Belasco Theatre

Belasco Theatre

Coordinates: 40°45′23.1″N 73°59′0.5″W / 40.756417°N 73.983472°W / 40.756417; -73.983472

Belasco Theatre

The Belasco Theatre c. 2002.
Address 111 West 44th Street
City New York City
Country USA
Designation Broadway
Architect George Keister
Owned by The Shubert Organization
Capacity 1,016
Opened October 16, 1907
Previous names Stuyvesant Theatre
shubertorganization.com/theatres/belasco.asp

The Belasco Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 111 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan.

Contents

History

Designed by architect George Keister for impresario David Belasco, the interior featured Tiffany lighting and ceiling panels, rich woodwork and expansive murals by American artist Everett Shinn, and a ten-room duplex penthouse apartment that Belasco utilized as combination living quarters/office space. Technically it was outfitted with the most advanced stagecraft tools available, including extensive lighting rigs, a hydraulics system, and vast wing and fly space. Meyer R. Bimberg was the actual owner of the Stuyvesant/Belasco. He made his fortune selling political campaign buttons.[1]

It opened as the Stuyvesant Theatre on October 16, 1907 with the musical A Grand Army Man with Antoinette Perry. Three years later Belasco attached his own name to the venue. After his death in 1931, it was leased first by actress Katharine Cornell and then playwright Elmer Rice. Marlon Brando had his first widely noticed success in this theater, in a production of Maxwell Anderson's "Truckline Cafe", which opened on Feb. 27th, 1946. He played the small but crucial role of Sage MacRae. The play flopped, but the press celebrated Brando as a new genius actor; occurring before his noted film performance in "A Streetcar Named Desire".[2] The Shuberts bought it in 1949 and leased it to NBC for three years before returning it to legitimate use.

This theater is the subject of an urban legend that David Belasco's ghost haunts the theater every night. Some performers in the shows that played there have even claimed to have spotted him or other ghosts during performances.[3] It was also reported that after Oh! Calcutta! (a musical revue with extensive full frontal male & female nudity) played the theater the ghost of David Belasco stopped appearing.

Notable productions

References

Notes
  1. ^ www.Broadway.tv article "Passing Strange Broadway Ghost"
  2. ^ Peter Manso, Brando. The Biography (New York: Hyperion, 1994. ISBN 0-7868-6063-4), p. 167-173.
  3. ^ "The Ghosts of Broadway" by Robert Viagas. Playbill.com, June 10 2005

External links


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  • Belasco Theatre — Belasco Theatre, 2007 Das Belasco Theatre ist ein Broadway Theater in New York City an der Adresse 111 West 44th Street, zwischen der Avenue of the Americas und der Seventh Avenue. Als der Bühnenschriftsteller David Belasco das von Oscar… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Belasco Theatre —    The well established director producer David Belasco built his signature theatre in 1907 at 111 West 44th Street in New York City. Designed by George Keister, it was named the Stuyvesant until 1910. The theatre opened on 16 October 1907 with A …   The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater

  • Belasco — David Belasco (* 25. Juli 1853 in San Francisco, Kalifornien; † 14. Mai 1931 in New York City) war ein US amerikanischer Dramatiker, Regisseur und Theaterproduzent. Belasco wurde als Sohn jüdischer Einwanderer geboren, die während des… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • BELASCO, DAVID — (1859–1931), U.S. theatrical producer and playwright. Born in San Francisco, Belasco came from a Portuguese Jewish family named Valasco. He was educated in a monastery, which may have accounted for the way he dressed later in life, a free flowing …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Belasco, David — (1853 1931)    Born David Valasco in San Francisco, he learned theatre as a child, frequenting Maguire s and other theatres there. When the stars toured to San Francisco, young Belasco would find a spot in the company, and thus at age 11 he… …   The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater

  • theatre — /thee euh teuhr, theeeu /, n. theater. * * * I Building or space in which performances are given before an audience. It contains an auditorium and stage. In ancient Greece, where Western theatre began (5th century BC), theatres were constructed… …   Universalium

  • Belasco, David — born July 25, 1853, San Francisco, Calif., U.S. died May 14, 1931, New York, N.Y. U.S. theatrical producer and playwright. He acted with traveling companies before becoming a theatre manager, first in San Francisco and later in New York City… …   Universalium

  • theatre, Western — ▪ art Introduction       history of the Western theatre from its origins in pre Classical antiquity to the present.       For a discussion of drama as a literary form, see dramatic literature and the articles on individual national literatures.… …   Universalium

  • David Belasco — Disambiguation: Also the name of his uncle, David James (actor). David Belasco Between 1898 and 1916. Born July 25, 1853(1853 07 25) Sa …   Wikipedia

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