Lyceum Theatre (Broadway)

Lyceum Theatre, 2003

The Lyceum Theatre (pronounced ly-CEE-um) is a Broadway theatre located at 149 West 45th Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City. Opened in 1903, it is one of the two oldest surviving Broadway venues (along with the New Amsterdam Theatre). The Lyceum is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in New York City, and the first Broadway theatre ever to be granted landmark status (1974). It is one of the few theatres in New York which continues to operate under its original name.

Designed by architects Herts & Tallant, the Lyceum was built by impresario Daniel Frohman, replacing Frohman's earlier Lyceum on Fourth Avenue that closed in April 1902. The new Lyceum opened on November 2, 1903 with the play The Proud Prince. Frohman's brother Charles served as the theater's manager until his death in 1915. Among the prominent performers who appeared on the Lyceum's stage in its early years were Ethel Barrymore, Billie Burke, Basil Rathbone, Fanny Brice, Walter Huston, Miriam Hopkins, and Cornelia Otis Skinner.

The theatre maintains most of its original Beaux-Arts design, including its elaborate marble staircases and undulating marquee. Although it has three levels, it is one of the smallest Broadway theatres in terms of capacity, seating only 950. An apartment located above the orchestra, originally used by Frohman, is now the headquarters of the Shubert Archives.

Notable productions

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lyceum Theatre (Broadway).

• Lyceum Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database
• Lyceum Theatre Official Site
• Broadway Theatre Guide
• "At this Theatre" at Playbill.com

Coordinates: 40°45′27.8″N 73°59′4.8″W / 40.757722°N 73.984667°W / 40.757722; -73.984667