The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. They dominated the

legitimate theater Legitimate theatre is live performance that relies almost entirely on diegetic elements, with actors performing through speech and natural movement.Joyce M. Hawkins and Robert Allen, eds. "Legitimate" entry. ''The Oxford Encyclopedic English Dicti ...

and

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

in the first half of the 20th century, promoting entertainment attuned to the popular taste.

History

The family's American history began with Duvvid Schubart (

transliterate Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

d to "Shubert") and his wife Katrina (Gitel) Helwitz, who left their native town Vladislavov, Russian Empire (now

Kudirkos Naumiestis Kudirkos Naumiestis () is in the Šakiai district municipality, Lithuania. It is located south-west of Šakiai. History The settlement was first mentioned in 1561 as a village called ''Duoliebaičiai.'' In 1639 the town was renamed ''Vladislav ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

) arriving in New York City from Hamburg, via England, on June 12, 1881 on the s/s ''Spain'' with their eight children. Two of them subsequently died. Later they settled in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

."Shubert Brothers"
pbs.org, accessed August 29, 2009Kenrick, Joh

musicals101.com, accessed August 29, 2009 The three Shubert sons (

Lee Shubert Lee Shubert (born Levi Schubart; March 25, 1871– December 25, 1953) was a Lithuanian-born American theatre owner/operator and producer and the eldest of seven siblings of the theatrical Shubert family. Biography Born to a Jewish family, the so ...

Sam S. Shubert Samuel S. Shubert (August 27, 1878 – May 13, 1905) was an American producer and theatre owner/operator. He was the middle son in the Shubert family and was raised in Syracuse, New York. Biography Born in Vladislavov, in the Suwałki Govern ...

, and

Jacob J. Shubert Jacob J. Shubert (c. 1879 – December 26, 1963) was an American theatre owner/operator and producer and a member of the famous theatrical Shubert family. Biography Born in Vladislavov, in the Suwałki Governorate of Congress Poland, a part o ...

) had to forgo much in the way of formal education and go to work when they were very young. Introduced to the world of the theatre, the three brothers broke the monopoly on the theatre-management industry (represented by 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 ...

under

Abe Erlanger Abraham Lincoln Erlanger (May 4, 1859 – March 7, 1930) was an American theatrical producer, director, designer, theater owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate. Biography Erlanger was born to a Jewish family

) and

Mark Klaw Marc Klaw, (born Marcus Alonzo Klaw, May 29, 1858 – June 14, 1936) was an American lawyer, theatrical producer, theater owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate. Life and work Referred to as both Mark and Marc, he was born in ...

in the foundation of rival agency

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 ...

, replacing it with their own. Among the organization's

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

holdings are the renowned

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

(at 1634 Broadway), the

(at 221 West 44th Street), and the

Imperial Theatres Imperial Theatres of Russian Empire ( rus, Императорские театры Российской империи) was a theatrical organization financed by the Imperial exchequer and managed by a single directorate headed with a director; was ...

. By 1924, they had 86 theatres in the United States. By 1953, they had produced 600 shows under their credits and had booked 1,000 shows into their numerous theatres. By the 1920s, they owned, operated, managed or booked over 1,000 theatres nationwide."The Shubert Organization"
shubertorganization.com, accessed August 29, 2009 In 1942, they owned, leased or managed 20 of New York City's approximately 40 legitimate theatres and controlled some 15 in other cities. As of 2009, the Shubert Organization owns seventeen Broadway theatres in New York City, as well as the Shubert Theatre in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, the Forrest Theatre in

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 ...

, and manages the National Theatre in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The organization also owns and operates the 5-stage Off-Broadway facility,

New World Stages New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue. ...

. Jerry Stagg identifies Lee Shubert as the key creative partner, showing how he built the most successful theatrical empire in history. Stagg characterizes the trio as vulgar and uneducated, but acknowledges that they made a personal monopoly amassing millions of profits in the process. They opened new theater districts in many major American cities, employing thousands over the years. Entertainment and popular taste was the goal, rather than the dramatic arts. By 1924, they controlled 75 percent of all American theaters, producing 25 percent of all plays. Their actors in response created

Actor's Equity The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

as a labor union to counterbalance their power. When 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 ...

caused the

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

of their corporate empire in 1933, they could have retired wealthy. Instead they kept the theater alive pouring their own money into the gamble. Almost alone they kept the legitimate theater alive in America. The federal government called them a monopoly, and in 1950 they were taken to court by the federal government. In 1955, a

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

ruling ruled that they were subject to

antitrust law Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust ...

s, so they sold 12 theaters in six cities and gave up the booking business, the heart of their enterprise.Jerry Stagg, ''The Brothers Schubert'' (1968)

Notable productions

Musical comedies

*''Chinese Honeymoon'' (1902) *''Winsome Winnie'' (1903) *''The Babes and the Baron'' (1905) *''The Dancing Duchess'' (1914)

Revues

*''Pioneer Days'' (1906) featuring Indians, cavalry, baby elephants, and chorus girls, directed by Lee Shubert *''The Passing Show'' (1912–24), annual musical

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

, rivaling

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

's Follies.

Operettas

*''The Blue Paradise'' (1915), and other

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his musicals and operettas, particularly '' The Student Prince'' (1924), '' The Desert Song'' (1926) and '' The New Moon'' (1928). E ...

musicals

Family

The Shubert children: #

(1871–1953), theatre owner/operator, producer. Married to Marcella Swanson (1900-1973). No children. #Fannie Shubert (1868-1928). From her first marriage to Isaac Isaacs she had three sons: Jesse Isaacs (1893-1904), Larry Shubert (1894-1965) and Milton Isaacs Shubert (1901-1967). Her second husband was William Weissager. #Sarah Shubert (1870–1934). Married to Edward Davidow. No children. #

(1874–1905), producer, writer, director, theatre owner/operator; died in a Pennsylvania train accident #

(1876–1963), producer, director, theatre owner/operator. From his first marriage to Catherine Dealy he had a son John Jason Shubert (1908-1962). #Dora (Debora) Shubert (1880–1951). From her marriage to Milton Wolf (1881-1955) she had a daughter Sylvia Wolf Golde (1910–1981)

References

External links

* * ''Shubert Foundation biography'' * ''Shubert Archive'' {{Broadway theatres American theatre managers and producers Business families of the United States Jewish-American families Lithuanian Jews Shubert Organization Businesspeople from Syracuse, New York