Wallack's Theatre

"Wallack’s Theatre", located on 254 West 42nd Street in New York, United States, was opened on December 5th, 1904 by Oscar Hammerstein I. Wallack’s was Hammerstein’s 8th production theatre and was originally known as the "Lew Fields'", a name that Hammerstein gave it in recognition of his favourite comedian who often performed at his shows. This theatre was built by J.M. McElfatrick and Co., and was considered a ‘standard house’ during its time. The theatre itself was rather small, holding only 770 viewers, though it was originally designed to be much larger; an additional building had to be constructed just east of the theatre for dressing rooms.

Upon opening day in 1904, "It Happened in Nordland" took the stage as the first production at Lew Fields' Theatre and it was a hit. This play featured Lew Fields and Blanche Ring and had music by Victor Herbert. The production ran for five months and was the last to run under Fields' name. Following this play, the theatre was turned over to James K. Hackett, a producer and actor, as Hammerstein had lost control of the theatre due to a series of violations that needed to be addressed. Under Hackett’s management, the theatre enjoyed a few more successes than it had under its prior title. The Hackett Theatre had many plays put on, all of which were well received by the public, including the eight month run of "The Chorus Lady", which took place throughout 1906 and 1907.

Following James Hackett’s management of the theatre, it went on to be owned by William B. Harris in 1911 and H. H. Frazee, theatre manager and well known owner of the Red Sox baseball team, in 1920. Following Frazee’s ownership and a lack of success, the theatre reopened as "Wallack’s Theatre” in 1924, harking back to the original famous nineteenth-century New York playhouse of that name. John Cort, the man who renamed the theatre “Wallack's”, managed the theatre and kept it in business until the 1930’s when 42nd Street no longer seemed to have the same ‘Broadway’ appeal and the theatre life died. Wallack's became a theatre for movie showings and over the course of the next 10 years, underwent renovation and was renamed the Anco. Following these renovations, the theatre no longer held the character it once did and was simply no longer attractive. Some years later, in the late 1980’s, the theatre endured its final transformation and was completely stripped to its bare brick foundation with the intention of using it for retail purposes.

Sources

Henderson, Mary C. "The City and the Theatre." James T. White & Co., New Jersey, 1973.

Henderson, Mary C. "The City and the Theatre." Back Stage Books, New York, 2004.

"The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance." Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004. [http://www.oxfordtheatreandperformance.com/entry?entry=t177.e1677]

"Twentieth Century North American Drama." The University of Toronto and Alexander Street Press, L.L.C., 2006. [http://www.alexanderstreet2.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/nadrlive/index.html]

Van Hoogstraten, Nicolas "Lost Broadway Theatres." Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 1997.