Belasco Theatre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Belasco Theatre

Stuyvesant Theatre
Seen in 2022
Address	111 West 44th Street Manhattan, New York City United States
Coordinates	40°45′24″N 73°59′02″W / 40.75667°N 73.98389°W / 40.75667; -73.98389
Owner	The Shubert Organization
Designation	Broadway
Type	Broadway
Capacity	1,016
Production	Appropriate
Construction
Opened	October 16, 1907
Architect	George Keister
Website
shubert.nyc/theatres/belasco/
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 4, 1987
Reference no.	1317
Designated entity	Facade
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 4, 1987
Reference no.	1318
Designated entity	Lobby and auditorium interior

The Belasco Theatre is a famous Broadway theater in New York City. You can find it at 111 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan. It was first called the Stuyvesant Theatre when it was built in 1907.

A well-known architect named George Keister designed the theater. It was built for a theater boss named David Belasco. The Belasco Theatre has 1,016 seats for people to watch shows. These seats are spread across three different levels.

Since 1948, The Shubert Organization has managed the theater. Both the outside (called the facade) and the inside of the theater are special New York City landmarks. This means they are protected because of their history and design.

The outside of the theater on 44th Street is made of red bricks. It has cool decorations made of terracotta. The ground floor is where you enter. The upper parts look a bit uneven and have a triangle shape at the top.

David Belasco and his team had their offices in one part of the theater. There was even a special apartment with ten rooms on the top floor. This apartment belonged to Belasco and held his collection of interesting items.

Inside the theater, you'll see beautiful Tiffany lights. There's also fancy woodwork and large murals painted by artist Everett Shinn. The main seating area is on the ground floor, called the orchestra. There are also two higher levels of seating, known as balconies.

The theater was built by Meyer R. Bimberg. David Belasco ran it as the Stuyvesant Theatre. It opened on October 16, 1907. Belasco added his apartment in 1909. In 1910, he changed the theater's name to the Belasco Theatre.

After Belasco passed away in 1931, other people managed the theater. The Shuberts bought it in 1948. They rented it to NBC for three years. Then, in 1953, it went back to showing live plays. The theater has been updated many times over the years.

What the Theater Looks Like

The Belasco Theatre was designed by George Keister. He also designed the Hotel Gerard nearby. The theater was built in a style called neo-Georgian. This style was popular for many old government buildings in New York City.

The theater was built between 1906 and 1907. It was first called the Stuyvesant Theatre. This name honored Peter Stuyvesant, an old leader of New Amsterdam. New Amsterdam was the Dutch colony that became New York City.

The Belasco is smaller than some other theaters built at the same time. It has a separate section for offices and dressing rooms. There's also a private apartment on the top floor. This apartment was added in 1909.

The Outside (Facade)

The front of the theater faces 44th Street. It is made of red bricks with terracotta decorations. The side walls are plain brick. The front is about 60 feet tall.

There's an alley around the theater. This alley is about 10 feet wide. It was built to meet fire safety rules. Because of the alley, the theater itself is about 105 by 100 feet.

Ground Floor Entrance

On 44th Street, the bottom part of the theater has a granite base. Above that are red bricks. There are four sets of doors in the middle. These doors are separated by decorative columns.

On each side of the main doors are display boards. These boards show what's playing at the theater. The far left side has steps leading to two more doors. These go to the ticket lobby.

The far right side has steps to another set of doors. These doors lead to the balcony seating. A large metal canopy hangs over the main doorways.

Upper Floors

Details of the 44th Street elevation

East end pavilion

One of the center bays

The office section at far west

The upper parts of the theater look a bit uneven. The office section is on the far left. Two decorative sections, called pavilions, are on either side of three central window areas. The third floor has a decorative top edge.

The pavilions are mostly brick and don't have many windows. A metal sign hangs in front of the left pavilion. David Belasco's apartment is on the fourth floor above the right pavilion. It has special windows and brickwork.

The three middle sections have columns on each side. On the second floor, each section has three windows. On the third floor, each section has a round-arched window. A brick triangle shape rises above these three middle sections. It has an oval window in the center.

