Winter Garden Theatre
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Good article Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox venueThe Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Originally designed by architect William Albert Swasey, it opened in 1911. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when it was completely remodeled by Herbert J. Krapp. Due to the size of its auditorium, stage, and backstage facilities, it is favored for large musical productions. It has 1,600 seats and is operated by The Shubert Organization. The auditorium interior is a New York City landmark.
The Winter Garden Theatre was adapted from the old building of the American Horse Exchange, completed in 1896. Its original façade consisted of several arches on Broadway, which were subsequently converted to a brick wall with a large sign. The interior is covered with detailing in the Adam style. Though the auditorium contains a single balcony above the orchestra level, the boxes are arranged in two levels above the orchestra. The auditorium contains a ribbed ceiling, which originally had exposed trusses prior to Krapp's renovation. The proscenium and stage also date to Krapp's renovation, when they were scaled down from their original size.
The Winter Garden was originally operated by brothers Lee and Jacob J. Shubert. In its early days, the theater frequently hosted series of revues presented under the umbrella titles The Passing Show, Artists and Models, and the Greenwich Village Follies. The Winter Garden served as a Warner Bros. movie house from 1928 to 1933 and a United Artists cinema from 1945 to 1948. Aside from these interruptions, it has largely operated as a legitimate theater. From 1982 to 2013, the Winter Garden hosted only two productions: the musicals Cats and Mamma Mia!. The theater was renovated in 2000 and was known as the Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre from 2002 to 2007.
Site
The Winter Garden Theatre is on 1634 Broadway, near Times Square, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S.<ref name="aia5">Template:Cite aia5</ref><ref name="ZoLa">Template:Cite web</ref> The land lot takes up much of the city block bounded by Broadway to the west, 50th Street to the south, Seventh Avenue to the east, and 51st Street to the north. The lot covers Template:Convert,<ref name="ZoLa" /> with a frontage of Template:Convert on Broadway, Template:Convert on 50th Street, and Template:Convert on Seventh Avenue.<ref name="AB p. 330">Template:Harvnb</ref> Nearby buildings include the Mark Hellinger Theatre (Times Square Church) to the northwest; Axa Equitable Center to the northeast; The Michelangelo to the east; The Theater Center, Brill Building, and Ambassador Theatre to the southwest; and Paramount Plaza to the west.<ref name="ZoLa" /> An entrance to the New York City Subway's 50th Street station, serving the Template:NYCS trains, is just south of the theater's Broadway entrance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Previous building
In the late 19th century, what is now Times Square was known as Longacre Square and was heavily frequented by the horse and carriage industry.<ref name="nyt-1998-09-13">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 17">Template:Harvnb</ref> The site of the Winter Garden Theatre was originally occupied by the American Horse Exchange, which was built by William K. Vanderbilt.<ref name="nyt-1998-09-13" /><ref name="NY1880">Template:Cite NY1880</ref> The Horse Exchange, on the east side of Broadway between 50th and 51st Streets, was designed by D. & J. Jardine.<ref name="NY1880" /> The exchange sold thoroughbreds at a time when bad horses were commonly being offered.<ref name="nyt-1998-09-13" /> Though the first sale took place in 1880,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> the Horse Exchange was not completed until the next year.<ref name="nyt-1998-09-13" /><ref name="NY1880" />
The original exchange building was a two- and three-story structure covered three-quarters on the block, surrounding a covered horse ring measuring Template:Convert square. The Broadway wing had dealers' offices on the first floor and the exchange's offices on the second floor, as well as space for carriages and valuable horses. The 50th Street and Seventh Avenue wings had horses on each floor, with 187 box stalls total.<ref name="nyt-1896-06-12">Template:Cite news</ref> The exchange burned down in June 1896, killing close to a hundred horses.<ref name="nyt-1896-06-12" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the exchange was destroyed, Vanderbilt hired A. V. Porter to construct a new structure of two to four stories.<ref name="nyt-1998-09-13" /><ref name="NYCL p. 17" /> The new building surrounded a covered ring measuring Template:Convert. The new structure reused some of the old exchange's walls and had a brick facade with arched windows, as well as trusses over the ring.<ref name="nyt-1998-09-13" />
Design
The Winter Garden Theatre's building was adapted from the rebuilt American Horse Exchange.<ref name="nyt-1998-09-13" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1911 the Shubert family leased the building and architect William Albert Swasey redesigned the building as a theater.<ref name="aia5" /><ref name="NYCL pp. 17-18">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Stern (1987) p. 230">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Winter Garden was completely remodeled in 1922 by Herbert J. Krapp.<ref name="aia5" /><ref name="Stern (1987) p. 230" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The theater is still operated by the Shubert Organization.<ref name="Shubert Organization">Template:Cite web</ref>
Facade
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As designed, the main entrance was on Broadway and there were ten exits on Seventh Avenue.<ref name="AB p. 330" /><ref name="nyt-1911-02-13">Template:Cite news</ref> The Broadway facade was designed in a colonial style with plain gray stone.<ref name="nyt-1911-02-13" /><ref name="BM p. 43">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Morrison p. 69">Template:Harvnb</ref> The original exterior used much of the existing facade of the Horse Exchange, though a cupola was added in the modification, as well as a heavy cornice.<ref name="Morrison p. 69" /> The facade had five Palladian-style arches and columns.<ref name="BM p. 43" /><ref name="nyt-1911-03-21">Template:Cite news</ref> The columns rose two stories, supporting a cornice and a pediment.<ref name="nyt-1911-03-21" /> Five mahogany doors led to the ticket lobby.<ref name="nyt-1911-02-13" /> The modern facade has large billboards, which have historically been used to advertise the shows at the Winter Garden.<ref name="BM p. 49">Template:Harvnb</ref> The billboards date to at least the 1930s.<ref name="nyt-1998-09-13" />
The Seventh Avenue facade, originally unornamented, was decorated in the 1922 renovation because of the growing prominence of that avenue.<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Because of the number of exits to the surrounding streets, Architecture and Building magazine wrote in 1911 that the theater "is said to have more exits than any other auditorium of its size in the United States".<ref name="AB p. 331">Template:Harvnb</ref> A portion of the old American Horse Exchange facade was visible on Seventh Avenue until the late 1990s, when it was refaced in brick.<ref name="nyt-1998-09-13" />
The theater's relatively small entrance on Broadway allowed the Shubert family to place storefronts along the rest of the Broadway frontage.<ref name="Morrison p. 69" /> The corner of Broadway and 50th Street was leased out as an eatery.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Bloom p. 270">Template:Harvnb</ref> It was originally designed as a restaurant space in the Flemish style.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Over the years, it became a nightclub known as Palais de Danse, Montmartre, and Singapore.<ref name="Morrison p. 69" /><ref name="Bloom p. 270" />
