1974-76 it served as a concert hall for limited engagements by a number of legendary pop music and jazz performers.
The American Theatre Hall of Fame is located in the lobby.
During the 37th Tony Awards ceremony held June 5, 1983, the theatre was rechristened to honor the Gershwins.
The Gershwin has been home to the blockbuster musical Wicked since 2003.
Notable productions
"Wicked" at Gershwin Theater - No video or photography allowed during performance, but here is a shot of the theater and the stage before the production began.
- 1972: Via Galactica
- 1973: Seesaw; Gigi
- 1974: Sammy Davis, Jr.; Andy Williams with Michel Legrand; Johnny Mathis; Anthony Newley with Henry Mancini; Queen (first Rock band to play Broadway, in support of Mott the Hoople); The 5th Dimension; Raphael
- 1975: Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Count Basie
- 1975: Fonteyn & Nureyev on Broadway
- 1976: D'Oyly Carte Opera Company; Bing Crosby; Barry Manilow; Paul Anka; Al Green with Ashford & Simpson; Season of Gilbert and Sullivan
- 1976: Porgy and Bess, produced by the Houston Grand Opera
- 1977: The King and I
- 1979: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- 1981: The Pirates of Penzance;My Fair Lady
- 1982: Annie
- 1983: Show Boat
- 1984: Shirley MacLaine on Broadway; Patti LaBelle on Broadway
- 1984: Cyrano de Bergerac; Much Ado About Nothing, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company
- 1985: Singin' in the Rain
- 1987: Starlight Express
- 1989: Barry Manilow Live on Broadway
- 1990: Meet Me in St. Louis
- 1990: Fiddler on the Roof
- 1991: Moscow Circus
- 1993: Raffi
- 1995: Show Boat
- 1997: Candide; 1776
- 2000: Riverdance on Broadway
- 2002: Oklahoma!
- 2003: Wicked
Box office record
Wicked set a box office record for the Gershwin Theatre. The production grossed $3,201,333 over nine performances for the week ending December 29, 2013. This was also the highest one-week box office gross income made by any show in Broadway history, until that time.
References
External links
- Official website
- New York Theatre Guide
- Gershwin Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database
