Cort Theatre

Coordinates: 40°45′33″N 73°58′59″W / 40.759210°N 73.983°W / 40.759210; -73.983

Cort Theatre
(2011)
Address	138 West 48th Street
City	New York City
Country	USA
Designation	Broadway theatre
Architect	Thomas W. Lamb
Owned by	The Shubert Organization
Capacity	1,082
Opened	December 20, 1912
Production	Born Yesterday
shubertorganization.com/theatres/cort.asp

The Cort Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 138 West 48th Street in the Theatre District of midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is owned by the Shubert Organization, the largest owner of Broadway theatres.

The Cort Theatre was designated a New York City landmark on November 17, 1987.^[1]

History

John Cort (ca. 1861-1929), founder of the Northwestern Theatrical Association,^[2] commissioned architect Thomas W. Lamb to design the theater. Its façade was modeled on the Petit Trianon in Versailles. The resulting 1082-seat Cort Theater is one of the few Lamb theaters still extant and functioning as a legitimate theater. The interior was designed in the style of the era of Louis XVI, with a Pavanozza marble lobby with plasterwork panels. The arch of the proscenium stage consists of perforated plaster treated with art glass, and was designed to be lit during performances. The arch still exists as of 2007, although the lighting feature is no longer in operation.

The Cort Theatre opened on December 20, 1912 with Laurette Taylor starring in the play Peg o' My Heart, which ran for 603 performances, an auspicious start for the new venue.^[3] Numerous famous British actors have appeared at the Cort: Basil Rathbone played Dr. Nicholas Agi in The Swan in October 1923, and in April 1927 appeared as Vladimir Dubriski in Love is Like That. In October 1924 Henry Daniell appeared as Aubrey Tanqueray in The Second Mrs Tanqueray, was there again in August 1943 in Murder Without Crime, and in January 1946 appeared as Leontes in The Winter's Tale.

The Shubert Organization purchased the theatre in 1927, two years before John Cort's death.^[3] The theatre was used as a television studio for The Merv Griffin Show from 1969 to 1972.

In popular culture

In the 1968 version of the comedy film The Producers, directed by Mel Brooks, the Cort Theatre was seen in the movie across the street from the Playhouse Theater (torn down in 1969), whose marquee can be glimpsed momentarily and exterior was used only. However, in the scene where the theater blows up, the marquee of the Cort Theater can be seen.

Notable productions

The Cort Theatre marquee

1912-1914: Peg o' My Heart (first prod.)       1919-1920: Abraham Lincoln 1922: Merton of the Movies 1930: Uncle Vanya 1932: The Blue Bird 1937: Room Service 1940: The Male Animal; Charley's Aunt (revival) 1946: Antigone in repertory with Candida 1951-1952: Saint Joan 1954: The Rainmaker 1955-1957: The Diary of Anne Frank 1958: Sunrise at Campobello 1960: Once Upon a Mattress 1960-1961: Advise and Consent 1961-1962: Purlie Victorious 1963: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1965: Boeing-Boeing 1974: The Magic Show 1979: King Richard III starring Al Pacino 1985: A Moon for the Misbegotten (revival) 1985-1986: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

1988-1989: Sarafina! 1990: The Grapes of Wrath 1991-1992: Two Shakespearean Actors 1993: Face Value (closed in previews) 1994: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 1995: The Heiress (revival) 1997: An American Daughter 1998: Freak; The Blue Room 1999: Marlene; Kat and the Kings 2002: Hollywood Arms 2003: A Year with Frog and Toad; Bobbi Boland (closed in previews) 2004: Laugh Whore 2005: On Golden Pond (revival) 2006: Barefoot in the Park (revival) 2007: The Little Dog Laughed; Radio Golf 2007–2008: The Homecoming (revival) 2008: The 39 Steps 2009: You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush 2010: A View from the Bridge (rev.); Fences (rev.); Time Stands Still 2011: Born Yesterday (revival)

Box office record

The Tony Award-winning revival of ences, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, achieved the box office record for the Cort Theatre. The production grossed $1,175,626 over eight performances, for the week ending July 11, 2010.^[4]

References

Notes

1. ^ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. "Cort Theatre Designation Report" (November 17, 1987)
2. ^ "Syndicate Denies a Truce, But Opinion Is That a Sort of Agreement Has Been Made with Cort". New York Times. Nov. 3, 1910. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9500EFDF1339E433A25750C0A9679D946196D6CF. Retrieved Dec 22, 2007. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Cort Theater Tickets, Reeds Tickets. Accessed December 22, 2007.
4. ^ NewYorkCityTheatre.com

Bibliography

• Who's Who in the Theatre, edited by John Parker, tenth edition, revised, London, 1947, pps: 477-478 and 1184.

External links

• Official website
• Cort Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database
• Broadway Theatre Guide