Lobbies
The ticket office is just inside the Broadway entrance.<ref name="nyt-1911-02-13" /> It leads to a rectangular inner lobby Template:Convert.<ref name="AB p. 330" /> The inner lobby is a rectangular space, with doors on the west and east walls.<ref name="NYCL p. 24">Template:Harvnb</ref> The walls contain panels with foliate decorations in the Adam style. These are separated by Adam-style pilasters, topped by Corinthian-style capitals. The west doors lead to the ticket lobby and are made of bronze. The east doors lead to the auditorium and are made of bronze with glass frames; these doors are separated by pilasters that hold up an arched entablature. The walls also have lighting sconces. The lobby's ceiling contains Adam-style bands that split the ceiling into Adam-style quadrilateral panels.<ref name="NYCL p. 24" /> Adjoining the inner lobby was a smoking room,<ref name="AB p. 330" /><ref name="nyt-1911-02-13" /> measuring Template:Convert, with an attached men's restroom.<ref name="AB p. 330" /> There was also a bar and a service room.<ref name="nyt-1911-02-13" />
Auditorium
The auditorium has an orchestra level; two levels of boxes above the orchestra; one balcony; and a stage behind the proscenium arch. The auditorium's width is greater than its depth, and the space is designed with plaster decorations in high relief.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> According to the Shubert Organization, the auditorium has 1,600 seats;<ref name="Shubert Organization" /> however, Playbill gives a different figure of 1,493 seats<ref name="Playbill Winter Garden">Template:Cite web</ref> and The Broadway League cites 1,526 seats.<ref name="The Broadway League Winter Garden">Template:Cite web</ref> There are 1,045 seats in the orchestra, 486 on the balcony, 36 in the boxes, and 33 standing-only spots.<ref name="Shubert Organization" /> In its original configuration, the Winter Garden had 1,200 seats at orchestra level and 400 at balcony level.<ref name="AB p. 330" /><ref name="Hirsch p. 83">Template:Harvnb</ref> In addition, the original theater had 150 box seats.<ref name="Hirsch p. 83" />
The original decorative elements were designed by John Wanamaker.<ref name="NYCL p. 18">Template:Harvnb</ref> The theater was initially designed with latticework rather than Adam-style detailing, since latticework was commonly used as a design motif in Broadway theaters of the 1910s.<ref name="BM p. 43" /><ref name="NYCL p. 19" /> The theater's name, as well as its original design, was meant to evoke an English garden.<ref name="Morrison p. 69" /><ref name="Bloom p. 270; BM p. 43">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref>
Seating areas
Template:Multiple image The orchestra floor is raked.<ref name="A 1976-06">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The rear (north) end of the orchestra contains a shallow promenade, which wraps around to the auditorium's sides. Pilasters with Corinthian capitals divide the promenade's rear wall into sections, and a cornice with dentils and modillions also runs along the wall, above the pilasters. The promenade is separated from the orchestra seating by a row of columns, also topped by Corinthian capitals. The orchestra promenade's coved ceiling is divided by Adam-style bands with foliate decorations. Each cove has circular decorative elements at their centers, which contain coffers and swags.<ref name="NYCL p. 25">Template:Harvnb</ref> The promenade forms part of a "grand promenade" connecting Broadway and Seventh Avenue.<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /> A standing rail is placed behind the rearmost row of seats.<ref name="NYCL p. 26">Template:Harvnb</ref> The orchestra level previously had 12 boxes extending along the sides of the auditorium.<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /><ref name="Stern (1987) pp. 230-231">Template:Harvnb</ref> The walls originally contained latticework, behind which were lights.<ref name="nyt-1911-03-21" /><ref name="AB p. 331" /> One architectural critic said that the rake of the orchestra "makes for poor visibility from most locations" due to its shallowness.<ref name="A 1976-06" />
The balcony level is also raked; the front section contains several curves, which resemble the curves of boxes.<ref name="NYCL p. 24" /> The rear of the balcony level contains a promenade, which starts behind the center of the balcony and extends around to either side.<ref name="NYCL p. 25" /> This promenade was originally designed as a foyer measuring Template:Convert, which had balconies overlooking Broadway.<ref name="AB p. 330" /> Columns separate the promenade from the balcony seating areas. The front railing of the balcony is decorated with molded bands, swags, and foliate ornament.<ref name="NYCL p. 25" /> There are lighting fixtures and other equipment in front of the railing. The underside of the balcony has Adam-style bands with foliate decorations, as well as air-conditioning vents.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
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On either side of the stage is an outwardly splayed wall section with boxes at the balcony level and directly above the balcony. Both levels have three boxes on either side, which are curved outward.<ref name="NYCL p. 24" /> The fronts of the boxes have similar molded bands, swags, and foliate ornament as the balcony's front. In addition, the centers of the boxes have rosettes and oval panels. Pilasters with Adam-style decoration, running the full height of the auditorium, flank the boxes' wall sections. Each of the boxes' pilasters is topped by a Corinthian capital. There are griffin motifs and cartouches above the higher level of boxes.<ref name="NYCL p. 25" /> The present boxes and pilasters date from the 1923 renovation.<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /><ref name="NYCL p. 19">Template:Harvnb</ref> The original design had only one level of boxes, which was at the balcony level.<ref name="nyt-1911-02-13" /><ref name="NYCL p. 19" /> In the original design, the entire balcony front was occupied by a row of 21 boxes, and the wall sections on each side had two large party boxes,<ref name="nyt-1911-02-13" /> for a total of 25 boxes.<ref name="AB p. 330" />
Other design features
The proscenium arch measures Template:Convert high and Template:Convert wide.<ref name="Shubert Organization" /> It consists of a wide, molded band with foliated swags, rosettes, and molded figures. There are medallions within the spandrels at the corners of the arch.<ref name="NYCL p. 25" /> The present size and design of the proscenium arch dates to the 1922 renovation; an inner arch and drapes were installed to artificially reduce the original arch's size.<ref name="NYCL p. 19" /><ref name="Morrison p. 70">Template:Harvnb</ref> In the proscenium's original configuration, it measured Template:Convert high and about Template:Convert wide.<ref name="AB p. 330" /><ref name="nyt-1911-02-13" /> A sounding board curves onto the ceiling above the proscenium. It contains a panel that shows dancing and music-playing figures in a forest. These figures are surrounded by an Adam-style foliate band.<ref name="NYCL p. 26" /> The panel measures Template:Convert<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /> and is titled "The Shepherd's Dream".<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /><ref name="Morrison p. 70" />
