Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is on 236 West 45th Street, on the south sidewalk between Eighth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, near Times Square in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. The rectangular land lot covers , with a frontage of on 44th Street and a depth of . The adjoining block of 45th Street is also known as George Abbott Way, and foot traffic on the street increases box-office totals for the theaters there. The Broadhurst, Schoenfeld, Booth, and Shubert theaters were all developed by the Shubert brothers between 44th and 45th Streets, occupying land previously owned by the Astor family. The Broadhurst and Schoenfeld were built as a pair, occupying land left over from the development of the Shubert and Booth, which were also paired. The Broadhurst/Schoenfeld theatrical pair share an alley to the east, parallel to the larger Shubert Alley east of the Shubert/Booth pair. The Broadhurst/Schoenfeld alley was required under New York City construction codes of the time but, unlike Shubert Alley, it was closed to the public shortly after its completion. The Shuberts bought the land under all four theaters from the Astors in 1948. == Design ==

The Schoenfeld Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and constructed in 1917 for the Shubert brothers as the Plymouth Theatre. The Broadhurst and Plymouth were two of Krapp's first theatrical designs as an independent architect. While the facades of the two theaters are similar in arrangement, the interiors have a different design both from each other and from their respective facades. The Schoenfeld is operated by the Shubert Organization. Facade Krapp designed the Broadhurst and Plymouth theaters with relatively simple brick-and-stone facades, instead relying on the arrangement of the brickwork for decorative purposes. The Broadhurst and Schoenfeld contain curved corners at the eastern portions of their respective facades, facing Broadway, since most audience members reached the theaters from that direction. Auditorium section The ground floor of the auditorium contains a water table made of granite. The northeastern corner of the facade is curved and contains an entrance to the ticket lobby. This entrance contains a double door, above which is a glass transom panel. The corner entrance is topped by a broken pediment, which is supported by console brackets on either side and contains an escutcheon at the center. Both the curved corner and the 45th Street facade contain terracotta frames, which are flanked by terracotta pilasters with stylized capitals. Along 45th Street, the auditorium's second and third floors contain a fire escape made of cast iron and wrought iron. There are doors and windows on both levels, leading to the fire escape. In addition, the fire escape's third-floor railing contains cast-iron depictions of ribands and shields, while a sheet-metal canopy covers the fire escape. Above the center of the third floor, on 45th Street, is a terracotta cartouche containing depictions of swags. The curved corner contains a third-floor window, topped by an oval escutcheon that is decorated with swags and fleur-de-lis. A terracotta cornice and a brick parapet run above the auditorium facade. According to the Shubert Organization and The Broadway League, the theater has 1,079 seats, while according to Playbill, there are 1,046 seats. The Plymouth was originally decorated in a brown, blue, and gold color scheme. Like Krapp's other commissions for the Shuberts, the Schoenfeld's interior was designed with decorative elements in the Adam style. Low-relief plasterwork was used throughout the auditorium to highlight architectural features. These plasterwork decorations generally depict classical figures playing instruments. Two staircases with metal railings lead from the promenade to the balcony. The orchestra level is raked, sloping down toward an orchestra pit in front of the stage. These piers support a frieze that depicts sphinxes holding swags, alternating with urns. There is a small technical gallery above the rear of the balcony. The front railing of the gallery contains moldings of swags. On either side of the stage is a wall section with three boxes at the balcony level. The boxes step downward toward the stage; the front box curves forward into the proscenium arch, while the rear box curves backward into the balcony. At the orchestra level, there are three rectangular openings, corresponding to the locations of former boxes on that level. The front railings of the boxes contain acanthus-leaf arabesques. The underside of each box is decorated with a medallion containing a light fixture; this is surrounded by a molded band. Above the boxes on either side is an elliptical arch, which contains a curved pediment with acanthus-leaf