Richard Rodgers Theatre

Richard Rodgers Theatre
Chanin's 46th Street Theatre, 46th Street Theatre

Tarzan in 2006
Address 226 West 46th Street
New York City
United States
Coordinates 40°45′33″N 73°59′13″W / 40.75917°N 73.9869°W
Owner Nederlander Organization
Capacity 1,319
Construction
Opened 1928
Architect Irwin Chanin
Website
www.richardrodgerstheatre.com

The Richard Rodgers Theatre, is a Broadway theater located at 226 West 46th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue, in New York City. The theatre was built by Irwin Chanin in 1925 and was originally called Chanin's 46th Street Theatre. Chanin almost immediately leased it to the Shuberts, who bought the building outright in 1931 and renamed it the 46th Street Theatre. In 1945, the theatre was taken over by Robert W. Dowling.[1] In 1960, it was purchased by the producer Lester Osterman.,[2] who sold it to producers Stephen R. Friedman and Irwin Meyer in 1978.[3] In 1981, it was purchased and renovated by the Nederlander Organization, who in 1990 changed the house's name to the Richard Rodgers Theatre in memory of the composer.[4]

The theatre currently holds the distinction of having housed the greatest number, ten, of Tony Award-winning Best Plays and Best Musicals, more than any other theatre on Broadway.[5]

Chanin's seating plan

The Richard Rodgers Theatre is notable in that it was the first to feature Chanin's 'democratic' seating plan. In most earlier Broadway theatres, patrons seated in the cheaper balcony and mezzanine sections utilized separate entrances from patrons who had purchased the more expensive orchestra section seats. Instead, all patrons entered the new theatre through the same doors, and a series of steps inside the house led to the upper seating areas.

Notable productions

Box office record

In The Heights achieved the box office record for the Richard Rogers Theatre. The production grossed $1,136,062 for the week ending January 4, 2009.[8]

References

  1. ↑ FORREST CHANGES NAME; Theatre Operated by Lotito Now Known as the Coronet
  2. ↑ Osterman, Producer, Buys 46th St. Theatre
  3. ↑ Broadway
  4. ↑ News of the Theater
  5. ↑ "Tony Awards Facts & Trivia"
  6. ↑ The Broadway League. Chicago 1996 revival | IBDB. Internet Broadway Database.
  7. ↑ Jones, Kenneth. "In the Heights". Playbill.
  8. ↑ , playbillvault.com

External links