Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway)

Built by the Shubert Brothers in 1911 and still owned by the Shubert Organization, this historic musical comedy house was noted in its early days for a series of lavish revues called "The Passing Show" and for the famed appearances of Al Jolson, who sang his rousing songs on a runway.

The Winter Garden's previous tenant, "Cats," is not only its longest-running show, but also its greatest hit, garnering seven Tony Awards.

Prior to that mega-hit, the house presented Christopher Plummer and James Earl Jones in "Othello"; Richard Harris in a revival of "Camelot;" and David Merrick's spectacular production of "42nd Street."

The 1970's brought Hal Prince's exciting production of "Follies" by Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman, with such stars as Alexis Smith, Dorothy Collins, John McMartin, Gene Nelson and many others. The offbeat musical won seven Tony Awards. Neil Diamond and Liza Minnelli made highly successful personal appearances here and were followed by the acclaimed New York Shakespeare Festival production of "Much Ado About Nothing" set in Civil War times in the U.S. In 1974 Angela Lansbury won a Tony Award for her performance in a sparkling revival of "Gypsy;" and two years later, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman offered their controversial musical "Pacific Overtures." Zero Mostel re-created his role of Tevye in a revival of "Fiddler on the Roof," and "Beatlemania," a multi-media show about the Beatles, did not invite the critics and promptly ran for two years.

Three musicals brightened this theatre in the 1960's: Tammy Grimes (Tony Award) in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown;" Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl;" and Angela Lansbury (Tony Award) in "Mame," ably supported by Beatrice Arthur (Tony Award), Frankie Michaels (Tony Award) and Jane Connell. Hit musicals in the 1950's included Phil Silvers (Tony Award) in "Top Banana;" Rosalind Russell (Tony Award) in "Wonderful Town," which also won a Tony for Best Musical; and the revolutionary "West Side Story" by Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein, which garnered a Tony Award for Jerome Robbins's brilliant choreography. The last "Ziegfeld Follies," starring the great Beatrice Lillie and Billy De Wolfe also played here in 1957, but had a short run. A much bigger success was the "Follies" in 1943, starring Milton Berle and the beauteous Ilona Massey.

"Hellzapoppin", the lunatic Olsen and Johnson revue that had enjoyed a record run here beginning in 1938, triggered two similar revues--"Sons o'Fun" and "Laffing Room Only" in the 1940's. Bobby Clark had two hits here: Cole Porter's "Mexican Hayride" and "As the Girls Go." Great revues played here in the 1930's: two "Ziegfeld Follies" with Fanny Brice; Bea Lillie in "At Home Abroad" and "The Show Is On" with Bert Lahr; Ray Bolger in "Life Begins at 8:40;" and Ed Wynn in a book show," Hooray for What!"

Theatre Information:
1634 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
US

Box Office: Tele-charge: (212) 239-6200
Outside NY/NJ/CT: (800) 432-7250

Public Transportation:
SUBWAY: Take the N,R,W to 49th Street, walk north on Broadway to the theatre.

Handicap Access:
ACCESS INTO THEATRE: Theatre is not completely wheelchair accessible. There are no steps into the theatre from the sidewalk. Please be advised that where there are steps, either into or within the theatre, we are unable to provide assistance. ORCHESTRA LOCATION: Seating is accessible to all parts of the Orchestra without steps. There are no steps in the designated wheelchair seating location. MEZZANINE LOCATION: Located on the 2nd level - up 2 flights (34 steps). Please Note: On the Mezzanine level, there are approximately 2 steps down per row. Entrance to the Mezzanine is behind row K. RESTROOM: There is a wheelchair accessible restroom.

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