arabesques on either side of a central medallion. Above the elliptical arch on either side is an arched lunette panel, which supports the ceiling's sounding board. Other design features Next to the boxes is an elliptical, splayed proscenium arch. The archway contains an Adam-style band with vine motifs and medallions. The proscenium opening measures about tall and wide. A sounding board curves onto the ceiling above the proscenium arch. The sounding board has a large panel in the center, which is surrounded by a band that depicts acanthus leaves. The outer ends of the sounding board contain circular medallions, from which hang chandeliers. Behind the sounding board and the box seats, a high-relief plasterwork band runs across the ceiling and the side walls. The depth of the auditorium to the proscenium is , while the depth to the front of the stage is . The ceiling is generally flat, except at the front, where it curves down to meet the sounding board. The flat ceiling is surrounded by a molding with acanthus leaves and modillions. Running around the ceiling's perimeter is an Adam-style band with cameo panels depicting fauns and the god Pan; arabesque vines; and urn-and-sphinx motifs. The center of the ceiling contains latticework panels, which encompass circular medallions with overhanging chandeliers. The rear of the ceiling, above the technical gallery, is separated into panels by moldings; some of the panels are circular and contain light fixtures. ==History==

Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and the Great Depression. Manhattan's theater district had begun to shift from Union Square and Madison Square during the first decade of the 20th century. From 1901 to 1920, forty-three theaters were built around Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, including the Plymouth Theatre. The Plymouth was developed by the Shubert brothers of Syracuse, New York, who expanded downstate into New York City in the first decade of the 20th century. After the death of Sam S. Shubert in 1905, his brothers Lee and Jacob J. Shubert expanded their theatrical operations significantly. The brothers controlled a quarter of all plays and three-quarters of theatrical ticket sales in the U.S. by 1925. Development and early years The Shubert brothers had constructed the Shubert and Booth theaters as a pair in 1913, having leased the site from the Astor family. Theatrical producer Arthur Hopkins leased the theater on 45th Street from the Shuberts in July 1917. Hopkins, who already operated a smaller theater, had wanted to acquire another theater to increase his profits. The theater was subsequently named the Plymouth. It was the fourth theater developed by the Shuberts in New York City during 1917, as well as the nineteenth such theater overall. With the Plymouth's completion, the surrounding block of 45th Street had four theaters. At the end of the year, Roland Young and Ernest Glendinning starred in The Gipsy Trail, which ran for 111 performances. This was followed in early 1918 by Alla Nazimova's presentation of Henrik Ibsen plays in repertory. Later the same year, Hopkins presented the Tolstoy drama Redemption with John Barrymore, and the Shakespeare tragedy Hamlet was revived with Walter Hampden. which ran for 179 performances. John Barrymore appeared at the theater yet again in 1920, with the opening of Richard III. a hit with just over 300 performances. The Plymouth hosted the Zoe Akins drama ''Daddy's Gone A-Hunting'', featuring Marjorie Rambeau and Frank Conroy, in 1921. The next year, Hopkins presented Don Marquis's The Old Soak with Harry Beresford and Minnie Dupree. J. P. McEvoy's family comedy The Potters then opened at the end of 1923, running for 245 performances. Another hit was a play Hopkins directed, the wartime drama What Price Glory?, which opened in September 1924 and had 435 performances. The Jest was revived in early 1926, but without the Barrymore brothers in the starring roles, it lasted for only 78 performances. Both of Ames's shows were hits: Iolanthe opened in April 1926 and ran for 255 performances, The same year, Hopkins and George Manker Watters's play Burlesque opened with Hal Skelly and Barbara Stanwyck; it lasted for 372 performances. The same year, the theater hosted Philip Barry's play Holiday, featuring Hope Williams. 