Lena Horne Theatre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lena Horne Theatre

Mansfield Theatre (1926–1960) Brooks Atkinson Theatre (1960–2022)
Showing Six, 2022
Address	256 West 47th Street Manhattan, New York City United States
Coordinates	40°45′36″N 73°59′13″W / 40.76000°N 73.98694°W / 40.76000; -73.98694
Owner	Nederlander Organization
Type	Broadway
Capacity	1,069
Production	Six
Construction
Opened	February 15, 1926
Years active	1926–1950, 1960–present
Architect	Herbert J. Krapp
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 4, 1987
Reference no.	1311
Designated entity	Facade
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 4, 1987
Reference no.	1312
Designated entity	Auditorium interior

The Lena Horne Theatre is a famous Broadway theater in New York City. It's located at 256 West 47th Street in the busy Theater District. It first opened in 1926. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in a beautiful Spanish Revival style. It was built for Irwin Chanin. The theater has 1,069 seats across two levels. The Nederlander Organization runs it today. Both the outside (facade) and the inside (auditorium) are protected as New York City landmarks.

The outside of the theater has two parts. The stage area is four stories high and made of light brown brick. The main seating area is three stories high with yellow-beige brick and terracotta decorations. A large marquee covers the entrance on the ground floor. Inside, the auditorium has fancy plasterwork, a sloped main floor, a big balcony, and a curved ceiling. There are special box seats near the front of the balcony. Above these boxes, you can see beautiful murals.

The Lena Horne Theatre was originally called the Mansfield Theatre. It opened on February 15, 1926. For many years, it struggled to have hit shows. In 1950, it was rented by CBS for TV shows and called Studio 59. In 1960, it became a live theater again and was renamed the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. This name honored Brooks Atkinson, a famous theater critic. The Nederlander Organization bought the theater in 1974. After a big update in 2000, it has hosted many popular shows. These include Waitress and Six. On November 1, 2022, the theater was renamed after the amazing singer and civil-rights activist Lena Horne.

Location and Surroundings

The Lena Horne Theatre is at 258 West 47th Street. It's on the south side of the street, between Eighth Avenue and Broadway. This area is very close to Times Square in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The theater's land is about 10,050 square feet. It has a 100-foot wide front along 47th Street.

The Lena Horne Theatre shares its block with the Paramount Hotel and the Hotel Edison. Other theaters nearby include the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Theater Design

The Lena Horne Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in a modern Spanish style. It was built in 1926 for the Chanin brothers. The theater was first named after the British actor Richard Mansfield. From 1960 to 2022, it was named for Brooks Atkinson, a famous theater critic. Since 2022, it has been named for the African-American actress and singer Lena Horne. The Nederlander Organization manages the theater.

Outside Look (Facade)

The outside of the theater has two main parts. The eastern part is three stories tall and wider. This section holds the main entrance to the seating area. It is made of yellow-beige brick with white terracotta decorations. The western part is four stories high. This section contains the stage house. It is covered in brick.

Main Entrance Section

Detail of an outer bay

Detail of the center and left-of-center bays

View of signboards to the right (west) of the main doors

The first floor of the main entrance area is very balanced. It has a water table made of terrazzo at the bottom. Above this are rough-looking terracotta blocks. There are several openings on the first floor. The far-right opening has metal doors and signs. In the middle, there are five metal double doors that lead to the ticket lobby. The far-left opening is a metal stage door. A large marquee hangs over the five center doorways.

On the upper floors, the main entrance area has three sections. The windows on the far left and right are single sash windows on both the second and third floors. Above each window is a half-moon shape called a lunette with a flower design. These windows are framed by brick. Above the brick frame are terracotta designs with fleur-de-lis and flower patterns.

The middle section has three large Palladian window frames on the second floor. These windows have special keystone shapes above them. Thin, twisted columns divide the windows. The middle window is an open area with a fire escape. The other two Palladian windows have sash windows. On the third floor, there are three more openings. The middle one is a vent, and the other two are sash windows. All three have a lunette with a flower design above them. Between the windows are round decorations showing musical instruments. A sign with the theater's name sticks out from the side. A decorative ledge and a sloped tile roof top this section.

Stage House Section

Stage house

The stage house part of the Lena Horne Theatre is much simpler. It also has a terrazzo water table at the bottom. All four stories are covered in brick. On the ground floor, there's a doorway and a garage opening. There are also two bricked-up window openings. A decorative band of brick runs above the ground floor. On the second, third, and fourth floors, there are three sash windows on each level. Each window has a brick lintel above it. The stage house is topped by a decorative ledge and a low wall.

Inside Look (Auditorium)

The auditorium has a main floor (orchestra level), one balcony, special boxes, and a stage. The inside is decorated with plaster designs that are slightly raised. The Nederlander Organization says the theater has 1,069 seats. Other sources give slightly different numbers, but it's around 1,000 seats. The Lena Horne Theatre has a Spanish design style. The interior design was supervised by Roman Meltzer.

Seating Areas

The back of the main floor has a wide walkway with decorated walls. The main floor slopes down towards the stage. There are two columns between the main seating area and the walkway. Two staircases lead from the walkway up to the balcony. These stairs have decorative metal railings. The side walls of the main floor have decorative panels. Bronze lights are placed along the walls.

The balcony is split into front and back sections by an aisle. Exit doors are located on either side of this aisle. Above the exit doors are arch decorations. The rest of the balcony's side walls have panels with leaf designs. A decorative ledge runs above all the walls. The front railing of the balcony has shield and leaf designs. Lights are built into this railing. The underside of the balcony has plaster panels with crystal light fixtures.

On either side of the stage opening (proscenium) are curved wall sections. Each section has three arches, and each arch holds a box seat area at the balcony level. These wall sections are framed by fluted columns with gold-colored tops. At the main floor level, these sections have a fake rough stone wall with three rectangular openings. The undersides of the box seats have crystal light fixtures. The fronts of the boxes curve outwards and have shield and leaf designs. Murals showing commedia dell'arte characters and muses are painted above the boxes.

Other Design Features

There is a large, curved opening for the stage, called the proscenium arch. This arch is surrounded by a decorative band with leaf and rope patterns. Above the corners of the arch are sphinx designs. Fluted columns with gold-colored tops stand on either side of the arch. Above these columns is a decorative band with arch and fan designs.

A large beam divides the ceiling into front and back parts. This beam is decorated with arch and fan designs. The front part of the ceiling is curved, like a cove. It is also surrounded by arch and fan designs. Decorative moldings divide the curved ceiling into sections with urns and leaf designs. A crystal chandelier hangs from the center of this curved ceiling. The back part of the ceiling has molded bands that create arch and diamond-shaped panels. Near the side walls, these moldings have decorative frames with leaf designs. Four chandeliers hang from these frames.

Theater History

Times Square became a major center for theater shows in the early 1900s. Many theaters were built there by groups like the Shubert brothers. The Chanin brothers also built several theaters in the mid-1920s. Irwin Chanin, who built the Lena Horne Theatre, was very interested in theater.

Early Broadway Years

1920s and 1930s

Detail of an upper-story window

Irwin Chanin was new to Broadway when he built his first theater, the 46th Street Theatre (now Richard Rodgers). He hired Herbert Krapp, a skilled architect. Chanin then hired Krapp to design the Biltmore and Mansfield theaters on 47th Street. Irwin Chanin bought the land for these two theaters in March 1925. The Mansfield Theatre opened on February 15, 1926, with a play called The Night Duel.

Many of the Mansfield's early shows were not very successful. The Night Duel only ran for 17 performances. The theater's first moderate hit was If I Was Rich in September 1926. It ran for 92 performances. Later, The Ladder ran for hundreds of performances. In 1927, the Mansfield was sold to Irving Lewine, who leased it back to the Chanins.

In 1928, Lew Fields took over the theater's lease. He planned to stage shows and even rename the theater after himself. The musical Present Arms opened in April 1928 and ran for 147 performances. The theater's sign was changed to "Lew Fields Theatre" for a time.

The next big success at the Mansfield was The Green Pastures in February 1930. This play had an all-Black cast and ran for 640 performances. After this, many shows failed, giving the Mansfield a reputation as a "jinx house." The Chanin brothers lost control of their theaters during the Great Depression. In 1932, the theater was sold to Nyamco Associates Inc. The Group Theatre also presented some productions there.

