Music Box Theatre
| Music Box Theatre 239 West 45th Street New York, NY 10019 Click Here For More Info On The Theatre |
Location
The Music Box is located on the north side of 45th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. It is number 20 on The Broadway Map.
Parking
See our discount parking guide for parking near this theater
Background
The Music Box Theatre opened in 1921 with the Music Box Revue, featuring songs by then popular (and now legendary) composer/lyricist Irving Berlin. It was built by Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris specifically to house these revues, and the theater hosted a new one every year until 1925 when it presented its first play, Cradle Snatchers, starring Humphrey Bogart. At 1,010 seats, the space was perfect for these sorts of lavish revues, as well as the large cast plays that were also popular during the Great Depression Era. The celebrated playwriting team of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart had a string of hits here, from their first collaboration Once in a Lifetime to their smash The Man Who Came to Dinner. And Berlin wasn't the only great composer of the time to have his music play in the Music Box -- Cole Porter and the Gershwins also had shows here. In the 1950s, playwright William Inge found a theatrical home at the Music Box Theatre, where he had success with Picnic, Bus Stop, and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. Since then, offerings have been as varied as the musical revue Side By Side By Sondheim, the long-running murder mystery Deathtrap, and the 1996 stage version of the Rodgers & Hammerstein movie musical State Fair. But no matter what plays at the Music Box, it remains one of the most prized jewels of the Great White Way.
Design
The most aptly named theater on Broadway, the lovely and intimate Music Box was designed by architect C. Howard Crane. The interior is charming and tastefully decorated, and the theater's box seats are notable for being unusally large and round (recent Music Box Theatre resident Dame Edna referred to them lovingly as "ashtrays"). There is a handsome downstairs lounge with some nice wall paintings, and the bathrooms are roomy. In the lobby is a plaque and wall exhibit commemorating the rich history of Irving Berlin and the Music Box Theatre.
Directions
By Subway, take the A/C/E to 42nd Street, walk north on Eight Avenue and then turn right onto 45th Street. Or take the 1/2/3/9 to 42nd Street, walk north on Seventh Avenue and then make a left onto 45th Street.
Best Seats
You'll be happy with nearly any seat in this cozy house, but as with most theaters, center orchestra and the front mezzanine are tops.
Previous Shows
Though it exclusively hosted musical revues for its first few years, the Music Box Theatre has since had numerous notable plays, such as Dinner at Eight, I Remember Mama, Rashomon, The Homecoming, There's a Girl in My Soup, Sleuth, Absurd Person Singular, Agnes of God, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, A Few Good Men, Park Your Car in Harvard Yard, and Closer. There were two plays here that went on to become successful musicals: Maurine Watkins' Chicago and Sidney Howard's They Knew What They Wanted (later musicalized by Frank Loesser as The Most Happy Fella). The musicals have been sporadic, but among them are the classics Of Thee I Sing, As Thousands Cheer, and Lost in the Stars.
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