What is the Oldest Continually Operating Broadway Theater in New York City
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A STRANGE LOOP
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The Lyceum is Broadway's oldest continually operating legitimate theatre. Built by producer-manager David Frohman in 1903, it was purchased in 1940 by a conglomerate of producers which included George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. In 1950, the Shuberts took ownership of the theatre, and have operated it ever since.
ARCHITECTURE
Designed in the Beaux Arts style by architects Herts and Tallant, the building boasts a handsome gray limestone façade with six ornate Corinthian columns. The foyer features two grand staircases leading to the mezzanine, and marble finished to approximate "the marble of Athens." When it opened, the theatre featured a state-of-the-art ventilation system: the auditorium was kept cool in the summer and warm in the winter as air was passed over either ice chambers or steam coils on its way into the theatre. Above the theatre, Frohman built an apartment for himself which included a small door that offers a bird's eye view of the stage below. Legend has it that Frohman waved a white handkerchief out the open door to tell his wife, the actress Margaret Illington, that she was overacting. This apartment is currently home to theShubert Archive.
Spotlight on Broadway: Lyceum Theatre from Spotlight on Broadway on Vimeo.
Details on the Lyceum Theatre's Accessibility
Access Information Shubert Audience Services
Theatre is not completely wheelchair accessible. There are no steps into the theatre from the sidewalk. Please be advised that where there are steps either into or within the theatre, we are unable to provide assistance.
The Lyceum Theatre provides accommodations for patrons who are blind, deaf, partially sighted, and/or have hearing loss. The theatre provides infrared assistive listening devices for every performance at the theatre. In addition, beginning four weeks after a show's official opening night performance, hand-held audio description devices, hand-held captioning devices, and unlimited access to downloadable audio description and/or captioning for personal mobile devices are all available free of charge. Prior thereto, we offer live-caption via CART using a hand-held device, upon request with two-weeks' advance notice. For assistance, or If you have questions, contact Shubert Audience Services at 212-944-3700 or audienceservices@shubertorg.com. There is also a representative at the Shubert Audience Services kiosk at every performance to assist any patron with any of our devices, software, or technology. Hand-held devices are limited, although additional devices can be obtained with at least twenty-four hours' notice.
Accessibility by Seating Section
Orchestra Location: Seating is accessible to all parts of the Orchestra without steps. There are no steps to the designated wheelchair seating location.
Mezzanine Location: Located on the 2nd Level, up 2 flights of stairs from Orchestra. Please Note: On the Mezzanine Level, there are approximately 2 steps per row. Entrance to Mezzanine is behind row J.
Balcony Location: Located on the 3rd Level, up 4 flights of stairs from Orchestra. Please Note: On the Balcony Level, there are approximately 2 steps per row. Entrance to Balcony is behind row J.
Handrails: Available at the end of every stepped seat row in the Mezzanine and Balcony.
Wheelchair | Companion Seat Locations:
Orchestra: O5 | O3, N5-7; I10 | O12-16; O6 | O4, N6-8; O9 | O11-15
Aisle Seat with Folding Armrest | Companion Locations:
Orchestra: L101 | L102; N1 | N3; N2 | N4
Elevators/Escalator
None Available. No steps into theatre.
Restroom
There is a wheelchair accessible restroom.
Water Fountain Theatre Policies
Located in the ticket lobby. Accessible at 36".
The use of cameras, recording devices, cell phones, beepers, and other electronic devices during the performance is prohibited. Everyone attending a performance must have a ticket. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of management. Wheelchair and mobility-impaired seating is intended for patrons with mobility disabilities. Children under the age of four years will not be admitted. No outside food or beverage permitted, unless medically necessary. No weapons permitted on the premises.
NOW PLAYING
A STRANGE LOOP
Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, A Strange Loop comes to Broadway in Spring 2022.
Meet Usher: a Black, queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer writing a musical about a Black, queer writer...
Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning, blisteringly funny masterwork exposes the heart and soul of a young artist grappling with desires, identity, and instincts he both loves and loathes. Hell-bent on breaking free of his own self-perception, Usher wrestles with the thoughts in his head, brought to life on stage by a hilarious, straight-shooting ensemble. Bold and heartfelt in its truth-telling, A Strange Loop is the big, Black, and queer-ass Great American Musical for all.
