Step Inside Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre

Originally named the National, the Nederlander Theatre was built in 1921 by theatrical agent Walter C. Jordan. Throughout its history, the theatre underwent several name changes, being renamed the Billy Rose and the Trafalgar before being named the Nederlander in 1980.

Nederlander Theatre auditorium

When it opened, The New York Times reported that the new house cost $950,000 to build, was designed by architect William Neil Smith, and contained 1,200 seats, making it capable of housing both dramatic productions and musicals.

Nederlander Theatre auditorium

The theatre’s original interior was done in burnished Italian walnut with gold embellishments. “The style is early Renaissance, and the carved figures are of lyric and epic subjects, unobtrusive but attractive, and emerging in the half round from wood like Flemish carvings,” wrote The New York Times.

The theatre debuted with Swords, a play by Sidney Howard which only ran for 36 performances. However, the theatre had a stroke of luck in booking The Cat and the Canary in Februay 1922, a thriller that would become a classic of its genre.

Throughout its history, the theatre has ushered in the Broadway debut of iconic works including Grand Hotel, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Rent.