The Knickerbocker Theatre, previously known as Abbey's Theatre and Henry Abbey's Theatre, was a

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 ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

located at 1396 Broadway (West 38th Street) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. 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, on November 8, 1893 with a production of the melodrama ''The Countess Valeska''. In the mid-1890s,

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 ...

starred at the theatre, including in '' The Queen of Brilliants'', a flop. Following Abbey's death in 1896,

Al Hayman Al Hayman, also known as Raphael Hayman, (1847 – February 10, 1917) was the business partner of the better-known Charles Frohman who together with others established the Theatrical Syndicate. In addition to the financial backing, ownership an ...

and the Theatrical Syndicate group took control of the theatre and rechristened it the Knickerbocker. In its early years, the theatre hosted productions of Shakespeare's plays and

Edwardian musical comedy Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the A ...

. Several of

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is bes ...

'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 ''The Red Mill'' is an operetta written by Victor Herbert, with a libretto by Henry Blossom. The farcical story concerns two American vaudevillians who wreak havoc at an inn in Holland, interfering with two marriages; but all ends well. The musica ...

''. Operettas by European composers, such as ''

The Dollar Princess ''The Dollar Princess'' is a musical in three acts by A. M. Willner and Fritz Grünbaum (after a comedy by Gatti-Trotha), adapted into English by Basil Hood (from the 1907 '' Die Dollarprinzessin''), with music by Leo Fall and lyrics by Adrian ...

'' and ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'' also played there. In 1905,

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

opened its first office at the theatre. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the theatre continued to present a mixture of musicals, new plays and classics. Following the

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange coll ...

, the theatre closed. It was

demolished Demolition (also known as razing, cartage, and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down of buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a ...

in 1930, along with the nearby Casino Theatre, to make way for the expanding Garment District.

Notable productions

*1895: '' An Enemy of the People'' *1896: '' The Sign of the Cross'' (play by Wilson Barrett) (November) *1897: ''

The Serenade ''The Serenade'' is an operetta with music and lyrics by Victor Herbert, and book by Harry B. Smith. Produced by a troupe called "The Bostonians", it premiered on Broadway on March 16, 1897 at the Knickerbocker Theatre and ran initially for 79 ...

'' *1901: '' Quality Street'' *1901 '' The Casino Girl'' (40 perf.) *1902: ''

The Toreador ''The Toreador'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Harry Nicholls (comedian), Harry Nicholls, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank and music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton. It opened at the Gaiety ...

'' (121 perf.) *1902: ''The Wild Rose'' (136 perf.) *1903: ''Mr. Bluebeard'' (135 perf.) *1905: '' Mlle. Modiste'' (202 perf.) *1906: ''

'' (274 perf.) *1907: ''The Talk of New York'' (173 perf.) *1908: ''

The Girls of Gottenberg ''The Girls of Gottenberg'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by George Grossmith, Jr. and L. E. Berman, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Basil Hood, and music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton. P. G. Wodehouse's personal papers indica ...

'' (103 perf.) *1909: ''The Fair Co-ed'' (136 perf.) *1909: ''

'' (250 perf.) *1910: '' The Arcadians'' (201 perf. across multiple theatres) *1910: ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

'' *1911: ''The Siren'' (116 perf.) *1911: '' Kismet'' (the play by Edward Knoblauch) (184 perf.) *1912: '' Oh! Oh! Delphine'' (258 perf.) *1913: ''

The Sunshine Girl ''The Sunshine Girl'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with a book by Paul A. Rubens and Cecil Raleigh, lyrics and music by Rubens and additional lyrics by Arthur Wimperis. The story involves a working girl who falls in love with ...

'' *1913: ''

The Marriage Market ''The Marriage Market'' (Leányvásár) is an operetta by Hungarian composer Victor Jacobi. It was premiered on 14 November 1911 at the Király Színház (King Theater) in Budapest and was the composer's first significant success not only in Hu ...

'' *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 Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'' (96 perf., revival) *1925: ''

Dearest Enemy ''Dearest Enemy'' is a musical with a book by Herbert Fields, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and music by Richard Rodgers. This was the first of eight book musicals written by the songwriting team of Rodgers and Hart and writer Herbert Fields, and t ...

'' (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