1940s

Viewed from the east

The Mansfield hosted a revival of Juno and the Paycock in 1940. It also had the popular show Meet the People. In 1943, producer Michael Myerberg leased the theater. He bought it completely in March 1944. A very successful play called Anna Lucasta opened that August. It starred Hilda Simms and ran for 957 performances. This was another big hit with an all-Black cast, like The Green Pastures.

The Mansfield continued to host various plays and revivals in the late 1940s. These included Years Ago by Ruth Gordon and Lend an Ear. In February 1950, All You Need Is One Good Break was staged.

Becoming a TV Studio and Renaming

The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) rented the Mansfield Theatre in August 1950 for ten years. It became known as CBS Studio 59. The theater was used to broadcast popular TV shows like What's My Line? and I've Got a Secret.

In mid-1960, Michael Myerberg announced that the theater would return to live performances. It was renamed the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. This honored Brooks Atkinson, who had just retired as a theater critic for The New York Times. It was the first Broadway theater named after a theater critic. The renaming ceremony took place on September 7, 1960.

Broadway Revival and New Era

1960s to 1990s

Entrance and marquee as viewed from across the street

The first show at the Brooks Atkinson was Vintage '60 in September 1960. In 1961, Neil Simon's first play, Come Blow Your Horn, was a big success. It ran for 677 performances. Other notable shows in the 1960s included The Deputy and a revival of The Glass Menagerie. To help the theater, the Nederlander Organization bought half of it in 1967. In 1968, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg was staged. Dustin Hoffman also appeared in Jimmy Shine in 1968. In 1971, Lenny, a play about Lenny Bruce, ran for 453 performances.

In 1974, the Nederlanders became full owners of the Brooks Atkinson. Successful shows that year included My Fat Friend and Of Mice and Men with James Earl Jones. The popular comedy Same Time, Next Year opened in 1975. It ran for over 1,400 performances in total. Other shows in the late 1970s included Tribute with Jack Lemmon.

Lighted sign on the theater facade

In 1980, the play Talley's Folly moved to the Brooks Atkinson. The Dresser opened in 1981 and ran for 200 performances. In 1983, the theater staged Noises Off, which ran for a year and a half. Comedian Jackie Mason's solo show, The World According to Me!, ran for two years starting in 1986.

In 1987, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission decided to protect the Brooks Atkinson's outside and inside as landmarks. This meant the theater could not be changed too much. The Nederlanders and other theater owners tried to stop this, but the landmark status was upheld in 1992.

In the 1990s, the theater hosted Shadowlands in 1990. Death and the Maiden with Glenn Close and Richard Dreyfuss was staged in 1992. The Roundabout Theatre Company's She Loves Me was shown in 1993. In 1999, a popular revival of The Iceman Cometh starring Kevin Spacey was presented.

2000s to Present

View from under the marquee

In 2000, the theater was renovated for $2.2 million. The original chandelier was put back, and the lobbies and restrooms were updated. The Brooks Atkinson reopened in December 2000 with the musical Jane Eyre. A revival of Noises Off in 2001 ran for 348 performances. Other shows in the early 2000s included Medea and Democracy.

A revival of The Odd Couple opened in late 2005. The rock-and-roll musical Grease was revived in 2007 and ran for over a year. It was followed by Rock of Ages in 2009. In the early 2010s, the theater hosted shows like Peter and the Starcatcher and After Midnight. In 2014, the Nederlanders agreed to make their theaters, including the Brooks Atkinson, more accessible for people with disabilities.

The musical Waitress opened in 2016. It became the Brooks Atkinson's longest-running show in 2019. It closed in January 2020. The musical Six was about to open on March 12, 2020. However, the theater had to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Six finally premiered when the Brooks Atkinson reopened on September 17, 2021.

During the pandemic shutdown, theater owners promised to increase diversity. In June 2022, the Nederlanders announced that the Brooks Atkinson would be renamed for singer and actress Lena Horne. Lena Horne had a special relationship with the Nederlanders. She won awards for her Broadway show Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music in 1981. The Lena Horne Theatre is the first Broadway theater named after a Black woman. The new sign was revealed on November 1, 2022.

Notable Productions

Here are some of the important shows that have played at the theater. This list includes only Broadway shows.

1920s to 1940s

1960s to Present

Box Office Records

Waitress set a box office record for the theater in 2018. It earned $1,626,478 in one week. This record was later broken by Six. Six earned $1,649,206 in one week ending January 1, 2023.

See also

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