Broadway Theatre

Address

1681 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

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Public Transport

By Subway:
B, D, E - To 7th Ave (At 53rd Street) and then West to Broadway. A, C, 1 to 50th Street, go north to 53rd Street. N, R - To 49th Street, proceed North or South to appropriate street. Q - To 42nd Street, head North.
By Bus:
Take the M7, M20, M50, or M104 bus.

Accessibility

Elevator/Escalator

There are no elevators or escalators at this theatre.
Assisted Listening System

Reservations are not necessary. Drivers license or ID with printed address required as a deposit. Please call: (212) 582-7678 to reserve in advance.
Wheelchair Info

Wheelchair seating available in the Orchestra section only. Theatre is not completely wheelchair accessible.
Entrance

No stairs at the entrance to the lobby.
Folding Armrests

Six (6) seats with folding armrests available as mobility seats.
Parking

The closest lot is Maestro Parking, 888 8th Avenue.
Restroom

Unisex wheelchair accessible restroom located on lobby level.
Seating

Orchestra: No steps. Mezzanine: 2 flights of stairs (up 31 steps) 11 steps/landing/9 steps/landing with restrooms/3 steps/landing/8 steps. Please note, once on the Mezzanine level there are approx 2 steps up/down per row. Entrance to Mezz. is behind Front Mezzanine row F and in front row A of rear mezzanine.
Telephone

A pay phone is located in the theatre lobby.
Visual Assistance

Vision seats in the front of the orchestra for purchase on the phone, in person, or on the website.
Water Fountain

Water available from the bar. Water fountain down one flight of stairs in lower lobby.

Theater Description

The Broadway Theatre (formerly Universal's Colony Theatre, B.S. Moss' Broadway Theatre, Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre, and Ciné Romais) was designed by architect Eugene De Rosa for Benjamin S. Moss, it opened as B.S. Moss's Colony Theatre on Christmas Day 1924 as a venue for vaudeville shows and motion pictures. The theater has operated in many capacities and under many names. It was re-named Universal's Colony Theatre, B.S. Moss' Broadway Theatre, and Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre before becoming a legitimate theater house simply called Broadway Theatre on December 8, 1930. In 1937, known as Ciné Roma, it showed Italian films. For a short time during the 1950s it showed Cinerama films.

On November 18, 1928 the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released to the public, Steamboat Willie, debuted at the Colony. Producer Walt Disney returned on November 13, 1940 to debut the feature film Fantasia in Fantasound, an early stereo system.

The legitimate theater opened in 1930 with The New Yorkers by Cole Porter. Stars such as Milton Berle, Alfred Drake, Jose Ferrer, Eartha Kitt, Vivien Leigh, Zero Mostel, and Mae West have appeared on stage.

The Shubert Organization bought the theater in 1939 and renovated it extensively in 1956 and 1986. It has long been a popular theatre for producers of musicals because of large seating capacity, and the large stage, which is nearly sixty feet deep. Often plays that have become successful in smaller theaters have transferred to the Broadway Theatre.