1930s and 1940s In 1930, the Plymouth Theatre hosted the Donald Ogden Stewart's play Rebound, in which Stewart co-starred with Hope Williams. Elmer Rice's play Counsellor at Law opened the next year with Paul Muni; after a hiatus in mid-1932, the production returned for the rest of that year. Clare Kummer's comedy ''Her Master's Voice then opened in 1933, featuring Laura Hope Crews and Roland Young. Meanwhile, the theater had gone into receivership in March 1933, though the receiver then deeded the theater to the Plymouth Theatre Corporation. During 1934, the Plymouth hosted Dark Victory with Tallulah Bankhead and Accent on Youth'' with Constance Cummings. The next year, the theater hosted Sidney Howard's adaptation of the Humphrey Cobb novel Paths of Glory. This was followed the same year by a theatrical version of Pride and Prejudice, which transferred from the Music Box for a six-month run at the Plymouth. The theater hosted long-lasting productions in the late 1930s Among those was Robert E. Sherwood's version of Jacques Deval's Tovarich, featuring Marta Abba and John Halliday, which opened in October 1936 and ran until the next August. Rachel Crothers's play Susan and God then opened in October 1937, with Gertrude Lawrence, and lasted until the next June. Sherwood's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Abe Lincoln in Illinois opened in 1938 and starred Raymond Massey; it ran for one year. This was followed by Margin for Error in late 1939, which relocated to another theater the next year. In 1940, the theater hosted William Saroyan's comedy ''Love's Old Sweet Song, with Jessie Royce Landis and Walter Huston, but it closed after a month. The comedy Separate Rooms, with Alan Dinehart, Glenda Farrell, and Lyle Talbot, moved to the Plymouth the same year to complete its 612-performance Broadway run. The drama Guest in the House'' ran for 153 performances in the first half of 1942. It was followed that year by Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth with Tallulah Bankhead, which ran for 355 performances. In 1943, the Plymouth hosted the Dodie Smith play Lovers and Friends with Raymond Massey and Katharine Cornell, which ran for five months. This was followed by a transfer of the comedy Chicken Every Sunday from Henry Miller's Theatre in 1944. The next year, Spencer Tracy starred in The Rugged Path at the theater for 81 performances. as well as a revival of Noël Coward's Present Laughter featuring Clifton Webb. Bankhead reappeared at the theater in 1947 for an adaptation of the French play The Eagle Has Two Heads, which lasted for 29 performances. The same year, Bankhead and Donald Cook appeared in another Coward play, Private Lives, which ran for 248 performances. it lasted 614 performances. Subsequently, Don Juan In Hell opened at the Plymouth in April 1952, featuring Charles Boyer, Cedric Hardwicke, Charles Laughton, and Agnes Moorehead. Later that year, the Frederick Knott drama Dial "M" for Murder opened with Maurice Evans and Gusti Huber, staying for 552 performances. it opened in 1954 and had 405 performances. The comedy Janus also opened in 1955, with Margaret Sullavan and Claude Dauphin. The Plymouth hosted a revival of George Bernard Shaw's comedy The Apple Cart in 1956, with Evans and Signe Hasso. In 1957, the theater staged Arnold Schulman's play A Hole in the Head, as well as Peter Ustinov's comedy Romanoff and Juliet. Afterward, the comedy The Marriage-Go-Round with Charles Boyer, Claudette Colbert, Julie Newmar, and Edmon Ryan opened at the theater in 1958; it ran for two years. The theater next hosted the Paddy Chayefsky play Gideon in 1961, with Fredric March, and Tchin-Tchin in 1962 with Anthony Quinn and Margaret Leighton. In 1963, the Plymouth was home to a short run of Lillian Hellman's play My Mother, My Father and Me, as well as a more successful adaptation of Arnold Wesker's West End play Chips with Everything. The play Dylan opened at the theater in 1964, with Alec Guinness and Kate Reid. It was followed that year by William Hanley's first Broadway play, Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. staying for over a year before it transferred. running until August 1967. it had 1,097 performances over the next two years. Simon's drama The Gingerbread Lady premiered in late 1970, featuring Stapleton, and ran for 193 performances. Even in the 1970s, the Plymouth continued to host successes. The Jean Kerr play Finishing Touches opened in February 1973, featuring Barbara Bel Geddes and James Woods, and ran for 164 performances over the next five months. Later that year, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore collaborated on the revue Good Evening. The theater then hosted Peter Shaffer's West End play Equus in 1974, which ran for the next two years before transferring. it ran for ten months. with 274 performances on Broadway. which ran for four months. which ran for three months. The next year, the Circle in the Square Theatre presented Ugo Betti's The Queen and the Rebels with Colleen Dewhurst. The New York Shakespeare Festival presented David Hare's play Plenty in 1984, with Kate Nelligan and Edward Herrmann, followed the same year by a revival of the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart play ''You Can't Take It With You. In 1984, the Plymouth hosted the play The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard, featuring Christine Baranski, Glenn Close, and Jeremy Irons; it ran for 566 performances over the next year and a half. Lily Tomlin appeared in a solo show the next year, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe''. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started considering protecting the Plymouth as a landmark in 1982, with discussions continuing over the next several years. The LPC designated the Plymouth's facade and interior as landmarks on December 15, 1987. This was part of the LPC's wide-ranging effort in 1987 to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters. The New York City Board of Estimate ratified the designations in March 1988. The Shuberts, the Nederlanders, and Jujamcyn collectively sued the LPC in June 1988 to overturn the landmark designations of 22 theaters, including the Plymouth, on the merit that the designations severely limited the extent to which the theaters could be modified. The lawsuit was escalated to the New York Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States, but these designations were ultimately upheld in 1992. The Plymouth hosted the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion in 1987, with Amanda Plummer and Peter O'Toole. It was followed the same year by Lanford Wilson's play Burn This, featuring John Malkovich and Joan Allen, which ran for 437 performances over the next year. Next, Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles moved to the Plymouth from the off-Broadway Playwrights Horizons theater in March 1989, staying for a year and a half. followed the same year by the Brian Friel drama Dancing at Lughnasa, the latter of which had 421 performances. The next year, the theater hosted The Song of Jacob Zulu and a short run of Wonderful Tennessee. The Stephen Sondheim musical Passion opened at the Plymouth in 1994, followed by Brian Friel's Translations in 1995 and the Lincoln Center Theater's revival of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance in 1996. The theater's last show of the 20th century was the musical Jekyll & Hyde, which opened in April 1997 and ran for 1,543 performances through the beginning of 2001. 2000s to present '', 2003The Plymouth's first new production of the 2000s was a revival of the Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Jule Styne musical Bells Are Ringing, which opened in April 2001 with Faith Prince; it ran for two months. This was followed the same year by Thou Shalt Not, which ran for three months. ran for nearly a year. as well as the musical Taboo in 2003. As part of a settlement with the United States Department of Justice in 2003, the Shuberts agreed to improve disabled access at their 16 landmarked Broadway theaters, including the Plymouth. The Stephen Belber drama Match was shown at the Plymouth during early 2004. In September 2004, the Shubert Organization's board of directors voted to rename the Plymouth for then-current president Gerald Schoenfeld, as well as the neighboring Royale for its longtime president Bernard B. Jacobs. The two theaters were officially renamed with a marquee replacement ceremony on May 9, 2005. While Schoenfeld appeared to be proud of the renaming, the renaming was controversial among producers and theatrical fans, despite the longstanding tradition of renaming Broadway houses after their producers. The musical Brooklyn, which had opened in October 2004 before the renaming was finalized, had 284 performances. running for almost two years. The Humans had to close at the beginning of 2017 to make way for the musical Come from Away, which opened in March 2017. The Schoenfeld reopened on September 21, 2021, with Come From Away, which closed in October 2022 as the theater's longest-running show. This was followed the same month by Take Me Out, which had transferred from the Hayes Theater. This was followed in 2024 by the musical The Notebook, Afterward, the musical Buena Vista Social Club opened there in March 2025. ==Notable productions==

Productions are listed by the year of their first performance. Plymouth Theatre Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre ==Box-office records==

The limited engagement drama A Steady Rain achieved the box office record for the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The production grossed $1,292,210 over eight performances for the week ending December 6, 2009. This record was surpassed by the 2014 production ''It's Only a Play, which grossed $1,455,818 over eight performances for the week ending January 4, 2015. The current record for the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre was set by the 2017 musical Come From Away''. The production grossed $1,834,218 over nine performances for the week ending December 31, 2017. ==See also==