The office section on the far left also has a similar design. It has special windows on its second, third, and fourth floors. These include a three-part window and arched windows.

Inside the Theater

The inside of the theater was designed with colors chosen by Wilfred Buckland. Artist Everett Shinn painted murals for the theater. The Belasco had very advanced stage equipment for its time. This included lots of lights and a system to move things on stage.

There was also plenty of space under the stage for workshops. Tiffany Studio designed the lighting fixtures throughout the theater. These were made by lighting experts Nimis & Nimis.

The theater had 19 emergency exits. This allowed everyone to leave quickly in case of an emergency. News reports said the whole theater could be emptied in three minutes. The colors inside were mostly blue, green, and brown.

The Belasco was also very modern for its time. It had heating, cooling, and ventilation systems. There were no radiators. Instead, heat was spread evenly through 350 ducts in the floor. Fresh air was also brought in using large fans.

The cellar had a fire pump. This pump could spray 250 gallons of water per minute. Water came from a large water tower on the roof and a reserve tank in the basement. There were also fire escapes on each side of the theater. These extra exits were built to prevent people from getting crushed in a crowd.

Lobby

Box office

The entrance lobby is almost square. You get to it from the far left entrance on 44th Street. John Rapp designed the lobby. It used to be brown and gold. Later, it was changed to black and gold.

The floor is made of mosaic tiles. The walls have marble at the bottom. Above the marble are panels and decorative columns. There's a decorative border around the whole room.

The side walls have gilded lights. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling. The main entrance is on the south wall. Above it are murals by Everett Shinn. The east wall has doors leading to the main seating area.

In the middle of the north wall is a fancy box office. This is where you buy tickets. It's inside an arched opening. The ticket window has small columns on each side.

Auditorium

The main seating area, called the auditorium, has a ground-level orchestra. It also has special boxes and two balconies. There are walkways on all three seating levels. A large stage is behind the main arch.

The auditorium is wider than it is deep. It has 1,016 seats in total. The orchestra level has 527 seats. The first balcony has 283 seats, and the second balcony has 200 seats. There are also 24 box seats.

The orchestra floor slopes down towards the stage. This helps everyone see better. The two balconies stick out without columns blocking the view. This means every seat has a clear view of the stage.

Auditorium as seen from orchestra level

The orchestra level has painted wood panels on the side walls. There used to be four boxes on each side of the stage. These were removed but put back in 2010. Stairs on either side of the back doors connect to the first balcony.

The orchestra level is accessible for wheelchairs. But the balconies can only be reached by stairs. The balconies have decorative panels underneath them with lights. Small stained-glass chandeliers hang over the second balcony.

Until 2010, the second balcony had a separate entrance. This was from a time when theatergoers were sometimes separated by their ticket price.

Left-hand boxes in the Belasco

On each side of the stage are wall sections. These originally had two boxes on each balcony level. The boxes are supported by decorative brackets. They have railings with leaf designs.

The walls next to the boxes have columns with stained-glass tops. These columns support an arch. At the top of the box sections are murals about love. A staircase connects the orchestra level to the boxes on the east wall.

Other Design Features

Next to the boxes is the proscenium arch. This is the arch that frames the stage. It has wide bands and leaf patterns. The proscenium is smaller than in many other Broadway theaters. It's about 32 feet high and 30 feet wide.

There's a mural inside the arch. It's about 35 feet long and 8 feet tall. The mural shows 29 pairs of figures. These figures represent feelings like music, sadness, peace, and poetry.

Right in front of the stage was an orchestra pit. This pit was 32 feet across and 7 feet deep. The stage itself was originally 80 feet wide and 27 feet deep. An adjustable front part was added later. This could make the stage wider.

The stage had a special elevator trap. This trap could raise or lower entire sets to two basement levels. This made it easy to change scenes quickly. The theater had about 4,500 electric lights in the stage area.

A large, fancy chandelier hangs from the main ceiling of the auditorium. The ceiling has 22 stained-glass panels. Each panel shows two shields and is lit from above. Many panels show Shakespeare and other famous writers.

Other Areas

Backstage

David Belasco wanted the backstage areas to be very clean and comfortable. He even made rules about it. There were chairs for actors to rest. The floors behind the stage were padded. This helped actors walk on and off stage quietly.

Next to the auditorium was a six-story building for dressing rooms. Each dressing room was like a small apartment. They had concrete floors, natural light, and hot and cold water. There was a shower and bathtub on each floor. In total, there were 35 rooms.

The eastern part of the theater has a ten-room apartment. This was built for Belasco in 1909. The apartment had its own small private elevator. The living room had a very high ceiling.

The apartment was full of unique items. These included old glass pieces and things related to Napoleon. There was even a strand of Napoleon's hair! After Belasco died, many of his items were sold.

History of the Belasco Theatre

Around 1900, Times Square became the main place for big theater shows. New York City's theater district moved from other areas to Midtown Manhattan. Between 1901 and 1920, 43 theaters were built near Broadway. The Belasco Theatre was one of them.

David Belasco was very interested in stage lighting. He often spent more money and time on lighting than on all other production costs combined. He wanted a new theater where he could control every part of the design.

Belasco's Time as Owner

Building the Theater

Stuyvesant Theatre in 1907, before Belasco's apartment was added

The Belasco Theatre was built by Meyer R. Bimberg. He started the Stuyvesant Theatre Company in 1906. In June 1906, Belasco announced he would manage the theater. He decided to name it after Peter Stuyvesant.

Architect George Keister designed the theater. It was expected to cost about $300,000. Construction plans were filed in September 1906. On December 5, 1906, a special ceremony was held. Many famous people attended the dedication of David Belasco's Stuyvesant Theatre. The total cost ended up being over $750,000.

David Belasco's Stuyvesant Theatre opened on October 16, 1907. The first show was a musical called A Grand Army Man. Critics loved the new theater. One called it "the most complete and satisfactory playhouse." Another said the inside was "the most beautiful in New York."

Belasco produced or directed almost 50 shows there. Most of these ran for at least 100 performances. Early shows included The Warrens of Virginia (1908) and The Devil (1908). In 1909, Belasco added his apartment above the theater.

1910 to 1930

The Stuyvesant Theatre was renamed the Belasco Theatre on September 17, 1910. The first Belasco Theatre on 42nd Street became Hammerstein's Republic Theatre. After the name change, the Belasco hosted popular shows like The Concert (1910) and Return of Peter Grimm (1911). Both ran for over 200 shows.

The theater also had some musical performances. In 1914, The Phantom Rival introduced a new idea. They would turn off all the lights to change sets and costumes. This was instead of lowering the curtain.

David Belasco in the workroom of his studio at the theater

In the 1910s and 1920s, David Belasco helped many actresses become famous. These included Blanche Bates and Katharine Cornell. He was very focused on making details in his shows perfect. For example, he insisted that laundry scenes have real, working laundries.

The Belasco hosted many other shows in the 1920s. Kiki ran for 580 performances in 1921. Lulu Belle was also very successful, with 461 performances. In 1927, the musical Hit the Deck played there. This was one of the few musicals at the theater.

Belasco updated the theater for a show called Mima. He changed the decorations around the stage. His last show at the theater was Tonight or Never in 1930.

After Belasco Passed Away

David Belasco died in May 1931. Katherine Cornell and her husband leased the theater for two years. The theater was valued at $800,000 at that time. Cornell herself appeared in two shows there.

In 1934, Hazel Rice bought the Belasco. She made small changes but found it in good shape. However, her shows were not very successful. The Belasco estate took the theater back in 1936.

The Group Theatre started showing plays at the Belasco in 1934. Their shows included Awake and Sing! and Dead End. Dead End ran for 684 performances. This was the longest-running play at the Belasco for 80 years.

In the 1940s, popular shows included Johnny Belinda (1940) and Dark Eyes (1943). In 1944, a group led by John Wildberg bought the Belasco.

