Times Square Theatre
217 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY
10036
217 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY
10036
20 people
favorited this theater
One of the last theaters in the Times Square area to not be demolished or saved, this Eugene DeRosa-designed former legitimate house opened on September 30, 1920, for the brothers Edgar & Arch Selwyn. The opening play was “The Mirage” written by Edgar Selwyn and starring Florence Reed, which ran for six months.
Despite having one of the more recognizable facades in the area, complete with a tall row of Neo-Classical style columns, the Times Square Theatre has little to no lobby. The auditorium is decorated in an Empire/Adam style, with seating provided for 512 in the orchestra level, and 529 in the single balcony level. There are four boxes, which seat a total of 16.
Several hit plays ran at the Times Square Theatre, including “Gentlemen Prefer Blonds” in 1926-1927, “The Front Page” in 1928, George Gershwin’s “Strike Up the Band” in 1930, and “Private Lives” brought the original London cast to Broadway in 1931, starring Noel Coward, Gertrude Lawrence and Laurence Olivier. The last play to be staged at the Times Square Theatre was Tallulah Bankhead in “Forsaking All Others” in the summer of 1933.
In 1934, the Time Square Theatre was converted into a movie theatre, with the stage being converted into a retail store, therefore virtually ending its live theatre career. It was operated for many years by the Brandt Theatres chain. Ending its run in the 1980’s as a discount movie theatre, the auditorium has since closed and over the years has sustained fire damage and the wear and tear of time.
It was announced in July of 2004 that the urban apparel retailer, Ecko Unlimited, woule be converting the old Times Square Theatre into a four-story store, with architectural elements such as the proscenium arch, ceiling dome, and ornamental plasterwork saved. This never happened.
In early-2011, plans were proposed to renovate and reopen the theatre housing a Las Vega style multimedia show named “Broadway 4D”.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
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Recent comments (view all 178 comments)
The Forum is listed under the last name it operated as…Movieland:
/theaters/2925/
Thanks JM. The club is misidentified in the description as “Dance USA” but then, I should stop talking about the Forum on the Times Square page :)
The New York Post is reporting that plans have been made to renovate the Times Square and use it as a special purpose venue to house a Las Vegas-style multimedia show called “Broadway 4D”: View link
Great news. Hope it comes to fruition.
Thi is wonderful news.
I would hope that extensive pix be taken of the interior as it is now before any renovations take place so there is some historical record.
Las Vegas show? Hey, they’re going to have to take down the old “ALWAYS TWO ACTION HITS” sign.
So, here we are nearly a year later, and I wonder – yet again – what is the progress on the conversion of the Times Square Theatre? I can’t find any articles on the web more recent than the one posted above in January.
Normally I do not post. I was actually looking for pictures of this theater to email my dad for Christmas, and stumbled on this thread.
I have special memories of this theater. My dad was the projectionist for the last 20 years of the theater’s life.
I was there when the last show played in December 1988, then my dad shut the equipment down…for the last time (very sad night for me). I grew up in this great former movie palace, and sincerely hope someone will renovate her one day.
The good news is that it’s still standing.