Marquis Theatre (Broadway)
The Marquis, Broadway's newest legitimate theatre, which has been leased by the Nederlander Organization for 35 years, had a spectacular opening on August 10, 1986, with an enormous hit -- the British musical "Me and My Girl," with Robert Lindsay re-creating his award-winning role of Bill Snibson and winning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Tony Awards also went to his co-star Maryann Plunkett for Best Actress in a Musical and Gillian Gregory for her choreography.
"Me and My Girl" was a new production of a 1937 London musical, and it delighted audiences with its broad humor, glamorous sets and costumes and a rousing musical score, including the 1930's dance craze "The Lambeth Walk." It ran for 1,420 performances and got the beautiful new theatre off to a flying start.
Audiences also liked the raucous Brazilian song-and-dance revue called "Oba Oba '90," which played this theatre in l990. The near-nude dancing by a large cast enlivened this native extravaganza.
The scenic resources of the Marquis were tested to their fullest capacities by "Shogun: The Musical" in 1990. Based on the novel by James Clavell, the musical had book and lyrics by John Driver and music by Paul Chihara.
Tyne Daly, who had won a Tony the previous season for her starring role in "Gypsy," the galvanic musical by Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, brought the musical back to the Marquis Theatre in 1991 and repeated her electrifying performance as Rose.
Arthur Laurents was back at the Marquis later that year as librettist and director of the musical "Nick & Nora," which had a score by Charles Strouse and Richard Maltby, Jr. Based on the characters Nick and Nora Charles, created by Dashiell Hammett in "The Thin Man," the musical murder spoof cast Barry Bostwick and Joanna Gleason as the husband/wife sleuths and Faith Prince as a very funny murder victim.
On April 24, 1992, a new production of "Man of La Mancha" opened at the Marquis, starring Raul Julia as Cervantes/Don Quixote and Sheena Easton as Aldonza/Dulcinea.
The Marquis's 1993 tenant was "The Goodbye Girl," starring Bernadette Peters and Martin Short, based on the Neil Simon film with book by Mr. Simon and a Marvin Hamlisch/David Zippel score.
In 1994 a splendid new production of Damn Yankees opened with Bebe Neuwirth, Victor Garber and Jarrod Emick. Mr. Garber was succeeded by Jerry Lewis, making his Broadway debut. Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria was a long-running tenant. She was succeeded by Liza Minnelli and Raquel Welch.
This theatre’s most recent tenants: The Woman in White; La Cage aux Folles; Thoroughly Modern Millie; A Christmas Carol; Annie Get Your Gun; Peter Pan; Forever Tango; and The Capeman.
"Our dream was to create a new theatre for the Broadway of today that could handle any type of production, any kind of light and sound equipment, provide maximum comfort for audience and actors and still convey a feeling of intimacy," said John C. Portman, Jr., the architect/designer of the Marquis in 1986. Considering the spectrum of productions it has housed, the Marquis has achieved this goal.
Theatre Information:
1535 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
US
Box Office: Ticketmaster @ (212) 307-4100/(800) 755-4000
Public Transportation:
SUBWAY: Take the N,Q,R,W or 1,2,3,9 to 42nd Street, walk North on Broadway to the theatre; Take the A,C,E to 42nd Street, walk East on 42nd Street to Broadway and walk North on Broadway to the theatre.
Handicap Access:
Accessible seating available at the Box Office only. Hearing devices also available. Elevators and escalators located in the theatre. Call (212) 382-0100 for more information.
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