The write up should probably note the reason Cabaret left Henry Miller’s was because the building was shut dawn when a crane working on the construction of 4 Times Square next door collapsed, leading to 43rd St being closed for just over a month. Although they were able to reopen, Roundabout Theatre Company, which was producing it, scrambled to find another theatre and lucked out when they were told that Studio 54 was available. Studio 54 was a bigger venue, and the show was such a hit that moving it and turning it into an open-ended run filled the company’s coffers for years. Heck, it played there for so long that Roundabout was able to buy Studio 54 outright.
Meanwhile the only reason Urinetown even played in Henry Miller’s was because the show’s dystopian setting fit the aesthetic of a ruined theatre. It wasn’t supposed to be there long, but proved to be a surprise hit and extended.
But even then, the theatre was a mess, and was going to be demolished anyway. That the tower that replaced it incorporates a theatre behind the facade was largely done because of a combination of zoning inducements (much like the Gershwin and Minskoff in their respective buildings, including the theatre allowed the tower to be built taller under special Theater District zoning rules) and the urging of Anita Durst, who is a theatre supporter.
The parking garage is now gone, torn down and replaced with the new Hard Rock Hotel (not to be confused with the Hard Rock Cafe in the old Paramount Theater space at the corner of 43rd and Broadway). The hotel has a multi-level ballroom/concert space in it.
Regarding the possibility that the old auditorium still exists in some fashion, I’m pretty sure that is correct, and that the space is now occupied by a nightclub called Nebula, which uses the 41st St stage door entrance. Architecturally, the entrance clearly matches the original theatre decor, though the interior, from what I’ve seen in pictures, has no remnants of the original, just the large column-free space.
Well, the Ridley’s Odditorium that had been housed in the former lobby closed last year, but this year that space is being used for a haunted house attraction.
Yeah, looking into it further the live performance space was part of the ex-Bonds/International Casino space to the left of the movie theatre. Constructed in 1988-89, it opened with 499 seats in one auditorium and 300 seats in the second. After Roundabout took it over the larger Stage Right space was the one that added a couple dozen seats to qualify as a Tony-eligible Broadway house while the smaller Stage Left space was used less frequently but was named for Laura Pels, an early leading figure in the off-Broadway movement. As a non-profit most Roundaboit productions are limited run, but ones that are successful would transfer to larger theatres elsewhere if there was demand for it (such as the 1997-98 production of 1776). After the Criterion Center was vacated for Toys R Us, Roundabout moved their Broadway productions to the American Airlines (née Selwyn) while the off-Broadway shows were moved to the new Laura Pels on 46th St (which had been the former home of the American Pace Theatre company).
However, Roundabout’s off-site productions became a huge hit, especially Cabaret, which started at the Henry Miller’s (chosen because it actually had been a seedy nightclub so made for a good Kit-Kat Klub) until a crane collapse damaged the theatre. Instead of closing outright they moved to another theatre that spent time as a disco. Sorry, I meant THE disco. And the tenure at Studio 54 was so successful that Roundaboit bought the theatre outright so it would stay a theatre.
The write up seems to lack any mention that one of the auditoriums (post-multiplexing) was converted to live theatre use in 1989 as the “Criterion Center Stage Right”, which originally had exactly 499 seats (the maximum number to be considered off-Broadway) but, after it became the new home base of the Roundabout Theatre Company in 1991 a couple of dozen additional seats were added (probably only a row’s worth) to make it Tony-eligible as Roundabout became a force on Broadway.
There’s really nothing to see of the venue that Google StreetView doesn’t already show. It really is just a tiny storefront entrance with a blue sign that reads “Cinema”. That’s in part because until two years or so ago the township mandated that all stores in the shopping plaza that the cinema is at one end of have signs of the identical blue font and size.
More importantly the passive-aggressive tone is obnoxious.
This can’t be the 42nd street theatres. Both building visible here are completely wrong in size and architectural detail. I don’t know where this actually is, and it’s a strange coincidence that there’d be a Liberty right next to an Empire, but these are clearly not the same theatres.
True. But a big reason for the ShubertShubert dragging their feet on the new theatre on the 45th–46th plot they own (the site of the former Klaw Theatre) is the aforementioned concerns with oversaturation.
The return of the Hudson to legit use is being spearheaded by the Ambassador Theatre Group (the new owners of the Lyric, and the largest owner of West End theatres), not one of the existing big 3. It’s those companies that have resisted adding more theatres, as it would dilute the value of their existing inventory. Apparently, according to the scuttlebutt, ATG looked at the Times Square as well, but the concerns regarding a lack of off 42nd loading area have made them reluctant, as has been the case with prior interested parties as well. The Liberty (which is in far better shape, and has a loading dock on 41st) looks more likely if they were to try to add a third Broadway theatre.
Sudden developments here. The sign out front says its under new management and temporarily closed, while the theatre
Is no longer listed on the Bow Tie website. No news I can see about it anywhere.
Wow, that list is a master list of every major film of the first 25 years of my life and then some.
Question, though. Does anyone have the capacity of this place when it was a movie theatre? The 2100 figure is for the current concert venue for concerts with general admission, but the figure is 1166 for reserved seating. (They put out a lot of folding chairs. 568 according to their seating chart.) so I wonder what the capacity was when it was all fixed seats.
Fortunately the entire Theatre District (or “Theater Subdistrict” in city planning documents) is subject to all sorts of requirements when it comes to theatre preservation. That’s part of the reason they were removed, because they are already subject to preservation. So the alarmism isn’t necessary.
Of course, the one thing not mentioned in the wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding these theatres is that one screen movie theatres are totally out of the question these days (see the fate of the Ziegfeld), so the only possible use is legit theatre. And the existing Broadway producers and landlords (the Shuberts, Nederlanders and Jujamcyn) were afraid to over saturate the inventory of theatres, so that’s why it took new landlords to even bring back the three that did return to Broadway use, and even then one is Disney’s own (not rented out), one is used just by Roundabout (again, not rented out) and one is a total barn that is only for mega-musicals (and is currently rented to Cirque du Soleil). That inventory issue is a valid concern.
Actually, the Liberty’s original lobby became part of the Ripley’s Odditorium. Apparently there is still a connecting door between the two that’s kept locked. But it is possible to go through the restaurant into the auditorium.
Correction to the above description: there’s only one 150ish seat theatre at this space. The other two blackbox theatre spaces mentioned are nearby at 8th & 43rd, and owned by the same company (Roy Arias Studios), so they’re on the same website, but those are not here. The current 777 theatre is really just on of the two former movie auditoriums converted to live theatre use, while Grey Line Sightseeing is still using the other one. (It’s also not a triplex, nor has it ever been.)
Actually, neither of these statements are accurate. Firstly, there never were any orchestra boxes, just a pair of murals (long ago painted over) where such boxes would be; the theatre was always intended as a small cinema, and didn’t have a true procenium stage setup. And the floor wasn’t leveled, it just never had much slope to begin with.
Well it’s now 2014, and the hotel on the upper floors is about to Koenig not already. Best part is they have kept the theatre for use as a performance venue, with the first concerts already scheduled. Good to see it preserved like that.
So it seems the Famous Dave’s has closed (I went there once on a Friday night just after all the shows got out; it was pretty empty, so I’m not surprised.) But the front portion, where the bar is, is still operating as the “Liberty Diner”, while the main auditorium is available as a rental reception space. See libertytheaterny.com
And it’s gone. Walked by last week and the building is completely demolished. So this needs to be marked as closed.
It’s now two years later and no changes to turn it into a live event venue have occurred. Guess the plan is off.
Note that it’s been the LOL comedy club since no later than August 2015, per Google streetview.
