The Forrest Theatre is a live theatre venue at 1114 Walnut Street Center City area of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. It has a seating capacity of 1,851 and is managed by

The Shubert Organization The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by the three Shubert brothers in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters ...

."The Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia"
Shubert Organization Retrieved 29 March 2009. The original Forrest Theatre was on Broad and Sansom Street but

Fidelity Trust Company Fidelity Trust Company was a bank in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1866 as Fidelity Insurance, Trust, & Safe Deposit Company, the bank was later renamed Fidelity Trust Company, Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company, The Fidelity Bank, and F ...

demolished it and replaced it in 1928 with the Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company Building (now the Wells Fargo Building). The new theatre was built in 1927 at the cost of $2 million, and was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp; it was named after the 19th century actor

Edwin Forrest Edwin Forrest (March 9, 1806December 12, 1872) was a prominent nineteenth-century American Shakespearean actor. His feud with the British actor William Macready was the cause of the deadly Astor Place Riot of 1849. Early life Forrest was born i ...

, who was born in Philadelphia, and owned and lived in the

Edwin Forrest House The Edwin Forrest House (a.k.a. Gaul-Forrest House) is a historic house and arts building at 1346 North Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built in 1853–54, it was from 1880 until 1960 home to the Philadelphia School of Design for W ...

. The opening performance was ''The Red Robe'' in 1928. A renovation of the theatre was undertaken in 1997, including redecoration and the addition of handicapped-accessible restrooms. Over the years, the Forrest Theatre has been a proving ground for various Broadway plays and musicals, serving as the location for previews and try-outs of these productions. Some of the shows that played at the Forrest prior to moving to Broadway include '' The Women'' (1936), ''

Make Mine Manhattan ''Make Mine Manhattan'' is a 1948 Broadway revue with music by Richard Lewine, lyrics by Hassard Short, and sketches by Arnold Horwitt and produced by Joseph Hyman. Production ''Make Mine Manhattan'' premiered on Broadway at the Broadhurst Thea ...

'' (1948),''

Wonderful Town ''Wonderful Town'' is a 1953 musical with book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical tells the story of two sisters who aspire to be a writer and act ...

'' (1953), ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and ...

'' (1957), '' Funny Girl'' (1963), ''

The Star-Spangled Girl ''The Star-Spangled Girl'' is a comedy written by Neil Simon. The play is set in San Francisco, California, in the 1960s. Plot overview The story is a love triangle, mixed with politics. Roommates and radicals Andy Hobart and Norman Cornell a ...

'' (1966), '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' (1966), '' Golden Rainbow'' (1967), ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown (writer), William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's childr ...

'' (1974), and ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'' (1975). Since the 2007–08 season, the Forrest Theatre has joined with the

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue at 300 South Broad Street and the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the Avenue of the Arts in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned and ...

to offer a season of Broadway touring productions.

References

Notes

External links

* {{Authority control Theatres in Philadelphia Shubert Organization Center City, Philadelphia Theatres completed in 1927 1927 establishments in Pennsylvania