The Princess Theatre was a joint venture between the Shubert Brothers, producer Ray Comstock, theatrical agent

Elisabeth Marbury Elisabeth Marbury (June 19, 1856 – January 22, 1933) was a pioneering American theatrical and literary agent and producer who helped shape business methods of the modern commercial theater, and encouraged women to enter that industry. Since 18 ...

and actor-director Holbrook Blinn. Built on a narrow slice of land located at 104–106 West 39th Street, just off

Sixth Avenue Sixth Avenue, also known as Avenue of the Americas, is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The avenue is commercial for much of its length, and traffic runs northbound, or uptown. Sixth Avenue begins four blocks b ...

in New York City, and seating just 299 people, it was one of the smallest

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

s when it opened in early 1913. The architect was William A. Swasey, who designed the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Originally designed by architect William Albert Swasey, it opened in 1911. The Winter Garden's current des ...

two years earlier. Kenrick, John
"Demolished Broadway Theatres: Princess"
Musicals101.com, accessed November 12, 2015 Though small, the theatre had a profound effect on the development of American

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

. After producing a series of plays, the theatre hosted a famous series of sophisticated musicals by the team of

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

Guy Bolton Guy Reginald Bolton (23 November 1884 – 4 September 1979) was an Anglo-American playwright and writer of musical theatre, musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the US, he trained as an architect but turned to writing. B ...

and

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...

, between 1915 and 1918 that were believable, humorous and musically innovative, and integrated their songs with their stories. These were considered an artistic step forward for American musical theatre, inspiring the next generation of writers and composers. Afterwards, the theatre hosted more plays and later served as a movie theatre and a recreation center. It was torn down in 1955.Mroczka, Paul
"Broadway History: The Princess Musicals, Bigger Was NOT Better"
BroadwayScene.com, July 8, 2013, accessed November 12, 2015

Theatre building

Though fairly drab on the outside, looking like a six-story office building, except for its marquees and gaudy electric sign over the main entrance, the Princess was elegant inside. A blend of Georgian and

French Renaissance The French Renaissance was the cultural and artistic movement in France between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The period is associated with the pan-European Renaissance, a word first used by the French historian Jules Michelet to define ...

styles, the auditorium contained fourteen rows of seats and twelve boxes off the proscenium arch and was hailed for its excellent acoustics and sight-lines. The decor included neoclassical inspired plasterwork and antique French tapestries hung from the side walls.

1910s

Originally planned as a venue for short dramatic plays, the early shows at the Princess failed to attract an audience.Bloom and Vlastnik, pp. 230–31 Even so, some of these plays found success elsewhere. For example, ''

Hobson's Choice A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one thing is actually offered. The term is often used to describe an illusion that choices are available. The best known example is "I'll give you a choice: Take it or leave it", wherein "leaving ...

'' (1915) played well in London the following year and became a success on film. Theatre agent

was tasked with booking the theatre to improve its fortunes and approached young

, who suggested a collaboration with

, to write a series of musicals specifically tailored to its smaller setting, with an intimate style and modest budgets. She and Comstock asked for meaningful, modern, sophisticated pieces that would provide an alternative to the star-studded

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

s and extravaganzas of Ziegfeld and others or the thinly-plotted, slapdash, gaudy

Edwardian musical comedies Edwardian musical comedy is a genre of British musical theatre that thrived from 1892 into the 1920s, extending beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions. It began to dominate the English musical stage, and even the American musical ...

and

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

imports from Europe.Bordman, Gerald. "Jerome David Kern: Innovator/Traditionalist", ''The Musical Quarterly'', 1985, Vol. 71, No. 4, pp. 468–73 Kern and Bolton's first "Princess Theatre musical" was ''Nobody Home'' (1915), an adaptation of a 1905 London show by Paul Rubens called ''Mr. Popple (of Ippleton)''. The show was notable for Bolton's realistic take on courtship complications and Kern's song "The Magic Melody", the first Broadway showtune with a basic

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

progression. Their second show, with

Philip Bartholomae Philip Bartholomae (July 3, 1880 - January 5, 1947) was an American playwright, lyricist, screenwriter, and theatre director. He wrote many plays and musicals which were staged on Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, several of which were adapted int ...

and lyrics by Schuyler Green, was an original musical called '' Very Good Eddie'' (1915). The little show ran for 341 performances on a modest budgetKenrick, John.
"History of The Musical Stage 1910–1919: Part I", ''Musicals 101.com: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film''
accessed November 12, 2015 then toured into the 1918–19 season.Slonimsky, Nicholas and Laura Kuhn (ed)
Kern, Jerome (David)"
''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'', Volume 3 (Schirmer Reference, New York, 2001), accessed May 10, 2010 (requires subscription) British humorist and lyricist/playwright

had supplied some lyrics for ''Very Good Eddie'' but now joined the team and collaborated with Kern and Bolton at the theatre for '' Oh, Boy!'' (1917), which ran for 463 performances and was one of the first American musicals to have a successful London run. According to Bloom and Vlastnik, ''Oh, Boy!'' represents "the transition from the haphazard musicals of the past to the newer, more methodical modern musical comedy ... the libretto is remarkably pun-free and the plot is natural and unforced. Charm was uppermost in the creators' minds ... the audience could relax, have a few laughs, feel slightly superior to the silly undertakings on stage, and smile along with the simple, melodic, lyrically witty but undemanding songs". Next, the team wrote '' Oh, Lady! Lady!!'' (1918). Two other shows, '' Leave It to Jane'' and ''Have a Heart'', were written by the three in 1917 for the Princess but presented elsewhere. They also wrote several musicals for other theatres, such as '' Miss 1917''. The Princess Theatre shows featured modern American settings and simple scene changes (one set for each act) to more aptly suit the small theatre, eschewing operetta traditions of foreign locales and elaborate scenery. According to historian

Gerald Bordman Gerald Martin Bordman (September 18, 1931 – May 9, 2011) was an American theatre historian, best known for authoring the reference volume ''The American Musical Theatre'', first published in 1978. Simonson, Robert (12 May 2011)Gerald Bordman, ...

