Lyceum Theatre (Broadway) facts for kids
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Lyceum Theatre, showing Be More Chill, 2019
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| Address | 149 West 45th Street Manhattan, New York City United States |
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| Owner | The Shubert Organization |
| Capacity | 922 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | November 2, 1903 |
| Architect | Herts & Tallant |
| Website | |
| www.shubertorganization.com | |
The Lyceum Theatre ( ly-SEE-əm) is a Broadway theatre located at 149 West 45th Street near Times Square between Seventh and Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA.
Overview
Opened in 1903, the Lyceum Theatre is one of the three oldest surviving Broadway venues (along with the Hudson and New Amsterdam Theatres). It is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in New York City, and the first Broadway theatre ever to be granted landmark status (1974). It is one of the few theatres in New York which continues to operate under its original name.
Designed by architects Herts & Tallant in the Beaux-Arts style, the Lyceum was built by impresario Daniel Frohman. It opened on November 2, 1903, with the play The Proud Prince. Frohman's brother Charles served as the theater's manager until his death in 1915.
Two previous New York playhouses had also been called "Lyceum Theatre". The Fourteenth Street Theatre used the name from 1871 to 1879. Frohman's own earlier Lyceum on Fourth Avenue, was built in 1885 and closed in April 1902. It was replaced by the new Lyceum on 45th Street.
Among the prominent performers who appeared on the Lyceum's stage in its early years were Ethel Barrymore, Fanny Brice, Billie Burke, Ina Claire, Miriam Hopkins, Walter Huston, Basil Rathbone, and Cornelia Otis Skinner. It has been owned by the Shubert Organization since 1952.
The theatre maintains most of its original Beaux-Arts design, including its elaborate marble staircases and undulating marquee. Although it has three levels, it is one of the smaller Broadway theatres in terms of capacity, seating only 922. An apartment located above the orchestra, originally used by Frohman, is now the headquarters of the Shubert Archives.
Rear access
The stage door entrance is through a tall, thin building at 152 West 46th Street, built around the same time and designed by the same firm, Herts & Tallant.
Notable productions
- 1903: The Admirable Crichton
- 1910: The Importance of Being Earnest
- 1910: The Assumption of Hannele
- 1912: The Loves of Queen Elizabeth – silent film with Sarah Bernhardt, U.S. premiere
- 1919: The Gold Diggers
- 1935: Three Men on a Horse
- 1936: The Postman Always Rings Twice
- 1946: Born Yesterday
- 1950: The Country Girl
- 1952: Time Out For Ginger
- 1955: A Hatful of Rain
- 1957: Look Back in Anger
- 1960: A Taste of Honey
- 1965: Entertaining Mr Sloane
- 1972: Liza with a Z
- 1973: Out Cry
- 1975: The Lieutenant
- 1976: Something's Afoot
- 1980: Morning's at Seven
- 1982: "Master Harold"...and the Boys
- 1985: As Is
- 1995: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
- 1997: The Sunshine Boys
- 1999: Night Must Fall
- 2003: I Am My Own Wife
- 2005: Steel Magnolias
- 2006: The Lieutenant of Inishmore
- 2007: Inherit the Wind; Is He Dead?
- 2008: Macbeth; [title of show]
- 2009: reasons to be pretty; In the Next Room
- 2010: Looped; The Scottsboro Boys
- 2011: Ghetto Klown
- 2012: Venus in Fur
- 2013: The Nance; A Night with Janis Joplin
- 2014: The Realistic Joneses; Disgraced
- 2015: The Visit; A View from the Bridge
- 2016: Fully Committed; Oh, Hello
- 2017: The Play That Goes Wrong
- 2019: Be More Chill; A Christmas Carol
- 2020: Sing Street
Images for kids
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Eastward view of the lobby, with auditorium doors at left
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Auditorium
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Proscenium decorations
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1903 New-York Tribune cover showing the development of some theaters in New York City, including the Lyceum (top right)
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Early depiction of the theater
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View of the boxes
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Seen from across 45th Street
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Sign outside the theater in 2022
