Wallack's Theatre

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Wallack’s Theatre, located on 254 West 42nd Street in New York, United States, was opened on December 5th, 1904 by a man named Oscar Hammerstein. At this time, the district in which the theatre was located was referred to as the “Broadway District”, which appropriately suited the theatres that could be found in this area of town. Hammerstein was an emigrant from Berlin who, through a series of patented inventions, saved enough money to build and manage theatres. The Wallack’s Theatre was Hammerstein’s 8th production theatre and was originally known as “Lew M. Fields”, a name that Hammerstein gave it in recognition of his favourite comedian who often performed at his shows. This theatre was built by J.M. McElfatrick and Co., an architect company, and was considered a ‘standard house’ during its time. The theatre itself was a rather small theatre by comparison and was made to hold 770 viewers. Originally designed to be much larger, an additional building had to be constructed just east of the theatre so that there may be dressing rooms.

Upon opening day in 1904, It Happened in Nordland took the stage as the first performance at Lew M. Fields theatre and it was a hit. This play featured Lew. M. Fields himself and was accompanied with music from Victor Herbert. The production ran for five months and was the last to run under Field’s name. Following this play, the theatre was turned over to James K. Hackett; a producer and actor. This turn over can be acquitted to the fact that Hammerstein himself had lost control of the theatre due to a series of violations that needed to be addressed. Under Hackett’s management, the theatre enjoyed a few more successes than it’s prior title did. The Hackett Theatre had many plays put on, all of which were well received by the public; including the eight month run of The Chorus Lady, which took place throughout 1906 and 1907.

Following James Hackett’s management of the theatre, it went on to be owned by William B. Harris in 1911 and H.H. Frazee, theatre manager and well known owner of the Red Sox baseball team, in 1920. Following Frazee’s ownership and a lack of success, the theatre reopened as ‘Wallack’s Theatre” in 1924 with the intention to resemble famous nineteenth century playhouses. John Court, the man who renamed the theatre “Wallacks”, managed the theatre and kept it in business until the 1930’s when 42nd street no longer seemed to have the same ‘broadway’ appeal and the theatre life died. Wallacks became a theatre for movie showings and over the course of the next 10 years, underwent renovation and was renamed the Anco. Following these renovations, the theatre no longer held its character that it once did and was simply no longer attractive. Some years later, in the late 1980’s, the theatre endured its final transformation and was completely stripped to its bare brick foundation with the intention of using it for retail purposes.

Sources

Henderson, Mary C. The City and the Theatre. James T. White & Co., New Jersey, 1973.

Henderson, Mary C. The City and the Theatre. Back Stage Books, New York, 2004.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance. Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004. [1]

Twentieth Century North American Drama. The University of Toronto and Alexander Street Press, L.L.C., 2006. [2]

Van Hoogstraten, Nicolas Lost Broadway Theatres. Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 1997.