Biltmore Theatre (New York). This problem‐plagued theatre on West 47th Street was nearly lost after years of flops and neglect but in 2003 became the latest restored Broadway house. It was built in 1925 by the speculating Chanin Brothers, but because the Herbert J. Krapp–designed house had fewer than a thousand seats, it was difficult to book and the brothers lost it during the Great Depression. The Federal Theatre Project used the theatre for some of its famous “Living Newspaper” productions in the 1930s, and in the 1940s it housed several shows by George Abbott. The Biltmore became a television studio in 1951, returned to legit status in 1961, then floundered until 1987 when it closed. Years of neglect and vandalism made restoring the small theatre uneconomical, but in 2003 it was restored as part of a new apartment complex and, the auditorium reduced to 650 seats, it reopened as the Broadway home for the nonprofit Manhattan Theatre Club.
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
| American Theater Guide: Biltmore Theatre |
| Wikipedia: Samuel J. Friedman Theatre |
| Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | 261 West 47th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York |
| Coordinates: | 40°45′37.73″N 73°59′12.17″W / 40.7604806°N 73.9867139°W |
| Built/Founded: | December 7, 1925 |
| Architect: | Herbert J. Krapp |
| Added to NRHP: | 2004 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 04001203[1] |
The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (formerly the Biltmore Theatre) is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 261 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan.
Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp for impresario Irwin Chanin, it opened on December 7, 1925 with the play Easy Come Easy Go. With a seating capacity of 903, it was one of Broadway's smaller venues.
The theatre was used by Federal Theatre's Living Newspaper project in the 1930s. CBS leased it for use as a radio and television studio from 1952 until 1961. In 1968, the groundbreaking rock musical Hair opened at the theatre.
In 1987, a fire struck the Biltmore. The blaze, which was later determined to be an act of arson, destroyed the interior. After the fire, the building sat vacant for fourteen years, suffering more structural damage from water and vandals. The theatre's ownership changed hands several times between 1987 and 2001, but most plans proposed for its future use - such as a showcase for "Best of Broadway" revues - were rejected since its New York City landmark designation required it to operate only as a legitimate Broadway house if renovated.
In 2001, the property was purchased by the Manhattan Theatre Club as a permanent home for its productions. Surviving sections of the original theatre were restored by EverGreene Architectural Arts, and missing parts were reconstructed. With 622 seats the new Biltmore has about two-thirds of the capacity of the old, although it now boasts modern conveniences such as elevators and meeting rooms. The Biltmore's landmarked features, such as the proscenium arch and a vaulted second-floor gallery, were restored or replicated.[2]
The theare was renamed the "Samuel J. Friedman Theatre" in a dedication ceremony held on September 4, 2008. The new name honors Broadway publicist Samuel Friedman.[3]
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Biltmore Theatre in media
In 1983, the Biltmore Theatre can be seen in The Muppets Take Manhattan. In the June 11, 1984 TV movie called The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale (Pamelyn Ferdin) with her dog Toto (Dimples the Dog) walks to the Biltmore Theater where the crowd is going inside and it says "MANHATTAN MELODIES," and Dorothy Gale says that Toto and she is going to see the wizard and saving him in a hot air balloon.
Notable productions
- c.1930 May West's Pleasure Man
- 1940: My Sister Eileen
- 1946: No Exit
- 1947: The Heiress
- 1951: Billy Budd (with Lee Marvin's stage-debut)
- 1961: Take Her, She's Mine
- 1963: Barefoot in the Park
- 1968: Loot; Hair; Staircase
- 1976: The Robber Bridegroom
- 1978: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
- 1980: Nuts
- 1982: Deathtrap
- 1983: Doonesbury
- 2003: The Violet Hour
- 2005: After the Night and the Music
- 2006: Rabbit Hole
- 2007: LoveMusik, Mauritius
- 2008: Come Back, Little Sheba; Top Girls, To Be or Not To Be
- 2009: The American Plan; Accent On Youth; The Royal Family
References
- Lost Broadway Theatres by Nicholas Van Hoogstraten, Princeton Architectural Press (1997) ISBN 1-56898-116-3
- ^ New+York County listings at the National Register of Historic Places
- ^ Dunlap, David."For Venerable Theater, It's a Body Transplant,"The New York Times, September 23, 2003
- ^ Jones, Kenneth."Broadway's Biltmore Becomes the Friedman on Sept. 4", playbill.com, September 4, 2008
External links
- Samuel J. Friedman Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database
- Friedman Theatre Broadway Theatre Guide listing
- "At This Theatre" at Playbill.com
- "A Midsummer Night's Renovation" by Iris Dorbian in Stage Directions, July 2004
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