Lamb's Theatre was an

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

theater located at 130 West 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City inside the Manhattan Church of the Nazarene, near

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It seated approximately 350 and specialized in musical productions. The building was built in 1904–1905 and was designed by

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect and a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms at the turn of the 20th century. White designed many houses ...

as the headquarters of the theater club

The Lambs The Lambs, Inc. (also known as The Lambs Club) is a New York City social club that nurtures those active in the arts, as well as those who are supporters of the arts, by providing activities and a clubhouse for its members. It is America's old ...

. In 2007, the venue was closed to make way for

the Chatwal New York The Chatwal New York, originally the Lambs Club Building, is a hotel and a former clubhouse at 130 West 44th Street, near Times Square, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. The building was originally six stor ...

hotel.

History

The six-story Lambs Club Building originally housed a fraternal club of theater professionals called

, taking after a club in England started by

Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...

in 1868. The members included

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

, and

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer, and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as '' The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939), ...

In the mid-1970s, the Manhattan

Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism during the late 19th century. The denomination has its headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas. and it ...

bought the Lamb's building for the sake of making it into a mission. The Lambs club moved to 3 West 51st Street in 1975. In 1978, Lamb's Theatre Company was created by

Carolyn Rossi Copeland Carolyn Rossi Copeland is a theater producer and founder of The Lamb's Theatre located in the Times Square New York City area. She served as Vice President of Creative Affairs for Radio City Entertainment and Madison Square Garden Productions, w ...

and it hosted the successful "Broadway for Kids" series. In 1981, the renovated 3rd floor theatre had its first show, Cotton Patch Gospel and was penned the "Gem of Times Square". With a list of over 50 productions or stages, in 1984 they opened a Lamb's Little Theatre on the first floor.

Performance history

* 1981: '' Cotton Patch Gospel'' * 1982: '' Snoopy! The Musical'' * 1982: '' Puff The Magic Dragon'' * 1983: '' Breakfast with Les and Bess'' Kalcheim, Lee
"Breakfast with Les and Bess: a comedy in two acts"
Samuel French Inc. * 1983: '' Painting Churches'' * 1984: ''

The Gift of the Magi "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by American writer O. Henry, first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little mone ...

'' * 1985: '' Dames at Sea'' * 1986: ''

The Alchemedians ''The Alchemedians'' was an Off-Broadway Play (theatre), play that was put on in 1986 at the Lamb's Theatre in New York City, New York (state), New York. It premiered at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival. Cast Conception and choreogr ...

'' * 1986: '' Olympus on My Mind'' * 1987: '' Funny Feet'' * 1988: ''

Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set t ...

'' * 1990: '' Smoke On The Mountain'' * 1992: ''Opal'' * 1991: '' Final Departure'' * 1993: '' Johnny Pye and the Fool-Killer'' * 1996: '' I Do! I Do!'' * 1999: ''

Thoroughly Modern Millie ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is a 1967 American musical romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay by Richard Morris, based on the 1956 British musical ''Chrysanthemum'', follows a naïve young ...

'' * 2000: '' The Countess'' * 2002: ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. The plot conce ...

'' * 2003: '' That Day in September'' * 2004: '' Silent Laughter'' * 2004: '' Children's Letters to God'' * 2004: ''

Cam Jansen David Abraham Adler (born April 10, 1947) is an American writer of 265 books for children and young adults, most notably the Cam Jansen mystery series, the "Picture Book of..." series, and several acclaimed works about the Holocaust for young r ...

'' * 2005: '' Picon Pie'' * 2006: ''The Man in the Iron Mask''

References

External links

Lamb's Theatre
{{Authority control Off-Broadway theaters 1981 establishments in New York City 2007 disestablishments in New York City