The write up should probably note the reason Cabaret left Henry Miller’s was because the building was shut dawn when a crane working on the construction of 4 Times Square next door collapsed, leading to 43rd St being closed for just over a month. Although they were able to reopen, Roundabout Theatre Company, which was producing it, scrambled to find another theatre and lucked out when they were told that Studio 54 was available. Studio 54 was a bigger venue, and the show was such a hit that moving it and turning it into an open-ended run filled the company’s coffers for years. Heck, it played there for so long that Roundabout was able to buy Studio 54 outright.
Meanwhile the only reason Urinetown even played in Henry Miller’s was because the show’s dystopian setting fit the aesthetic of a ruined theatre. It wasn’t supposed to be there long, but proved to be a surprise hit and extended.
But even then, the theatre was a mess, and was going to be demolished anyway. That the tower that replaced it incorporates a theatre behind the facade was largely done because of a combination of zoning inducements (much like the Gershwin and Minskoff in their respective buildings, including the theatre allowed the tower to be built taller under special Theater District zoning rules) and the urging of Anita Durst, who is a theatre supporter.
This site is now the LOL comedy club.
The parking garage is now gone, torn down and replaced with the new Hard Rock Hotel (not to be confused with the Hard Rock Cafe in the old Paramount Theater space at the corner of 43rd and Broadway). The hotel has a multi-level ballroom/concert space in it.
Regarding the possibility that the old auditorium still exists in some fashion, I’m pretty sure that is correct, and that the space is now occupied by a nightclub called Nebula, which uses the 41st St stage door entrance. Architecturally, the entrance clearly matches the original theatre decor, though the interior, from what I’ve seen in pictures, has no remnants of the original, just the large column-free space.
Well, the Ridley’s Odditorium that had been housed in the former lobby closed last year, but this year that space is being used for a haunted house attraction.
So apparently the theater will remain a theatre after all. The former operators of the Ramsey theatre have signed on as the new operators.
Yeah, looking into it further the live performance space was part of the ex-Bonds/International Casino space to the left of the movie theatre. Constructed in 1988-89, it opened with 499 seats in one auditorium and 300 seats in the second. After Roundabout took it over the larger Stage Right space was the one that added a couple dozen seats to qualify as a Tony-eligible Broadway house while the smaller Stage Left space was used less frequently but was named for Laura Pels, an early leading figure in the off-Broadway movement. As a non-profit most Roundaboit productions are limited run, but ones that are successful would transfer to larger theatres elsewhere if there was demand for it (such as the 1997-98 production of 1776). After the Criterion Center was vacated for Toys R Us, Roundabout moved their Broadway productions to the American Airlines (née Selwyn) while the off-Broadway shows were moved to the new Laura Pels on 46th St (which had been the former home of the American Pace Theatre company).
However, Roundabout’s off-site productions became a huge hit, especially Cabaret, which started at the Henry Miller’s (chosen because it actually had been a seedy nightclub so made for a good Kit-Kat Klub) until a crane collapse damaged the theatre. Instead of closing outright they moved to another theatre that spent time as a disco. Sorry, I meant THE disco. And the tenure at Studio 54 was so successful that Roundaboit bought the theatre outright so it would stay a theatre.
The write up seems to lack any mention that one of the auditoriums (post-multiplexing) was converted to live theatre use in 1989 as the “Criterion Center Stage Right”, which originally had exactly 499 seats (the maximum number to be considered off-Broadway) but, after it became the new home base of the Roundabout Theatre Company in 1991 a couple of dozen additional seats were added (probably only a row’s worth) to make it Tony-eligible as Roundabout became a force on Broadway.
There’s really nothing to see of the venue that Google StreetView doesn’t already show. It really is just a tiny storefront entrance with a blue sign that reads “Cinema”. That’s in part because until two years or so ago the township mandated that all stores in the shopping plaza that the cinema is at one end of have signs of the identical blue font and size.
More importantly the passive-aggressive tone is obnoxious.