The depth of the auditorium to the proscenium is Template:Convert, while the depth to the front of the stage is Template:Convert.<ref name="Shubert Organization" /> When the theater originally opened, the stage had a semicircular apron with a Template:Convert radius, as well as a runway.<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /><ref name="p1237238928">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn The runway, added in 1912, was intended to bring the performers much closer to the audience.<ref name="NYCL p. 18" /> The apron and runway were removed in the 1922 renovation,<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /><ref name="p1237238928" /> and seats were added in their place.<ref name="NYCL p. 19" /><ref name="nyt-1922-11-29">Template:Cite news</ref> The dressing rooms were placed in a separate structure directly behind the stage, separated from the auditorium by brick walls.<ref name="AB p. 331" /> There is an orchestra pit in front of and below the stage.<ref name="NYCL p. 25" />
The modern ceiling contains vaults, placed between ribs that are designed in the Adam style. The vaults themselves are divided into panels by Adam-style moldings and bands. The center of the ceiling contains a panel with a dome, surrounded by latticework and foliate decoration. At each of the dome's four corners, there are medallions, which depict mythical fauns playing lyres and pipes.<ref name="NYCL p. 26" /> In the theater's original design, the ceiling trusses remained exposed, a vestige of the old Horse Exchange.<ref name="NYCL p. 17" /><ref name="Stern (1987) p. 230" /><ref name="nyt-1911-03-21" /> The ceiling was finished in wooden latticework, and the ceiling was painted blue, giving an impression of an open-air venue.<ref name="NYCL pp. 17-18" /><ref name="nyt-1911-02-13" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The original ceiling had poor acoustics.<ref name="Morrison p. 69" /> During the 1922 renovation, Krapp had lowered the ceiling to below the trusses.<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 230" /><ref name="NYCL p. 19" /><ref name="Morrison p. 70" />
History
Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and the Great Depression.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Manhattan's theater district had begun to shift from Union Square and Madison Square during the first decade of the 20th century.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> From 1901 to 1920, forty-three theaters were built around Broadway in Midtown Manhattan.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The Winter Garden Theatre was predated by an earlier theater of the same name, which opened in 1850 and was further downtown, at Broadway and Bond Street.<ref name="Bloom p. 270" /><ref name="Henderson p. 108">Template:Harvnb</ref> The current Winter Garden 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.<ref name="NYCL p. 8">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> After the death of Sam S. Shubert in 1905, his brothers Lee and Jacob J. Shubert expanded their theatrical operations significantly.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The brothers controlled a quarter of all plays and three-quarters of theatrical ticket sales in the U.S. by 1925.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Development and early years
Conversion of Horse Exchange
Both Sam and Lee Shubert had prevented Jacob from taking a full role in the operation of the Shubert syndicate, and Lee had often sent Jacob to oversee productions outside New York City after Sam died.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> This prompted Jacob to develop his own theater; he subsequently recalled that, while walking up Broadway in early 1910, he looked at the Horse Exchange. Though the exchange was far north of the established Broadway theater district at the time, the raked balcony above the horse-auction ring appealed to Jacob, even after he learned that Vanderbilt was the landlord.<ref name="Hirsch p. 81">Template:Harvnb</ref> With the horse transportation declining in favor of automobiles, Vanderbilt leased the Horse Exchange site to the Shuberts in 1910.<ref name="nyt-1998-09-13" /><ref name="NYCL p. 17" /> While Vanderbilt did not want to sell, he was willing to lease the site for 40 years at an annual fee of $40,000.<ref name="Hirsch p. 81" />
The plans for the Winter Garden itself dated to December 1909, when producer Lew Fields, a close associate of Lee Shubert, was planning a music hall-style venue. Despite Fields's greater expertise, Jacob Shubert had a greater advantage; because of large expenditures, Fields became indebted to Lee and ultimately became an employee of the Shuberts.<ref name="Hirsch p. 82">Template:Harvnb</ref> In May 1910, the Shubert brother filed plans for a theater called Lew Fields' Winter Garden, which would be built on the Horse Exchange site at a cost of $500,000.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> William Albert Swasey would be the architect while John McKeefrey would be the builder.<ref name="nyt-1911-02-13" /> The Winter Garden was originally intended to host operas, ballets, dances, and other large performances, similar to variety and music halls.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
During mid-1910, while Fields was on tour, Jacob changed many of Fields's plans for the theater's physical specifications. Jacob also sent harsh letters to Fields about the latter's overspending, causing conflict between the two men.<ref name="Hirsch p. 82" /> By the end of 1910, Fields had transferred his entire stake in the Winter Garden's operation to the Shubert brothers.<ref name="Hirsch p. 82" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A factor in Fields's withdrawal was Lee's lack of intervention in the dispute, implicitly favoring his less experienced brother over his longtime partner.<ref name="Hirsch p. 83" /> Although Lee controlled bookings and financing, Jacob was in charge of the Winter Garden's operation.<ref name="Bloom p. 271" /> Jacob wanted the new theater to produce musical revues, in effect competing with the Ziegfeld Follies operated by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.<ref name="Hirsch p. 83" /><ref name="Bloom p. 271" /> The Winter Garden was to be the flagship venue for the Shuberts' own productions.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
1910s and early 1920s
The Winter Garden was supposed to open at the beginning of March 1911, but ticket sales did not even begin until March 6 due to difficulties in scheduling productions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It opened on March 20, 1911, with the two-part musical La Belle Paree.<ref name="nyt-1911-03-21" /><ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The show featured the Broadway premiere of actor and singer Al Jolson.<ref name="Bloom p. 270; NYCL p. 21">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The New York Times wrote that the Winter Garden was "New York's latest plaything, a very flashy toy, full of life and go and color and with no end of jingle to it".<ref name="nyt-1911-03-21" /><ref name="Hirsch p. 83" /><ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Conversely, when flops were staged at the Winter Garden, critics said they could smell the horse stables.<ref name="Bloom p. 270; BM p. 43" /><ref name="Henderson p. 282">Template:Harvnb</ref> After La Belle Paree closed, the show Revue of Revues, featuring Gaby Deslys,<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Hirsch p. 89">Template:Harvnb</ref> opened in September 1911 and ran for two months.<ref name="NYCL p. 33" /><ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> That November, the revue Vera Violetta opened,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1911" /> with numerous performers including Jolson, Deslys, and Mae West.<ref name="Bloom p. 270; NYCL p. 21" /><ref name="Hirsch p. 89" /> In its early years, the Winter Garden hosted a successful series of concerts on Sunday nights, which featured performers such as Jolson.<ref name="Bloom p. 270; BM p. 43" /> Jacob Shubert soon realized that Jolson was a major factor in the Winter Garden's success.<ref name="Hirsch p. 89" />
