Bernard B Jacobs Theatre

242 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10019

Bernard B Jacobs Theatre Information, Shows and Tickets

Directions & Box Office

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 to 42nd Street, walk north on Seventh Avenue and then make a left onto 45th Street.
Entrance: 45th Street, between 8th and Broadway The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre is located on the south side of 45th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenue.
Box Office Hours:
Monday - Saturday:
10am - 8pm
Sunday:
12pm - 8pm

Best Seats In The House

Seats: 1101

The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre has generally good sightlines all around. For the very best viewing, go for mid-center orchestra or the front mezzanine. Keep in mind that obstructed view seats in this theater can be more heavily obstructed than expected.

Bernard B Jacobs Theatre Seating Chart

Gallery

Additional Notes

Landlord: Shubert Organization

Official Ticketer: Telecharge

Notes:

This theatre was formerly called the Royale Theatre.

Elevator: No

Escalator: No

Now Playing Parade

Previews Began: February 21, 2023
Opens: March 16, 2023
Show Closes: August 6, 2023

Ben Platt plays Leo Frank, a factory boss convicted of killing a young girl in a case tainted by antisemitism and early 20th century injustice …more
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Previous Shows

Almost Famous

Opened: November 3, 2022
Show Closed: January 8, 2023

Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical story where a teenage journalist is given a shot to cover a deeply troubled tock band and his efforts to get them onto the cover of Rolling …more

Company

Opened: December 9, 2021
Show Closed: July 31, 2022

An updated gender-bender version of the classic Sondheim show made up of vignettes that challenge personal relationships and what they really mean, when a poignant 35th Birthday celebration approaches. …more

Betrayal

Opened: September 5, 2019
Show Closed: December 8, 2019

The story of a forbidden affair that is told in reverse chronological order, starting from the end of a marriage to the first spark of the relationship. …more

The Ferryman

Opened: October 21, 2018
Show Closed: July 7, 2019

Set in a turbulent time in Northern Ireland during the 1980's this production features a huge cast set to a beat of murder, espionages and double-crossing. …more

The Iceman Cometh

Opened: April 26, 2018
Show Closed: July 1, 2018

The Iceman Cometh is a masterpiece of American theatre and was written by Eugene O’Neill in 1939. The show was first produced on Broadway in 1946 and since then has …more

Bandstand

Opened: April 26, 2017
Show Closed: September 17, 2017

Bandstand is a new musical that comes to Broadway following a successful run at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. Set in 1945, this show tells the story …more

The Color Purple

Opened: December 10, 2015
Show Closed: January 8, 2017

The Color Purple, a Broadway musical, is based on the 1982 novel by Alice Walker, which was made into a 1985 film by Steven Spielberg starring Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover …more

It's Only A Play

Opened: October 9, 2014
Show Closed: June 7, 2015

A play about the theatre, It’s Only a Play is the story of a playwright named Peter Austin (Matthew Broderick) whose new piece “The Golden Egg” receives less than positive …more

Bernard B Jacobs Theatre History

Built by the Chanin brothers, the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre opened as the Royale Theatre in 1927. In its early years, the Royale was "invaded" variously by specialty troupes, like a group that performed several Gilbert & Sullivan operettas here, and a Dublin-based company that did a slew of Irish plays. In 1934, after producer John Golden lost his self-named theater on 58th Street, he leased the Royale and renamed it the Golden. It only retained this name briefly, until the producer moved in on the Masque next door, which to this day is now known as the John Golden Theatre.

CBS Radio then took over the theater in 1937, until it became the Royale once more, three years later. The theater is now owned by the Shubert Organization and on May 9, 2005 it was officially named the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, after the man who was president of the Shubert Organization from 1972 until his death in '96.

The Jacobs has seen some big stars in its time, from Mae West, who did her shows Diamond Lil and The Constant Sinner here, to Julie Andrews in her Broadway debut The Boy Friend, Laurence Olivier in The Entertainer, Lauren Bacall in Cactus Flower, Madonna in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, and A Raisin in the Sun starring hip-hop icon Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.

Bernard B Jacobs Theatre Design

Like so many of the theaters on Broadway, the Bernard B. Jacobs was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp. With just over 1,000 seats, the space is suitable for musicals but is much more often used for plays, especially in recent years.