The Morosco Theatre was a Broadway theatre near Times Square in New York City from 1917 to 1982. It housed many notable productions and its demolition, along with four adjacent theaters, was controversial.

History

Located at 217 West 45th Street, the Morosco Theatre was designed by architect

Herbert J. Krapp Herbert J. Krapp (1887, New York City, - 1973, Florida) was a theatre architect and designer in the early part of the twentieth century. Krapp was an apprentice with the Herts & Tallant firm until 1915. Between 1912 and 1916 Krapp began working d ...

for the Shubert family, who constructed it for Oliver Morosco in gratitude for his helping them break the monopoly of 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 ...

. It had approximately 955 seats. After an invitation-only preview performance on February 4, 1917, it opened to the public on February 5. The inaugural production was ''Canary Cottage'', a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with a book by Morosco and a score by Earl Carroll. The Shuberts lost the building in the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, and City Playhouses, Inc. bought it at auction in 1943. It was sold in 1968 to Bankers Trust Company and, after a massive "Save the Theatres" protest movement led by

Joe Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created a y ...

and supported by various actors and other theatrical folk failed, it was razed in 1982, along with the first Helen Hayes, the Bijou, and remnants of the

Astor Astor may refer to: People * Astor (surname) * Astor family, a wealthy 18th-century American family who became prominent in 20th-century British politics * Astor Bennett, a character in the Showtime television series ''Dexter'' * Ástor Piazzol ...

and the

Gaiety Gaiety or Gayety may refer to: * Gaiety (mood), the state of being happy * Gaiety Theatre (disambiguation) * ''USS Gayety (AM-239'', former name of the ship ''BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20)'' See also *Gaiety Girls Gaiety Girls were the chorus girl ...

theaters; it was replaced by the 49-story

Marriott Marquis Marriott Marquis is a hotel brand owned by Marriott International and denotes flagship, large-format hotels similar to Hyatt's Hyatt Regency brand. Notable hotels using this branding include: * New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York ...

hotel and

Marquis Theatre The Marquis Theatre is a Broadway theater on the third floor of the New York Marriott Marquis hotel in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1986, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization. There are about ...

Notable productions

Morosco Theatre, West 45th Street, Manhattan

References

Notes

External links

{{Times Square 1917 establishments in New York (state) Former Broadway theatres Buildings and structures demolished in 1982 Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan Former theatres in Manhattan Theater District, Manhattan Theatres completed in 1917