While on a trip to Europe, Lee had met with German producer Max Reinhardt, who had pioneered the idea of a runway extending from a stage into the audience. Lee copied Reinhardt's idea, adding a bridge above the orchestra seats.<ref name="BM p. 43" /> In early 1912, Jolson, Deslys, and Stella Mayhew starred in The Whirl of Society,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Bloom pp. 270-271; NYCL p. 21">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> the first show to use the Winter Garden's runway.<ref name="Bloom pp. 270-271; NYCL p. 21" /> Jolson performed near the audience on the runway, as did 80 lightly clothed showgirls,<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Hirsch p. 922">Template:Harvnb</ref> leading the runway to be nicknamed the "bridge of thighs".<ref name="BM p. 43" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> (From) Broadway to Paris premiered in November 1912,<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> and Jolson, Deslys, and Fanny Brice appeared in The Honeymoon Express the next year.<ref name="Hirsch p. 90">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Bloom p. 271; BM p. 45; NYCL p. 22">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jacob's son, John Shubert, subsequently recalled that after The Honeymoon Express, Jolson returned to the Winter Garden once every 18 months on average. Jolson's shows typically premiered early in the year, then went on tour after a summer break.<ref name="Hirsch p. 103">Template:Harvnb</ref> These shows included Dancing Around (1914),<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Robinson Crusoe, Jr. (1916),<ref name="The Broadway League 1916a">Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Hirsch p. 103; NYCL p. 34">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Sinbad (1918),<ref name="Bloom p. 271; BM p. 45; NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="Hirsch p. 103" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1918a">Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> and Monte Cristo, Jr. (1919).<ref name="Bloom p. 271; BM p. 45; NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1919" /><ref name="Bloom p. 272; NYCL p. 35">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref>
Though Jolson made the Winter Garden popular, the Shuberts had to fill the theater when Jolson was on tour.<ref name="Bloom p. 271">Template:Harvnb</ref> Jacob Shubert, who considered Florenz Ziegfeld as an adversary,<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> rushed the production of his revue The Passing Show in mid-1912 after hearing that Ziegfeld was on vacation.<ref name="Hirsch p. 90" /> The first edition of The Passing Show opened in July 1912.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Hirsch p. 922" /> The series ran yearly through 1924, except for in 1920, when a specific edition for that year was not held.<ref name="Bloom p. 272; BM p. 44">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn The series featured performers including Willie and Eugene Howard, Charlotte Greenwood, Marilyn Miller, Ed Wynn, Frank Fay, Fred and Adele Astaire, Marie Dressler, and Fred Allen.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Jolson never appeared in any edition of The Passing Show,<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> but the series nonetheless had notable acts such as Miller's dancing debut in 1914.<ref name="Bloom p. 271" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In addition to Jolson's performances and The Passing Show, the Winter Garden hosted other musicals and revues. These included Cinderella on Broadway<ref name="Bloom p. 272; NYCL p. 35" /><ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> and the Broadway Brevities in 1920;<ref name="Bloom p. 272; NYCL p. 35" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1920" /> The Whirl of New York in 1921;<ref name="Bloom p. 272; NYCL p. 35" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1921" /> and Make It Snappy in 1922.<ref name="Bloom p. 272; NYCL p. 35" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1922" />
Renovation and intermittent theatrical use
1920s
Template:Wide imageIn November 1922, the Winter Garden was closed for a renovation.<ref name="nyt-1922-11-29" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The work was intended to make the theater suitable "more for revue than for extravaganza", as The New York Times described it.<ref name="nyt-1922-11-29" /> The proscenium arch was reduced in size and the ceiling was lowered under plans by Herbert Krapp.<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /><ref name="NYCL p. 19" /><ref name="p1031698198">Template:Cite magazine</ref> One hundred seats were installed in the former runway,<ref name="Morrison p. 70" /> and 50 boxes were added, 12 of them at orchestra level.<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /><ref name="Stern (1987) pp. 230-231" /> Workers renovated the theater 24 hours a day, working in three shifts of eight hours.<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /><ref name="p1031698198" /> The theater's decorative scheme was changed to gold and white,<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" /><ref name="Stern (1987) p. 231">Template:Harvnb</ref> and mulberry-colored damask panels were installed to give a perception of intimacy.<ref name="Morrison p. 70" /><ref name="Stern (1987) p. 231" /> Smoking, which had been allowed in the theater's early years, was banned after the 1922 renovation.<ref name="Architecture and Building 1923" />
The theater reopened on January 24, 1923, with the revue The Dancing Girl,<ref name="p1237238928" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which was followed by that year's edition of The Passing Show.<ref name="Bloom p. 272; NYCL p. 36">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The end of that year saw the first edition of another revue at the Winter Garden, the Greenwich Village Follies.<ref name="Bloom p. 272; BM p. 45; NYCL p. 22">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1923" /> The Greenwich Village Follies reappeared in 1924<ref name="The Broadway League 1924" /> and 1928,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1928" /> and the Winter Garden also hosted the Artists and Models revue in 1925<ref name="The Broadway League 1925" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and 1927.<ref name="The Broadway League 1927" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In addition to these revues, the musical Innocent Eyes was staged in 1924,<ref name="Bloom p. 272; NYCL p. 36" /><ref name=b9527/> followed by Big Boy in 1925,<ref name="The Broadway League 19254" /><ref name="NYCL p. 36" /> which was Al Jolson's last live appearance at the Winter Garden.<ref name="Bloom p. 272; BM p. 45; NYCL p. 22" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Also presented at the Winter Garden were Gay Paree (1925 and 1926),<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The Great Temptations (1926),<ref name="Bloom p. 272; NYCL p. 36" /><ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> and The Circus Princess (1927).<ref name="Bloom p. 272; NYCL p. 36" /><ref name="The Broadway League 19273" /> Warner Bros. took over the Winter Garden Theatre in 1928<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and used it as a cinema for the next five years.<ref name="Morrison p. 69" /><ref name="Henderson p. 282" /><ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The first film shown was The Singing Fool, featuring Al Jolson,<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> which was screened in September 1928.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1930s and 1940s
Warner Bros. ended its lease in 1933.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> After the cinema lease was terminated, the first legitimate play to be presented was Hold Your Horses,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 37">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> which opened in September 1933.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> This was followed by the 1934 edition of the Ziegfeld Follies,<ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 19342" /> to which the Shuberts had acquired the rights after Florenz Ziegfeld died.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Another edition of the Follies was hosted in 1936.<ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="Hirsch p. 178">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1936" /> These two editions featured performers such as Passing Show stars Willie and Eugene Howard, as well as Eve Arden, Josephine Baker, Fanny Brice, Buddy Ebsen, Bob Hope, Gypsy Rose Lee, The Nicholas Brothers, Gertrude Niesen, and Jane Pickens.<ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22" /> Between these performances, the Winter Garden staged Life Begins at 8:40 in 1934,<ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="Hirsch p. 177">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1934" /> as well as Earl Carroll's Sketch Book<ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 37" /><ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> and At Home Abroad in 1935.<ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="Hirsch p. 177" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1935" />
At the end of 1936, Vincente Minnelli staged The Show Is On, a popular revue with Bert Lahr and Beatrice Lillie.<ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="Hirsch p. 178" /><ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> This was followed the next year by Hooray for What!, an antiwar musical.<ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1937" /> The late 1930s ended with a relatively short run of You Never Know in 1938.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 19382" /> It was succeeded the same year by a much longer run of Olsen and Johnson's revue Hellzapoppin, which had transferred from the 46th Street Theatre and ran until 1941.<ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1938" /> That year, the Shuberts staged Sons o' Fun,<ref name="Bloom p. 273; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> another Olsen and Johnson hit, which ran at the Winter Garden for over a year before transferring in 1943.<ref name="The Broadway League 1941" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Winter Garden hosted the Ziegfeld Follies once again in 1943, with Milton Berle, Jack Cole, Ilona Massey, and Arthur Treacher.<ref name="Bloom pp. 273-274; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 38">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1943">Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> This edition of the Follies ran longer than any previous edition.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> This was followed in 1944 by Cole Porter's Mexican Hayride<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 38">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 19442" /> and Olsen and Johnson's Laffing Room Only.<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 38" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1944" />
After the operetta Marinka played in 1945,<ref name="The Broadway League 1945" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the Winter Garden again became a cinema for three years.<ref name="Morrison p. 69" /><ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22-">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> United Artists started negotiating for the rights to use the Winter Garden for motion pictures in August 1945,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but there were disputes over sound equipment.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> An agreement was reached later that month, with United Artists taking over that October.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the end of 1947, United Artists struggled to find films to screen, and it was paying $7,500 a week in rent.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> As the Girls Go, which opened in November 1948,<ref name="BM p. 46; NYCL p. 38">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1948" /> was the first production to be staged after the Winter Garden again became a legitimate theater.<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 22-" /> The production, by Michael Todd, charged a top admission price of $7.20, which at the time was a record.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref>
Dedicated theatrical use
1950s to 1970s
Michael Todd staged Michael Todd's Peep Show, a burlesque, in 1950.<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM pp. 46-47; NYCL p. 22">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1950">Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> This was followed by the satire Top Banana in 1951, with Phil Silvers;<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 47; NYCL p. 22">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1951" /> the musical Wonderful Town in 1953, with Rosalind Russell;<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 47; NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1953" /> and a revival of Peter Pan in 1954.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 16th-century classic Tamburlaine The Great was staged at the Winter Garden in 1956.<ref name="BM p. 47; NYCL p. 39">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 19562">Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> The Old Vic, a theater company from London, arrived the same year, presenting several Shakespeare plays.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn The last Ziegfeld Follies at the Winter Garden was staged in 1957, featuring Beatrice Lillie and Billy De Wolfe,<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 48; NYCL p. 23">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but it was not as successful as previous versions, closing after 123 performances.<ref name="BM p. 47; NYCL p. 40">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1957b" /> Later that year, the Winter Garden premiered the musical West Side Story featuring Carol Lawrence,<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 48; NYCL p. 23" /><ref name="The Broadway League 19602" /> with music by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, the latter of whom was making his Broadway debut as a lyricist.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The Winter Garden's last productions of the 1950s were Juno and Saratoga in 1959.<ref name="NYCL p. 40" />
West Side Story returned to the Winter Garden briefly in 1960,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> having transferred the previous year.<ref name="The Broadway League 19602" /> This was followed later that year by The Unsinkable Molly Brown with Tammy Grimes,<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 48; NYCL p. 23" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which ran 732 performances.<ref name="NYCL p. 40" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1960" /> Eddie Fisher had a month-long engagement, Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden, during late 1962.<ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> For much of the rest of the decade, the Winter Garden presented two hits.<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 48; NYCL p. 23" /> Funny Girl, with Barbra Streisand, opened in 1964<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 48; NYCL p. 23" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and ran for two years before transferring.<ref name="The Broadway League 1964" /> It was followed by Mame, with Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur, which opened in 1966<ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 48; NYCL p. 23" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and ran for three years.<ref name="The Broadway League 1966" />
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The first hit of the 1970s was Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's musical Follies,<ref name="Bloom pp. 274-275; BM p. 48; NYCL p. 23">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> which opened in 1971.<ref name="The Broadway League 1971">Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This was followed the next year by a revival of Much Ado About Nothing,<ref name="Bloom p. 275; BM pp. 48-49; NYCL p. 41">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1972">Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival and featuring Sam Waterston and Kathleen Widdoes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, Neil Diamond performed a series of solo concerts in October 1972,<ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Liza Minnelli performed in a concert run in January 1974.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> A revival of the Sondheim musical Gypsy, featuring Lansbury, was staged later in 1974,<ref name="Bloom p. 275; BM p. 49; NYCL p. 23">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1974" /> and the Winter Garden hosted the 29th Tony Awards the following year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yet another Sondheim musical, Pacific Overtures, was staged at the Winter Garden in 1976.<ref name="Bloom p. 275; BM p. 49; NYCL p. 23" /><ref name="The Broadway League 19762" /> It was followed the same year by a series of concerts by Natalie Cole,<ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as well as a 167-performance run of Fiddler on the Roof.<ref name="Bloom p. 275; BM p. 49; NYCL p. 42">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1976">Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> The musical Beatlemania opened in 1977 and ran for two years,<ref name="Bloom p. 275; BM p. 49; NYCL p. 23" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1977" /> despite initial expectations of bad reviews.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
1980s and 1990s
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Winter Garden was used mostly for several minor shows and live appearances.<ref name="BM p. 49" /> This included Zoot Suit in early 1979,<ref name="BM p. 49; NYCL p. 42">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 19793" /> followed in June by Bruce Forsyth concerts<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web
Template:Cite web</ref> and in August by Gilda Radner's Live From New York appearances.<ref name="BM p. 49; NYCL p. 42" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1979" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Next to be staged, in 1980, was Twyla Tharp's dance series.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The musical 42nd Street premiered later in 1980,<ref name="Bloom p. 275; BM p. 49; NYCL p. 23" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1980" /> though the opening of the musical coincided with the death of its director, Gower Champion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> This was followed by Camelot in 1981<ref name="BM p. 49; NYCL p. 432">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 1981" /> and a revival of Othello in 1982.<ref name="BM p. 49; NYCL p. 432" /><ref name="The Broadway League 19822" /> During the 1980s, the Shuberts renovated the Winter Garden as part of a restoration program for their Broadway theaters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats had been booked for the Winter Garden in April 1982, with a premiere scheduled for that October.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In mid-1982, the Shuberts closed the Winter Garden Theatre for a major renovation of both the exterior and the interior.<ref name="BM p. 49" /> The auditorium was gutted to accommodate the show's junkyard setting,<ref name="BM p. 49" /><ref name="nyt-2000-02-20">Template:Cite news</ref> under the supervision of designer John Napier.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1608648">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In addition, the interior was painted black,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as was the billboard outside.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cats opened on October 7, 1982,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and quickly became successful, winning multiple Tony Awards.<ref name="nyt-2000-02-20" /><ref name="p1608648" /><ref name="Bloom p. 275; BM pp. 49-50">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Cats became the longest-running Broadway show in history in June 1997, when it hit 6,138 performances.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ultimately, Cats ran 7,485 performances spanning nearly eighteen years.<ref name="Bloom p. 275; BM pp. 49-50" /><ref name="nyt-2000-09-17">Template:Cite news</ref>
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started considering protecting the Winter Garden as an official city landmark in 1982,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with discussions continuing over the next several years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Though both the exterior and interior were considered,<ref name="nyt-1987-11-22" /> the LPC designated only the interior as a landmark in January 1988.<ref name="NYCL p. 1">Template:Harvnb</ref> This was part of the LPC's wide-ranging effort to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters, which had commenced in 1987.<ref name="nyt-1987-11-22">Template:Cite news</ref> The New York City Board of Estimate ratified the designations in March 1988.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Shuberts, the Nederlanders, and Jujamcyn collectively sued the LPC in June 1988 to overturn the landmark designations of 22 theaters, including the Winter Garden, on the merit that the designations severely limited the extent to which the theaters could be modified.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2000s to present
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In 2000, the Shubert Organization and General Motors (GM) began discussions over a possible sponsorship, in which the Winter Garden could be rebranded for Cadillac, a division of GM.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Early the same year, theatrical media announced that Cats would close that June, having played to more than 10 million guests and grossing over $380 million.<ref name="nyt-2000-02-20" /><ref name="p1608648" /> Cats closed on September 10, 2000,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and objects from the production were auctioned at the Winter Garden.<ref name="nyt-2000-09-17" /> Afterward, architect Francesca Russo restored the theater to its 1920s appearance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-2001-08-09">Template:Cite news</ref> The $10 million project entailed restoring many of the architectural features that had been heavily modified for Cats, as well as restoring the lobby, lounges, seats, and ticket areas. Historical design features, such as light fixtures and plasterwork, were restored or replaced.<ref name="nyt-2001-08-09" /> The stage, which had been disassembled for the run of Cats, also had to be reconstructed.<ref name="nyt-2000-02-20" />