Shubert Organization Takes Over

1950s to 1970s

The theater as seen from the west

The Belasco Theatre was sold in November 1948. The new owners planned to tear it down later. But the Shubert Organization took over management for a while. The Shuberts then leased it to NBC in 1949.

NBC used the theater as a broadcast studio for four years. Many Broadway theaters were turned into studios then. They broadcast plays and concerts from the Belasco. A game show called Take It or Leave It was also filmed there.

The Belasco reopened for live Broadway shows on November 5, 1953. The first show was The Solid Gold Cadillac. Other shows in the 1950s included The Flowering Peach (1954).

In 1960, All the Way Home won a special award. Other important shows included The Subject Was Roses (1966). In 1969, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? was the Broadway debut for actor Al Pacino.

1980s and 1990s

Sign on the Belasco's facade

In the late 20th century, the Shuberts often used the Belasco for shows that had already played elsewhere. These included Ain't Misbehavin' (1981). The theater was empty for two years after that.

In 1985, the Shuberts let the New York Shakespeare Festival use the Belasco for free. Students performed Shakespeare plays there until 1987.

The Shuberts renovated the Belasco in the 1980s. They also sold some of the theater's unused building rights. This helped fund the theater's upkeep. The deal meant the Belasco had to stay open as long as the nearby skyscraper used these rights.

In 1987, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) made the Belasco's outside and inside official city landmarks. This protected the theater. The Shuberts and other theater owners tried to fight this in court. But the landmark status was upheld in 1992.

In 1990, the Broadway Alliance was formed. This group set aside theaters like the Belasco for plays and comedies. These shows had lower ticket prices. The Belasco hosted The Speed of Darkness in 1991.

The National Actors Theatre started showing plays at the Belasco later that year. The Shuberts leased the theater to them. This helped keep the theater active. Their first shows included The Crucible. The Belasco also hosted a puppet show in 1994. Other shows in the late 1990s included Hamlet and A Doll's House.

2000s to Today

As seen from the east in 2002

The first musical at the Belasco in the 2000s was James Joyce's The Dead. This was followed by Follies in 2001. In 2003, the Shuberts agreed to make their theaters more accessible for people with disabilities.

More shows followed in the 2000s. These included Dracula, the Musical and Julius Caesar. The theater was leased by Lincoln Center Theater for some productions.

In 2009, the Belasco closed for renovations. The theater was considered small compared to others. They restored the decorative parts, like the stained glass and murals. They also replaced restrooms and seats. The theater reopened on October 2, 2010. The show was Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

In 2014, Hedwig and the Angry Inch opened. It became the longest-running show at the Belasco. Other shows in the 2010s included End of the Rainbow and Network.

In November 2019, Netflix rented the theater. They showed the film The Irishman there. This was the first time a movie was shown at the Belasco. The theater was updated with surround sound and a big screen.

The musical Girl from the North Country played in early 2020. Then, the theater closed on March 12, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened on October 13, 2021, with the same show. Recent shows include Ain't No Mo' (2022) and Good Night, Oscar (2023). The play Appropriate moved to the Belasco in March 2024.

Alleged Haunting

The Belasco Theatre has a famous story about David Belasco's ghost. People say his ghost haunts the theater every night. Actors and staff have reported seeing him. He is said to appear in old-fashioned clothes. He sometimes sits in an empty box on opening nights.

Some actors have said the ghost tried to talk to them. A caretaker even heard rattling from Belasco's old private elevator. This elevator had not been used for a long time. Other stories describe unexplained footsteps. Doors and curtains sometimes move on their own.

There are also reports of a second ghost, called the "Blue Lady." People say she appears as a cold blue mist. She is supposedly an actress who fell to her death in an elevator shaft.

For a while, people said Belasco's ghost stopped appearing. But by the 2000s, he was reportedly seen again. In the show Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the main character talks about the ghost. She says if the ghost appears on opening night, the show is lucky. She even asks the audience to tell her if they see him!

Notable Productions

Productions are listed by the year they first opened. This list only includes Broadway shows.

See also

In Spanish: Teatro Belasco para niños

• List of Broadway theaters
• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets