Broadway NewsIllusionist Criss Angel Is Part of In Residence on Broadway Series at the Lunt-Fontanne TheatreThe limited engagement begins July 2.
By
Andrew Gans
July 02, 2019
Criss Angel
Illusionist Criss Angel begins performances on Broadway July 2 as part of the In Residence on Broadway series. Criss Angel Raw: The Mindfreak Unplugged plays eight performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre through July 7.
The production promises Angel’s sleight-of-hand street magic, mentalism, and some of his most memorable illusions.
“Mindfreak started in 2001 in the heart of Times Square, the WWE basement, and now to be back home in New York with my all-new show Raw, playing in a storied Broadway theatre where Doug Henning once performed, is a dream come true,” Angel said in a statement. “Raw is a completely different show than Mindfreak in Las Vegas. It’s intimate and reveals a different side of me—while of course still blowing your mind."
The In Residence series is a collaboration between Live Nation, The Araca Group, and Entertainment Benefits Group.
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Step Inside Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Step Inside Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Inside the Theatre, the photo feature series that documents Broadway’s historic playhouses, continues with the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
20 PHOTOS
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre marquee
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre box office
Portraits of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
Originally named the Globe after Shakespeare’s theatre in England, the theatre opened on January 10, 1910, built by producer Charles B. Dillingham.
The theatre was designed by famed architects Carrère and Hastings, and featured a large stage, a compact auditorium, Italian Renaissance decor with draperies of Rose du Barry and walls of old gold, blue, and ivory white. According to the New York Dramatic Mirror, the theatre was a “ complete novelty in American theatrical design.”
For its debut, Dillingham chose Old Town, a lavish musical for two of that era’s most popular musical-comedy stars, Dave Montgomery and Fred Stone, which was greeted with rave reviews.
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre auditorium
Marc J. Franklin
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre auditorium
In 1957, Roger Stevens and Robert W. Dowling of the City Investing Company purchased and restored the theatre. Dowling chose to redo the theatre in an elegant 18th-century style. A new stage was built, the second balcony removed, and a cantilevered mezzanine added. Blue damask walls, crystal chandeliers, and a hundred-foot ceiling mural depicting the theatrical muses added to the house’s new opulence.
In addition to a restored design, the theatre was renamed the Lunt-Fontanne in honor of America’s foremost husband/wife acting couple, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
On May 5, 1958, the theatre re-opened with The Visit, a stark, harrowing drama of revenge by Friedrich Duerrenmatt.
Throughout its history, the theatre ushered in the Broadway debut of iconic shows such as The Sound of Music and Titanic.
In addition, the theatre saw performances from theatre legends including Carol Channing, Richard Burton, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre lobby
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre lobby
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre lobby
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre lobby
Photos of the theatre's history line the lower lounge.
Portrait of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
