Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
| Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre 236 West 45th Street New York, NY 10036 Click Here For More Info On The Theatre |
Location
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is located on the south side of 45th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue. It is number 23 on The Broadway Map.
Background
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, originally called the Plymouth Theatre, was built in 1917 thanks to the Shubert Family and producer/director Arthur Hopkins. By the time the Plymouth Theatre went up, the Shuberts had succeeded in having a full block of theaters to their credit, with the Plymouth and the Booth on 45th Street and the Broadhurst and the Shubert theaters on 44th Street. The shows that were frequently featured there (particularly in the early years) were considered mainly academic in nature, examples of this being Tolstoy’s Redemption in 1918 and What Price Glory? by Maxwell Anderson and Laurence Stallings in 1924. Nowadays it houses a pretty healthy mix of straight plays and more modest-sized musicals. On May 9, 2005, the Plymouth Theatre was renamed for Shubert Organization chairman Gerald Schoenfeld.
Design
One of the simplest theaters designed by Herbert Krapp, the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre’s exterior is brown, blue, and gold and much like its neighboring theaters was built using less costly materials such as terra cotta and brick. Wheelchair seating and restrooms are available in the Schoenfeld Theatre, with additional restrooms located in the lower lobby.
Best Seats
When first erected in 1917, the Schoenfeld Theatre had approximately 1000 seats. After subsequent building additions, the theater now holds 1,079 seats. Some of the more desirable seats in the house tend to be front mezzanine and center orchestra (rows C-I leaning towards being the most favorable).
Directions
By subway, take the A/C/E trains to 42nd Street or the 1/2/3 trains to 42nd St Times Square and then walk north to 45th Street.
Parking
See our Discount Parking Guide for parking near this theater
Previous Shows
The first show to open at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, back when it was known as the Plymouth, was Clare Kummer’s A Successful Calamity, though it was not in fact the show’s opening night (Calamity had already played at the Booth Theatre months earlier). Some of the more notable shows produced at the Schoenfeld include Dial "M" for Murder, Equus, Godspell, Ain't Misbehavin', The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Passion, Jekyll & Hyde, and both the original production of Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial in 1954 and the 2006 revival. The Schoenfeld Theatre has also been home to original productions of plays by many of the world's most loved and respected playwrights, including Thornton Wilder, Agatha Christie, Noel Coward, George Bernard Shaw, Neil Simon, David Hare, Tom Stoppard, John Guare, Lanford Wilson, Brian Friel, and Wendy Wasserstein.
Seating Chart
