Neil Simon Theatre (Broadway)

On Wednesday, June 29, 1983, the former Alvin Theatre was renamed the Neil Simon, in honor of the playwright who has since enjoyed several hits at this theatre, which is owned by the Messrs. Nederlander.

The most recent productions here have been "Elaine Stritch At Liberty;" "The Music Man;" "The Scarlet Pimpernel;" "Swan Lake;" "A View From the Bridge;" "The King and I;" "Cyrano;" "Rise and Fall of Little Voice; Simon's "Jake's Women," starring Alan Alda and a bevy of beautiful women; "Jackie Mason: Brand New;" Vanessa Redgrave in Tennessee Williams's "Orpheus Descending;" two O'Neill revivals--"Ah, Wilderness!" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night", starring Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards; Derek Jacobi in the British hit "Breaking the Code;" a revival of Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit," starring Richard Chamberlain and Geraldine Page, her last appearance on Broadway; Neil Simon's first two plays in his trilogy: "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Biloxi Blues," both with Matthew Broderick; the successful gospel musical "Your Arms Too Short to Box with God;" the Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical "Merrily We Roll Along;" the gold mine called "Annie" by Martin Charnin, Thomas Meehan and Charles Strouse, which received Tonys for Best Musical, Best Score, Best Sets, Best Costumes, Best Choreography, Best Actress (Dorothy Loudon) and high praise for Andrea McArdle as Annie (2,377 performances).

Other 1970's productions included "Shenandoah" starring John Cullum (Tony Award) and "Company" by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, directed by Hal Prince, which won seven Tony Awards.

During the 1960's Lucille Ball made her Broadway debut here in the musical "Wildcat;" followed by the hysterical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," the multi-Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim, Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove, starring Zero Mostel, David Burns and Jack Gilford; Beatrice Lillie in her last Broadway show, "High Spirits," a musical version of "Blithe Spirit, "co-starring Tammy Grimes and Edward Woodward; Liza Minnelli winning a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in "Flora, the Red Menace;" Tom Stoppard's Tony Award play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead;" and Howard Sackler's Pulitzer Prize winner "The Great White Hope," starring James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander (both won Tony Awards).

Highlights of the 1950's included Claude Rains (Tony Award) in "Darkness at Noon;" Shirley Booth in the musical version of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn;" Henry Fonda in "Point of No Return;" Bette Davis in an ill-fated revue, "Two's Company;" Mary Martin and Charles Boyer in Norman Krasna's "Kind Sir;" "The Golden Apple," a musical that won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award; "House of Flowers," the Truman Capote/Harold Arlen musical, starring Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll; Andy Griffith in Ira Levin's long-running comedy "No Time for Sergeants;" and the musical "Oh, Captain," starring Tony Randall, Abbe Lane, Susan Johnson and Alexandra Danilova.

Gems of the 1940's: Gertrude Lawrence and Danny Kaye in the dazzling "Lady in the Dark;" the Lunts and Montgomery Clift in the Pulitzer Prize play "There Shall Be No Night;" Ethel Merman in Porter's "Something for the Boys;" Ingrid Bergman in "Joan of Lorraine;" Henry Fonda in "Mister Roberts." In 1935 Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" premiered here; in 1930 Merman made her debut in Gershwin's "Girl Crazy" and triumphed in Porter's "Anything Goes" (1934).

Theatre Information:
250 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
US

Box Office: Ticketmaster: (212) 307-4100
Outside NY/NJ/CT: (800) 755-4000
Online at www.ticketmaster.com

Group Sales: Groups: (800) 677-1164

Public Transportation:
SUBWAY: Take the N,R,W to 49th Street or the 1,9 to 50th Street, walk North to 52nd Street and West to the theatre; Take the C,E to 50th Street, walk North to 52nd Street and East to the theatre.

Handicap Access:
Wheelchair accessible seats available at the Box Office only. The theatre is not equipped with elevators or escalators. Hearing devices are available. Call (212) 757-8646 for more information.

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