A Strange Loop Tickets
Regarded by many as a crown jewel among New York's playhouses, the Lyceum has housed many new plays, revivals, and repertory companies since its inaugural production,The Proud Prince (1903). Other early shows include J. M. Barrie'sThe Admirable Crichton (1903) (its first original play),The Other Girl (1904) starring Lionel Barrymore,A Doll's House (1906) featuring Ethel Barrymore, andThe Thief (1907) with Margaret Illington. Some stars who graced the stage of the Lyceum in its early years include Fanny Brice, Billie Burke, Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Judith Anderson, Leslie Howard, and Bette Davis.
In the 1940s and 1950s, the Lyceum's biggest hitBorn Yesterday (1946) launched the stardom of Judy Holiday and ran 1,642 performances, the theatre's longest run. Other productions during this era include Kaufman and Hart's George Washington Slept Here, Clifford Odets'sThe Country Girl (1950) starring Uta Hagen,A Hatful of Rain (1955) with Shelley Winters,The Happiest Millionaire (1956) featuring Walter Pidgeon, Alan Bates in John Osborne'sLook Back in Anger (1957), Shelagh Delaney'sA Taste of Honey (1960) with Angela Lansbury and Joan Plowright, and Harold Pinter'sThe Caretaker (1961) starring Alan Bates, Robert Shaw and Donald Pleasance.
A number of repertory companies have called the Lyceum Theatre home, starting with Frohman's own company, the Association of Producing Artists (APA)-Phoenix Repertory Company from 1965-69 which producedYou Can't Take It With You (1965),The School for Scandal (1966) andThe Cherry Orchard (1968). Tony Randall's National Actors Theatre produced more than a dozen shows here. Lincoln Center Theatre has also staged productions ofOur Town (1988),Rose (2000) starring Olympia Dukakis, Tom Stoppard'sThe Invention of Love (2001), andMornings at Seven (2002) (the second revival of this play at this theatre).
Other recent productions at the Lyceum include one person shows likeWhoopi Goldberg (1984, 2004 revival), a tour de force which helped launch Goldberg's successful film career,Ian McKellan: A Knight Out at the Lyceum (1994), Julia Sweeney'sGod Said "Ha!" (1996),Mandy Patinkin in Concert (1997), and most recently, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winningI Am My Own Wife (2003). There were also premieres of new plays like Athol Fugard'sMaster Harold...and the Boys(1982) starring Danny Glover, Harvey Feinstein'sSafe Sex (1987), and Martin McDonagh'sThe Lonesome West (1999).
The Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winningI Am My Own Wife(2003),Inherit the Wind(2007) with Brian Dennehy and Christopher Plummer, Mark Twain'sIs He Dead? (2007) and Neil LaBute'sReasons to Be Pretty(2009) all called the Lyceum home. Most recently, the Lyceum showcased Kander and Ebb'sThe Scottsboro Boys(2010), Tony Award winningVenus in Fur(2012), Nathan Lane in the Nance (2013), the Pulitzer Prize winning Disgraced (2014), the Tony Award winning revival of A View from the Bridge (2015) and the long-running comedy The Play That Goes Wrong (2017).
THEATRE SPECS
Lyceum Theatre
149 West 45th Street
Between 6th and 7th Avenues
New York NY 10036
| Year Built | 1903 | |
| Seating Capacity | ||
| Orchestra | 409 | |
| Mezzanine | 287 | |
| Balcony | 210 | |
| Boxes | 16 | |
| Total | 922 | |
| Included in Numbers Above: | ||
| Orchestra Pit | 11 | |
| Wheelchair | 4 | |
| Aisle Transfer Arm | 10 | |
| Theatre Dimensions | |
| Proscenium Opening: | 33' 0" |
| Height of Proscenium: | 31' 8" |
| Depth to proscenium: | 29' 6" |
| Depth to front of stage: | 31' 0" |
| Stage Type: | Proscenium |
SEATING CHART
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Source: https://shubert.nyc/theatres/lyceum/
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