Mamma Mia! was booked for the Winter Garden shortly after Cats closed,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> with a premiere in October 2001.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following the Shuberts' discussions with GM, the theater was renamed the Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre in May 2002.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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 Winter Garden.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the beginning of 2007, GM's sponsorship ended and the venue returned to its original name.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Mamma Mia! was similarly long-running, transferring to the Broadhurst in 2013 to make way for Rocky the Musical.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rocky opened in 2014 and ran for 188 performances.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 2014" /> This was followed in 2015 by a short run of Wolf Hall Parts One & Two,<ref name="The Broadway League 20152" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as a much longer run of School of Rock, which closed in early 2019 after over 1,300 performances.<ref name="The Broadway League 2015" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Beetlejuice opened in April 2019,<ref name="nyt-2019-04-25">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 2019" /> but the Shuberts announced the same December that Beetlejuice would be relocated to make way for a revival of Meredith Willson's The Music Man.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
All Broadway theaters temporarily closed on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> BeetlejuiceTemplate:'s run, which had been scheduled to end that June, ended prematurely due to an extension of the COVID-19 closure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The musical eventually relocated to the Marquis Theatre in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During its closure, a stagehand at the Winter Garden died after falling while taking down props for Beetlejuice in November 2020;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the Shuberts as a result.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The theater also hosted the 74th Tony Awards in September 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Winter Garden reopened on December 20, 2021, with previews of The Music Man,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which officially opened in February 2022.<ref name=nyt-2022-02-11>Template:Cite news</ref> The production ran for 374 performances through January 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Back to the Future: The Musical opened at the theater in August 2023<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Evans 2022">Template:Cite web</ref> and closed in January 2025 after 597 performances.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was followed by a two-month run of the stage adaptation of the film Good Night, and Good Luck in 2025, starring George Clooney;<ref name="Evans 2024a"/><ref name="The Broadway League v450"/> Good Night, and Good Luck set the theater's box office record, grossing $4,238,813 over eight performances during the week of May 19–25, 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A six-month-long revival of Mamma Mia! opened at the Winter Garden in August 2025.<ref name="Gans b789"/><ref name="Paulson h331"/>
Notable productions
Productions are listed by the year of their first performance. Shows that have had multiple editions are listed by the year of the first performance of each edition. This list only includes Broadway shows; it does not include films.<ref name="The Broadway League Winter Garden" /><ref name="Playbill Winter Garden" /> Template:Div col
| Opening year | Name | Template:Abbr |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | La Belle Paree | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 33">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1911 | Vera Violetta | <ref name="The Broadway League 1911">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 33" /> |
| 1912–24 | The Passing Show | <ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn |
| 1916 | Robinson Crusoe, Jr. | <ref name="The Broadway League 1916a" /><ref name="Hirsch p. 103; NYCL p. 34" /> |
| 1918 | Sinbad | <ref name="The Broadway League 1918a" /><ref name="NYCL p. 35">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1919 | Monte Cristo, Jr. | <ref name="The Broadway League 1919">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 35" /> |
| 1920 | Broadway Brevities of 1920 | <ref name="The Broadway League 1920">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 35" /> |
| 1921 | The Whirl of New York | <ref name="The Broadway League 1921">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 35" /> |
| 1922 | Make It Snappy | <ref name="The Broadway League 1922">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 35" /> |
| 1923 | Greenwich Village Follies of 1923 | <ref name="The Broadway League 1923">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL pp. 35–37"/> |
| 1924 | Bombo | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1924 | Innocent Eyes | <ref name=b9527>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| 1924 | Greenwich Village Follies of 1924 | <ref name="The Broadway League 1924">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL pp. 35–37"/> |
| 1925 | Big Boy | <ref name="The Broadway League 19254">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 36">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1925 | Sky High | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1925 | Artists and Models of 1925 | <ref name="The Broadway League 1925">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 36" /> |
| 1927 | The Circus Princess | <ref name="The Broadway League 19273">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Bloom p. 272; NYCL p. 36" /> |
| 1927 | A Night in Spain | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1927 | Artists and Models of 1927 | <ref name="The Broadway League 1927">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 36" /> |
| 1928 | Greenwich Village Follies of 1928 | <ref name="The Broadway League 1928">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL pp. 35–37">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1934 | Ziegfeld Follies of 1934 | <ref name="The Broadway League 19342">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 37">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1934 | Life Begins at 8:40 | <ref name="The Broadway League 1934">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 37" /> |
| 1935 | At Home Abroad | <ref name="The Broadway League 1935">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 37" /> |
| 1936 | Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 | <ref name="The Broadway League 1936">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 37" /> |
| 1937 | Hooray for What! | <ref name="The Broadway League 1937">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 37" /> |
| 1938 | You Never Know | <ref name="The Broadway League 19382">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 38">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1938 | Hellzapoppin | <ref name="The Broadway League 1938">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 38" /> |
