The Bijou Theatre was a former Broadway theater in New York City that opened in 1878 as Theatre Brighton and was demolished in 1915. It also served as an opera house and silent movie venue throughout its history. Located at 1239 Broadway between 30th and 31st Streets, had been converted from a drinking and gambling establishment into a theatre for variety, and opened August 26, 1878, with Jerry Thomas as proprietor. The house had many changes and names until John A. McCaull, a Baltimore lawyer, and Charles E. Ford took charge of it. Considerable money was spent and when they reopened the house on March 31, 1880, as the Bijou Opera-house, it looked like a modern and well-regulated theatre. In 1881 and 1882,

Lillian Russell Lillian Russell (born Helen Louise Leonard; December 4, 1860 or 1861 – June 6, 1922), was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for her beauty ...

appeared in three different operettas. But the house proved too small to be profitable, so after the performance of July 7, 1883, preparations for tearing it down began. R. E. J. Miles and Gen. W. B. Barton leased the premises for five years from its owner, Edward F. James. They agreed to advance sufficient funds to erect a new house, which was designed by J. B. McElfatrick & Son and opened December 1, 1883, as the Bijou Theatre. The first production was ''Orpheus and Eurydice,'' an adaption by

Max Freeman Max Freeman (c. 1852 – March 27 or March 28, 1912) was a German actor, theater director, theater manager, playwright, and producer who was primarily active in the United States. After beginning his career in his native city of Berlin in 1868, Fre ...

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera '' ...

's '' Orfée aux enfers.''" ''

Adonis In Greek mythology, Adonis, ; derived from the Canaanite word ''ʼadōn'', meaning "lord". R. S. P. Beekes, ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. 23. was the mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite. One day, Adonis was gored by ...

'', starring

Henry E. Dixey Henry E. Dixey (born Henry E. Dixon; January 6, 1859 – February 25, 1943) was an American actor and theatre producer. Dixey was born on January 6, 1859, in Boston, Massachusetts. He made his stage debut in Boston in 1868, joining the variety ...

, played its record-breaking run of 603 performances at the Bijou beginning September 4, 1884. Another long run was '' The Music Master'', starring

David Warfield David Warfield (November 28, 1866 – June 27, 1951) was an American stage actor. Life and career Warfield was born David Wohlfeld in San Francisco, California, to German-Jewish parents, Louise and Sigmund Wohlfeld. His first connection wit ...

, transferred from the

Belasco Theatre The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York Ci ...

on January 9, 1905, and playing 511 performances, for a total at the two theaters of 635, before closing September 29, 1906. The next big hit was ''A Gentleman from Mississippi'', starring

Thomas A. Wise Thomas Alfred Wise (March 23, 1865 - March 21, 1928) was an American actor and president of The Lambs from 1926 to 1928. Biography Wise was born on March 23, 1865, in Faversham, England. He emigrated to the United States at the age of three, and m ...

and

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thie ...

, which opened September 29, 1908. From June 29 to August 7, 1909, it played at the Aerial Gardens atop the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built from ...

, with new scenery and costumes, moving back to the Bijou August 9. After giving its 400th performance (counting the Aerial Gardens) on August 25, the play closed on September 18. The Bijou was later used as a silent movie house. It was demolished in 1915 and replaced by the present high-rise office building, which opened in 1917.

Selected shows

* ''

'' (1884–86; 603 perf.) * ''

A Midnight Bell ''A Midnight Bell'' is a 1921 American silent comedy film. The film was directed and produced by its star, Charles Ray. His brother, Albert, is thought to have co-directed some scenes. The film is believed to be lost.Soister, John T. ''American ...

'' (1889; 136 perf.) * ''

The Widow Jones ''The Widow Jones'' was an 1895 New York City stage musical comedy. Thomas Edison hired the play's stars, May Irwin and John Rice, to recreate the kiss seen in act 1 of the play for the 1896 short film, '' The Kiss'', made in Edison's Kinetoscop ...

'' (1895), basis for 1896 Edison short film '' The Kiss'' * '' Courted Into Court'' (1896–97; 140 perf.) * ''Sister Mary'' by

Glen MacDonough Glen MacDonough (1870 – March 30, 1924) was an American writer, lyricist and librettist. He was the son of theater manager Thomas B. MacDonough and actress/author Laura Don. Glen MacDonough married Margaret Jefferson in 1896 in Buzzard's Bay, ...

(1889-1900; 120 perf.) * '' The Climbers'' by

Clyde Fitch Clyde Fitch (May 2, 1865 – September 4, 1909) was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time (c. 1890–1909). Biography Born in Elmira, New York, and educated at Holderness School and Amherst College (cl ...

(1901; 163 perf.) * ''The Auctioneer'' by

Charles Klein Charles Klein (January 7, 1867 – May 7, 1915) was an English-born playwright and actor who emigrated to America in 1883. Among his works was the libretto of John Philip Sousa's operetta, ''El Capitan''. Klein's talented siblings includ ...

(1901; 105 perf.) * ''Nancy Brown'' (1903; 112 perf.) * ''

A Gentleman from Mississippi ''A Gentleman from Mississippi'' is a 1908 comedic play by Harrison Rhodes and Thomas A. Wise.(1 August 1908)A New Political Play ''The New York Times'' It was popular when released, debuting on Broadway on September 28, 1908, and playing for 407 ...

'' (1908–09) * '' The Music Master'' (1905–06; 627 counting 124 shows at Belasco) * '' The Lottery Man'' (1909–10; 200 perf.)

References

{{coord, 40.74721, -73.988584, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Theatres completed in 1878 Former Broadway theatres Demolished theatres in New York City Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan Former theatres in Manhattan Buildings and structures demolished in 1915