Longacre Theatre
| Longacre Theatre 220 West 48th Street New York, NY 10019 Click Here For More Info On The Theatre |
Location
The Longacre Theatre is located on the south side of 48th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. It is number 10 on The Broadway Map.
Parking
See our discount parking guide for parking near this theater
Background
The Longacre Theatre was built in 1913 and named for Longacre Square, the area now known the world over as Times Square. Despite the long-ago disappearance of its namesake, the Longacre is one of the few Broadway theaters to have retained its original moniker throughout its long life. It was built by Harry H. Frazee, a young
entrepreneur who used his Broadway successes to finance his purchase of the Boston Red Sox, and then, when he was down on his luck with his theatrical ventures, earned the money he needed by doing the unthinkable: Selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. The "Curse of the Bambino" said to have haunted the Red Sox for the remainder of the century may have also had some effect on Frazee's Longacre Theatre, which was often dark during the Great Depression, spent most of the '40s and a chunk of the '50s as a radio and TV studio, and has, even since returning to legitimacy, hosted very few hit shows.
Design
Architect Henry B. Herts designed the Longacre Theatre in a French neo-classical style. Its aging exterior is handsome, though the interior design is less attractive. Originally built with a seating capacity of 1,400, the Longacre Theatre was ideal for musicals. But it was eventually reduced to under 1,100 seats, and these days mostly dramas are produced here.
Directions
By Subway, take the A/C/E to 50th Street, walk south on Eight Avenue and then turn left onto 48th Street. Or take the 1/2/3/9 to 50th Street, walk south on Broadway and then make a right onto 48th Street.
Best Seats
Your best bet is the middle to front orchestra, which offers a great view and also a fair amount of leg room.
Previous Shows
Past productions at the Longacre Theatre have included Leave It to Jane, Little Jesse James, The Butter and Egg Man, An American Tragedy, Wednesday's Child, Waiting for Lefty, On Borrowed Time, Morning's at Seven, The Ladies of the Corridor, The Lark, The Pleasure of His Company, Rhinoceros, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Mark Twain Tonight, I Never Sang for My Father, The Ritz, The Belle of Amherst, Ain't Misbehavin', Children of a Lesser God, Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, The Young Man From Atlanta, Golden Child, and Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam.
Seating Chart:
