Show Finder
New Amsterdam Theatre
Website:
newamsterdamtheatre.com
Address
214 West 42nd Street
New York City, NY 10036
Public Transport
Accessibility
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Box Office
Separate entrance on 42nd St. Double doors in series (each 31") to ticket lobby". Counter 27". -
Restroom
Accessible unisex bathrooms located in orchestra, mezzanine and balcony. Door 32.5". Commode 20". Grab bars. -
Elevator/Escalator
Elevator available at the theatre. -
Entrance
Two sets of double doors in series: 1st set (each 32 " to main lobby; 2nd set (each 52") into orchestra. -
Water Fountain
Located in balcony. Spout 36". -
Assisted Listening System
Headsets for sound augmentation are available at the theatre. For guests with Tele Coil, T-Coil Loops are available. -
Wheelchair Info
Wheelchair seating available in the rear orchestra and mezzanine. -
Folding Armrests
None
Theater Description
The New Amsterdam Theatre was built in 1902-1903 and was designed by the architecture firm of Herts & Tallant; The Roof Garden, where more risqué productions were presented was added in 1904, but has since been removed from the design.For many years the theatre was the home of the Ziegfeld Follies, George White's Scandals and Eva LeGallienne's Civic Repertory Theatre. It was used as a movie theatre beginning in 1937, closed in 1985, and was leased by the Walt Disney Corporation and renovated by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer in 1995-97 to be the flagship for Disney Theatrical Productions presentations on Broadway.
Both the Beaux-Arts exterior and the Art Nouveau interior of the building are New York City landmarks, having been designated in 1979. In addition, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The Beaux-Arts facade of the New Amsterdam is a narrow slice which leads to the theatre's interior, the first concrete example of architectural Art Nouveau in New York, The building was constructed in 1902-03 by the partnership of impresarios A.L. Erlanger and Marcus Klaw. Decorating was carried out by an extensive team of painters and sculptors that included George Gray Barnard, Robert Blum, the brothers Neumark, George Daniel M. Peixotto, Roland Hinton Perry and Albert G. Wenzel. At the time of construction, it was the largest theatre in New York, with a seating capacity of 1,702.
The theatre opened in November 1903 with a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. For many years, it hosted the Ziegfeld Follies, showcasing such talents as Fanny Brice, Eaton siblings and silent film star Olive Thomas whose ghost supposedly haunts the theatre.
A racier sister show of the Follies, the Midnight Frolics, played in the New Amsterdam's Roof Garden theatre. The New Amsterdam was the scene of Marilyn Miller's greatest triumphs in the musicals Sally (1920) and Sunny, which opened in September 1925 co-starring Clifton Webb as Harold Wendell-Wendell and ran for three seasons. But the theatre also hosted serious productions, and in June 1927 Basil Rathbone appeared there as Cassius in Julius Caesar.
The Great Depression did great damage to the theatre business, and in 1936 the New Amsterdam closed. It reopened on a limited basis in 1937 but was soon converted to a movie theatre. The Nederlander Organization purchased the landmark property in 1982, but it would not begin rehabilitation for another eight years. In 1990, after a court battle, the State and City of New York assumed ownership of the New Amsterdam and many other theatres on 42nd Street. Disney Theatrical Productions signed a 99-year lease for the property in 1993. The theatre, which had recently been used as a filming location for the movie Vanya on 42nd Street, was dilapidated; it would take several years, and millions of dollars, to restore it to its original usage and grandeur. The roof garden remained closed when it was discovered that it could not meet modern building codes. The New Amsterdam was officially reopened on April 2, 1997.