| 1941 | Sons o' Fun | <ref name="The Broadway League 1941">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 38" /> |
| 1943 | Ziegfeld Follies of 1943 | <ref name="Bloom pp. 273-274; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 38" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1943" /> |
| 1944 | Mexican Hayride | <ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 38" /><ref name="The Broadway League 19442">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1944 | Laffing Room Only | <ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM p. 46; NYCL p. 38" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1944">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1945 | Marinka | <ref name="The Broadway League 1945">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 38" /> |
| 1948 | As the Girls Go | <ref name="BM p. 46; NYCL p. 38" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1948">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1950 | Alive and Kicking | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 39">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1950 | Michael Todd's Peep Show | <ref name="Bloom p. 274; BM pp. 46-47; NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1950" /> |
| 1951 | Make a Wish | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 39" /> |
| 1951 | Top Banana | <ref name="The Broadway League 1951">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 39" /> |
| 1952 | My Darlin' Aida | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 39" /> |
| 1953 | Wonderful Town | <ref name="The Broadway League 1953">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 39" /> |
| 1954 | Peter Pan | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 39" /> |
| 1955 | Plain and Fancy | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 39" /> |
| 1955 | The Vamp | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 39" /> |
| 1956 | Tamburlaine The Great | <ref name="BM p. 47; NYCL p. 39" /><ref name="The Broadway League 19562" /> |
| 1956 | Bus Stop | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1956 | Shangri-La | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 40" /> |
| 1957 | Ziegfeld Follies of 1957 | <ref name="BM p. 47; NYCL p. 40" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1957b">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1957 | West Side Story | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="The Broadway League 19602">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn |
| 1959 | Juno | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 40" /> |
| 1959 | Saratoga | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 40" /> |
| 1960 | Once Upon a Mattress | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 40">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1960 | The Unsinkable Molly Brown | <ref name="The Broadway League 1960">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 40" /> |
| 1962 | All American | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 40" /> |
| 1962 | Carnival! | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1963 | The Lady of the Camellias | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 41">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1963 | Tovarich | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1964 | Funny Girl | <ref name="The Broadway League 1964">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 41" /> |
| 1966 | Mame | <ref name="The Broadway League 1966">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 41" /> |
| 1969 | Jimmy! | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 41" /> |
| 1970 | Georgy | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 41" /> |
| 1970 | Purlie | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1971 | Follies | <ref name="Bloom pp. 274-275; BM p. 48; NYCL p. 23" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1971" /> |
| 1972 | Much Ado About Nothing | <ref name="Bloom p. 275; BM pp. 48-49; NYCL p. 41" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1972" /> |
| 1974 | Ulysses in Nighttown | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 42">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1974 | Gypsy | <ref name="The Broadway League 1974">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 42" /> |
| 1975 | Doctor Jazz | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 42" /> |
| 1976 | Pacific Overtures | <ref name="The Broadway League 19762">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 42" /> |
| 1976 | Fiddler on the Roof | <ref name="Bloom p. 275; BM p. 49; NYCL p. 42" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1976" /> |
| 1977 | Beatlemania | <ref name="The Broadway League 1977">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 42" /> |
| 1979 | Zoot Suit | <ref name="BM p. 49; NYCL p. 42" /><ref name="The Broadway League 19793">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1979 | Gilda Radner: Live From New York | <ref name="BM p. 49; NYCL p. 42" /><ref name="The Broadway League 1979">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1980 | 42nd Street | <ref name="The Broadway League 1980">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 43">Template:Harvnb</ref> |
| 1981 | The Catherine Wheel | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1981 | Camelot | <ref name="The Broadway League 1981">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 43" /> |
| 1982 | Othello | <ref name="The Broadway League 19822">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 43" /> |
| 1982 | Cats | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 43" /> |
| 2001 | Mamma Mia! | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2014 | Rocky the Musical | <ref name="The Broadway League 2014">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2015 | Wolf Hall Parts One & Two | <ref name="The Broadway League 20152">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2015 | School of Rock | <ref name="The Broadway League 2015">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2019 | Beetlejuice | <ref name=nyt-2019-04-25/><ref name="The Broadway League 2019">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2022 | The Music Man | <ref name=nyt-2022-02-11/><ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2023 | Back to the Future: The Musical | <ref name="Evans 2022"/><ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2025 | Good Night, and Good Luck | <ref name="Evans 2024a">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="The Broadway League v450">Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2025 | Mamma Mia! | <ref name="Gans b789">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Paulson h331">Template:Cite web</ref> |
See also
- List of buildings and structures on Broadway in Manhattan
- List of Broadway theaters
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
- Template:Cite Routledge Broadway
- Template:Cite ATT Broadway
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite Morrison Broadway
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite New York 1930
- Template:Cite magazine
- Template:Cite report
External links
Template:Portal bar Template:Broadway theatres Template:TonyAwards venues Template:Times Square Template:Midtown North, Manhattan Template:Broadway (Manhattan) Template:Authority control
- 1911 establishments in New York City
- Broadway (Manhattan)
- Broadway theatres
- 1910s architecture in the United States
- Theatres completed in 1896
- Midtown Manhattan
- New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan
- New York City interior landmarks
- Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)
- Shubert Organization
- Theatres completed in 1911