The Knickerbocker Theatre, previously known as Abbey's Theatre and Henry Abbey's Theatre, was a
Broadway theatre located at 1396 Broadway (West 38th Street) in
New York City. It operated from 1893 to 1930. In 1906, the theatre introduced the first moving electrical sign on Broadway to advertise its productions.
History
The 1500-seat theatre was designed by the architectural firm of J. B. McElfatrick & Co. It opened as Abbey's Theatre, named after Broadway theatre manager and producer
Henry Eugene Abbey
Henry Eugene Abbey (June 27, 1846 – October 17, 1896) was an American theatre manager and producer.
Early life
Henry E. Abbey was born in Akron, Ohio on June 27, 1846, to clockmaker Henry Stephen Abbey and Elizabeth Smith Abbey. , on November 8, 1893 with a production of the melodrama ''The Countess Valeska''. In the mid-1890s,
Lillian Russell starred at the theatre, including in ''
The Queen of Brilliants
''The Queen of Brilliants'' is a comic opera in three acts with music by Edward Jakobowski and a libretto by Brandon Thomas. It was adapted from Jakobowski's German-language operetta ''Die Brillantett-Königin'', with a libretto by Theodore Tawbe ...
'', a flop.
Following Abbey's death in 1896,
Al Hayman and the
Theatrical Syndicate
Starting in 1896, the Theatrical Syndicate was an organisation that in the United States that controlled the majority of bookings in the country's leading theatrical attractions. The six-man group was in charge of theatres and bookings.
Beginnin ...
group took control of the theatre and rechristened it the Knickerbocker. In its early years, the theatre hosted productions of
Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
plays and
Edwardian musical comedy. Several of
Victor Herbert's operettas premièred there. In 1906, the theatre introduced the first moving electrical sign on Broadway with an advertisement for its production of Herbert's ''
The Red Mill''. Operettas by European composers, such as ''
The Dollar Princess'' and ''
The Merry Widow'' also played there.
In 1905,
Variety opened its first office at the theatre.
After
World War I, the theatre continued to present a mixture of musicals, new plays and classics. Following the
Wall Street Crash of 1929, the theatre closed. It was
demolished in 1930, along with the nearby
Casino Theatre, to make way for the expanding
Garment District.
Notable productions
*1895: ''
An Enemy of the People
''An Enemy of the People'' (original Norwegian title: ''En folkefiende''), an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, followed his previous play, ''Ghosts'', which criticized the hypocrisy of his society's moral code. That response inclu ...
''
*1896: ''
The Sign of the Cross'' (play by Wilson Barrett) (November)
*1897: ''
The Serenade''
*1901: ''
Quality Street''
*1901 ''
The Casino Girl'' (40 perf.)
*1902: ''
The Toreador'' (121 perf.)
*1902: ''The Wild Rose'' (136 perf.)
*1903: ''Mr. Bluebeard'' (135 perf.)
*1905: ''
Mlle. Modiste'' (202 perf.)
*1906: ''
The Red Mill'' (274 perf.)
*1907: ''The Talk of New York'' (173 perf.)
*1908: ''
The Girls of Gottenberg'' (103 perf.)
*1909: ''The Fair Co-ed'' (136 perf.)
*1909: ''
The Dollar Princess'' (250 perf.)
*1910: ''
The Arcadians'' (201 perf. across multiple theatres)
*1910: ''
The Scarlet Pimpernel''
*1911: ''The Siren'' (116 perf.)
*1911: ''
Kismet'' (the play by
Edward Knoblauch) (184 perf.)
*1912: ''
Oh! Oh! Delphine
''Oh! Oh! Delphine'' is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by C.M.S. McLellan and music by Ivan Caryll. It is based on the French farce ''Villa Primrose'' by Marcel Guillemaud and Georges Berr.
A Broadway production opened at the Knickerbock ...
'' (258 perf.)
*1913: ''
The Sunshine Girl''
*1913: ''
The Marriage Market''
*1914: ''
The Girl from Utah'' (120 perf.)
*1916: ''
The Music Master'' (159 perf., revival)
*1917: ''
Hamilton''
*1918: ''
Listen Lester'' (272 perf.)
[Parker, John (ed), ''Who's Who in the Theatre'', 10th revised edition, London, 1947: 1430]
*1920: ''Mary'' (220 perf.)
*1922: ''The Clinging Vine'' (188 perf.)
*1924: ''
Peter Pan'' (96 perf., revival)
*1925: ''
Dearest Enemy'' (286 perf.)
*1926: ''Honeymoon Lane'' (353 perf.)
*1927: ''Sidewalks of New York'' (112 perf.)
References
External links
Internet Broadway Database listing
{{Coord, 40, 45, 9.5, N, 73, 59, 13.5, W, type:landmark_region:US-NY, display=title
Former Broadway theatres
Broadway (Manhattan)
Demolished theatres in New York City
Buildings and structures demolished in 1930
Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan