John Golden Theatre

Address

252 W 45th St
New York, NY 10036

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Public Transport

By Subway:
1, 2, 3, 7, S, N, R, W, Q, A, C, E to 42nd St/Times Square.
By Bus:
Take the M7, M20, or M104 bus.

Accessibility

Wheelchair Info

Four ADA compliant viewing locations with companion seating. Transfer optional.
Seating

Orchestra on ground level. Lower lounge, front and rear mezzanine reached only by stairs.
Elevator/Escalator

There are no elevators or escalators at this theatre.
Parking

Valet parking lot: North side of street between Broadway & 8th Ave. Vans enter on 46th St. Valet parking garage: South side of 45th St.(east of Shubert Alley) between Broadway & 8th Ave. No vans.
Curb Ramps

(2.5" lip) SW corner of 45th St. & Broadway; NW corner 45th St. & Broadway.
Entrance

Double doors in series: 1st set (each 28.5") has one pair of automatic doors from 45th St. to Ticket Lobby with push-button control, incline up to 2nd set (each 28", attended by ushers) to Orchestra.
Box Office

Ticket lobby. Counters 43". Accessible pass-through with writing shelf at 32". Assistance available.
Restroom

Womens and Mens: Lower lounge. Down nineteen steps with continuous handrails. Wheelchair accessible restroom off premises. Assistance available.
Water Fountain

Lower lounge, in restrooms.
Telephone

Lower lounge. Coin slot at 54". Cord 29". Volume control. TTY, shelf and electric outlet.
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.
Folding Armrests

Nine row-end seats with folding armrests.
Visual Assistance

Low vision seats available for purchase in person, online, or over the phone.

Theater Description

The John Golden Theatre was originally built in 1927 as the Theatre Masque by real-estate magnates, the Chanin Brothers, as part of a three-theatre complex that also included the Royale (a mid-sized house) and the Majestic (a large house). The Theatre Masque, the most intimate of the three, was designed for serious dramas. In 1930, the Chanins transferred ownership of all three venues to the Shuberts. In 1937, when John Golden assumed its management, he renamed it after himself, the third playhouse to bear his name. The Shuberts took back control of the theatre in 1946, turning it into a film house for two years before restoring it to legitimacy in the late 1940s.

The Golden was home to many significant playwrights and productions throughout the 1950s and 60s. Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot (1956) had its Broadway premiere here, starring Bert Lahr. An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May opened in 1960, followed by Beyond the Fringe (1962), and a South African musical revue entitled Wait a Minim! (1966).

Some distinguished plays of the 1970s include David Rabe's Sticks & Bones (1972), the Shubert-produced, Pulitzer Prize-winning The Gin Game (1977), directed by Mike Nichols and starring Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. Tommy Tune's A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine (1980) began the 1980s with a bang. The Golden then played home to three more Pulitzer Prize winners: Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart (1981), Marsha Norman's 'night Mother (1983), produced by the Shuberts and starring Kathy Bates, and David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross (1984).

The last two decades have seen shows such as Falsettos (1992) by William Finn and James Lapine, Terrence McNally's Master Class (1995) starring Zoe Caldwell as opera diva Maria Callas and Audra McDonald as her student, Side Man (1998), Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (2002), the Tony-winning musical, Avenue Q (2003), by Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx, and Jeff Whitty, the Tony Award-winning Best Play Red (2010) and the Tony Award-winning revival of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart.

Watch a video about the John Golden Theatre at Spotlightonbroadway.com