An ad for Empire at the Empire. How appropriate.
This can’t be the 42nd street theatres. Both building visible here are completely wrong in size and architectural detail. I don’t know where this actually is, and it’s a strange coincidence that there’d be a Liberty right next to an Empire, but these are clearly not the same theatres.
True. But a big reason for the ShubertShubert dragging their feet on the new theatre on the 45th–46th plot they own (the site of the former Klaw Theatre) is the aforementioned concerns with oversaturation.
The return of the Hudson to legit use is being spearheaded by the Ambassador Theatre Group (the new owners of the Lyric, and the largest owner of West End theatres), not one of the existing big 3. It’s those companies that have resisted adding more theatres, as it would dilute the value of their existing inventory. Apparently, according to the scuttlebutt, ATG looked at the Times Square as well, but the concerns regarding a lack of off 42nd loading area have made them reluctant, as has been the case with prior interested parties as well. The Liberty (which is in far better shape, and has a loading dock on 41st) looks more likely if they were to try to add a third Broadway theatre.
Sudden developments here. The sign out front says its under new management and temporarily closed, while the theatre Is no longer listed on the Bow Tie website. No news I can see about it anywhere.
Wow, that list is a master list of every major film of the first 25 years of my life and then some.
Question, though. Does anyone have the capacity of this place when it was a movie theatre? The 2100 figure is for the current concert venue for concerts with general admission, but the figure is 1166 for reserved seating. (They put out a lot of folding chairs. 568 according to their seating chart.) so I wonder what the capacity was when it was all fixed seats.
Fortunately the entire Theatre District (or “Theater Subdistrict” in city planning documents) is subject to all sorts of requirements when it comes to theatre preservation. That’s part of the reason they were removed, because they are already subject to preservation. So the alarmism isn’t necessary.
Of course, the one thing not mentioned in the wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding these theatres is that one screen movie theatres are totally out of the question these days (see the fate of the Ziegfeld), so the only possible use is legit theatre. And the existing Broadway producers and landlords (the Shuberts, Nederlanders and Jujamcyn) were afraid to over saturate the inventory of theatres, so that’s why it took new landlords to even bring back the three that did return to Broadway use, and even then one is Disney’s own (not rented out), one is used just by Roundabout (again, not rented out) and one is a total barn that is only for mega-musicals (and is currently rented to Cirque du Soleil). That inventory issue is a valid concern.
This is the prior Wallack’s at 30th & Broadway, demolished 1915, not the 42nd St one.
Actually, the Liberty’s original lobby became part of the Ripley’s Odditorium. Apparently there is still a connecting door between the two that’s kept locked. But it is possible to go through the restaurant into the auditorium.
Correction to the above description: there’s only one 150ish seat theatre at this space. The other two blackbox theatre spaces mentioned are nearby at 8th & 43rd, and owned by the same company (Roy Arias Studios), so they’re on the same website, but those are not here. The current 777 theatre is really just on of the two former movie auditoriums converted to live theatre use, while Grey Line Sightseeing is still using the other one. (It’s also not a triplex, nor has it ever been.)
This place would make a great cabaret/piano bar type performance space.
Actually, neither of these statements are accurate. Firstly, there never were any orchestra boxes, just a pair of murals (long ago painted over) where such boxes would be; the theatre was always intended as a small cinema, and didn’t have a true procenium stage setup. And the floor wasn’t leveled, it just never had much slope to begin with.
Well it’s now 2014, and the hotel on the upper floors is about to Koenig not already. Best part is they have kept the theatre for use as a performance venue, with the first concerts already scheduled. Good to see it preserved like that.
So it seems the Famous Dave’s has closed (I went there once on a Friday night just after all the shows got out; it was pretty empty, so I’m not surprised.) But the front portion, where the bar is, is still operating as the “Liberty Diner”, while the main auditorium is available as a rental reception space. See libertytheaterny.com