Colonial Theatre (Boston, Massachusetts)
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The Colonial Theatre in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, opened in 1900, is the oldest continually-operating theatre in the city. It is located at 106
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on Boston Common at the former site of the
Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse''), meaning all adult re ...
. It is a pending Boston Landmark.


History

The Colonial Theatre was designed by the architectural firm of Clarence Blackall and paid for by Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr. The theatre first opened its doors for a performance of '' Ben-Hur'' on December 20, 1900 with a sold out show and
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
attending. ''Ben-Hur'' operated with a cast and crew of 350 people and featured eight live horses on stage in full gallop during the chariot race scene. The play was so mechanically and technically extraordinary it was featured on the cover of ''
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''.
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
's play '' Too True To Be Good'' received its world premiere at the Colonial Theatre on February 29, 1932.


Recent history

In the 1990s, Colonial president Jon Platt led a renovation of the Colonial. In 1998, Platt sold his Boston theater interests to SFX Entertainment (now
Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...
). In 2003,
Emerson College Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It also maintains campuses in Los Angeles and Well, Limburg, Netherlands (Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of Public Speaking, o ...
leased the building with an option to purchase it. In 2006, Emerson invoked its purchase option with the intent of using the upper floors for dormitories. In 2008, Key Brand Entertainment purchased most of Live Nation's theatrical assets, including its lease on the Colonial Theatre. When KBE's lease ended, the Citi Performing Arts Center assumed operation of the venue and continued booking in partnership with KBE. Through the succession of operators until 2015, the Colonial Theater housed Pre-Broadway shows and was often the first stop for national tours of Broadway shows. Because of its size, the Colonial can often host highly technical musicals that the smaller houses, such as the Shubert and the Wilbur Theatres, cannot accommodate. The Colonial has also played host to much larger shows such as ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'', but after the renovation of the newly restored Boston Opera House, some of its typical shows performed elsewhere. Nonetheless, the Colonial continued to be a testing ground for Broadway-bound shows. When the Citi lease ended October 15, 2015, Emerson College closed the Colonial to evaluate the use of the structure. Later, the school announced plans to convert the theatre space into a dining hall. After protests from faculty, alumni, historians and theatrical personnel, and over 7,000 signatures on a Change.org petition, including playwright/composer
Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...
and ''
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'' theatre critic, Frank Rich, Emerson President M. Lee Pelton announced on March 3, 2016, that the college would instead renovate another building into a dining hall and gathering area and seek to bring live performances back to the Colonial. In September 2016, Emerson College administration announced it was considering plans from various outside groups to reopen the theater. One of the proposals was from a local consortium, which included
Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...
, the Boston Lyric Opera, Broadway in Boston, and Celebrity Series of Boston with the consortium bringing Broadway shows, musical acts, opera, and more to the theater. There were also proposals internally from the college and from SMG, a Pennsylvania-based venue management group.


Reopening

In January 2017, Emerson College announced a deal with the London-based Ambassador Theatre Group (now ATG Entertainment) to operate the Colonial Theatre under a 40-year lease. In a deal that was partly facilitated by the City of Boston, the college and ATG have both agreed to make substantial capital improvements to the venue which is now to be called the Emerson Colonial Theatre. It reopened in July 2018 featuring the premiere of a new musical, '' Moulin Rouge!'', based on the
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
by Baz Luhrmann, prior to its Broadway run.


Shows

The Colonial has long been a home to both touring productions of Broadway shows, and to previews of shows prior to their Broadway debuts. Notable shows which previewed at the Colonial before opening on Broadway include:


References


External links


Official website

Boston Colonial Theatre defunct website
*

* Boston Public Library, Special Collections

Includes materials related to the Colonial Theatre, 1900–1993 {{Coord, 42.352296, -71.065428, type:landmark, display=title Theatres in Boston 1900 establishments in Massachusetts Boston Theater District Boston Common Cultural history of Boston 20th century in Boston Theatres completed in 1900 Emerson College Theatres in Massachusetts