Show Finder
Lucille Lortel Theatre
Email: gforbes@lortel.org
Website:
www.lortel.org
Address
121 Christopher St
New York, NY 10012
Public Transport
Accessibility
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Box Office
Lobby. Counter 44". -
Passenger Loading Zone
Front. Curb 6". -
Restroom
There is an accessible restroom located on the first floor of the theatre, which is open prior to, during intermission and after performances. Please inform the House Manager if you need assistance. This restroom is not available during the performance. -
Elevator/Escalator
None -
Entrance
The ramp entrance to the first floor of the theatre is accessible for wheelchairs and motorized chairs. The orchestra is accessible via a ramp located in the lobby; the ramp is 42” wide. Theatre aisles are 35” wide. -
Water Fountain
A water fountain is located only on the Mezzanine level up a flight of 20 steps. -
Assisted Listening System
The theatre is equipped with a Radio Frequency Listening System. Listening devices are provided at no charge. Identification (driver’s license, major credit card, passport, etc.) is required as a deposit. Headphones and induction neck loops available, or you may connect your personal earphones via a 3.5mm jack -
Wheelchair Info
Wheelchair seating available.
Theater Description
The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse located at 121 Christopher Street in New York City's Greenwich Village. It was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse. The interior is largely unchanged to this day.In the early 1950s, the site was converted to an off-Broadway theater as Theater de Lys, opening on June 9, 1953 with a production of Maya, a play by Simon Gantillon starring Kay Medford, Vivian Matalon, and Susan Strasberg. It closed after seven performances. The phenomenon was "The Threepenny Opera," which opened March 10, 1954, with a cast that included Bea Arthur, John Astin, Lotte Leyna, Leon Lishner, Scott Merrill, Gerald Price, Charlotte Rae and Jo Sullivan. Because of an incoming booking, it was forced to close after 96 performances. Re-opening Sept. 20, 1955, with largely the same cast, "The Threepenny Opera" this time played until Dec. 17, 1961, a then record-setting run for a musical in New York City.
In 1955, financier Louis Schweitzer acquired the building as an anniversary present for his wife, actress-producer Lucille Lortel. In 1981, the year of her 81st birthday, the theatre was renamed in her honor. After Lortel's death, the theatre was left to the Lucille Lortel Foundation.