, writing in ''

The Musical Times ''The Musical Times'' was an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainzer's Musical Times and Singing Circular'', but in 1844 he sold it to Alfr ...

'',

The collaboration among Kern, Bolton and Wodehouse was much praised. An anonymous admirer (believed by some critics to be the young

Lorenz Hart Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include "Blue Moon"; " The Lady Is a Tramp"; "Manhattan"; " Bewitched, Bo ...

),Steyn, Mark. "Musical debt to a very good Guy", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', November 28, 1984, p 12 wrote a verse in praise of the trio that begins: :This is the trio of musical fame, :Bolton and Wodehouse and Kern. :Better than anyone else you can name :Bolton and Wodehouse and Kern. In February 1918,

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays based in New York; she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. Parker ros ...

wrote in '' Vanity Fair'': ''Oh, Lady! Lady!!'' was the last successful "Princess Theatre show". Kern and Wodehouse disagreed over money, and the composer decided to move on to other projects. Kern's importance to the partnership was illustrated by the fate of the last musical of the series, '' Oh, My Dear!'' (1918), to which he did not contribute. It was composed by

Louis Hirsch Louis Achille Hirsch, also known as Louis A. Hirsch and Lou Hirsch (November 28, 1887 – May 13, 1924), was an American composer of songs and musicals in the early 20th century. Life and career Hirsch was born in New York City. In his senior ...

, and ran for 189 performances: "Despite a respectable run, everyone realized there was little point in continuing the series without Kern." Musicals by other teams followed at the theatre, but without especial success.

1920s

In 1922, drama returned to the Princess for another seven years, but success did not. The theatre's most popular plays in this decade were '' Diff'rent'' by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

(1921) and a production of ''

Six Characters in Search of an Author ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' ( ) is an Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, written and first performed in 1921. An absurdist metatheatric play about the relationship among authors, their characters, and theatre practitioners, it p ...

'' (1922). After a brief stint as the Lucille La Verne Theatre in 1928, the Shuberts sold the theatre. In 1929, the ''New York Theatre Assembly'' took over the Princess, and renamed it the Assembly Theatre. However, within half a year, the theatre was closed, and remained unused until 1933, when it reopened as the Reo Theatre, and was, like so many other former legitimate houses, now being used as a movie theatre. A year later, the

International Ladies Garment Workers Union The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) was a labor union for employees in the women's clothing industry in the United States. It was one of the largest unions in the country, one of the first to have a primarily female membersh ...

(ILGWU) acquired the theatre, and used it as a recreation center for neighborhood workers.

1930s to 1950s

However, in 1937, legitimate theatre returned to the theatre, now called the Labor Stage, with a surprise hit. The

Pins and Needles Paresthesia is a sensation of the skin that may feel like numbness (''hypoesthesia''), tingling, pricking, chilling, or burning. It can be temporary or chronic and has many possible underlying causes. Paresthesia is usually painless and can oc ...

'' became the longest-running Broadway show of the day, running for 1,108 performances. When the show moved to the Windsor Theatre, the ILGWU reclaimed the Labor Stage briefly as its recreation hall. On October 5, 1947,

Elia Kazan Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...

Cheryl Crawford Cheryl Crawford (September 24, 1902 – October 7, 1986) was an American theatre producer and director. Biography Born in Akron, Ohio, Crawford majored in drama at Smith College. Following graduation in 1925, she moved to New York City a ...

, Robert Lewis and

Anna Sokolow Anna Sokolow (February 9, 1910 – March 29, 2000) was an American dancer and choreographer. Sokolow's work is known for its social justice focus and theatricality. Throughout her career, Sokolow supported the development of modern dance arou ...

met in a rehearsal space at the Labor Stage to form what would become the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. The studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method actin ...

.Carnicke, Sharon Marie
''Stanislavsky in Focus''
Routledge (1998), p. 47 The same year, movies returned to the theatre, now renamed the Cinema Dante, screening foreign features. A year later, it got another name change, The Little Met, and in 1952, yet one final name, the Cine Verdi. By the mid-50s, the old Princess was on the outskirts of the theatre district, which had migrated north, and in 1955, the little theatre was torn down, replaced by an office building.

Selected productions

*''Fear'' (1913) *''

The Critic ''The Critic'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated sitcom revolving around the life of New York film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by Jon Lovitz. It was created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as w ...

'' (1915) *''

'' (1915) *''Nobody Home'' (1915) *'' Very Good Eddie'' (1915) *'' Oh, Boy! (musical)'' (1917) *'' Oh, Lady! Lady!!'' (1918) *'' Oh, My Dear!'' (1918) *'' Diff'rent'' (1921) *''

'' (1922) *''Mister Malatesta'' (1923) *''

'' (1937)

Notes

References

*Bloom, Ken and Vlastnik, Frank. ''Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of all Time.'' Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, New York, 2004. *Green, Benny. ''P. G. Wodehouse – A Literary Biography'', Pavilion Books, London, 1981. *Jasen, David. ''P. G. Wodehouse – Portrait of a Master'', Garnstone Press, London, 1974.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Princess Theatre New York City 1913-1955 Former Broadway theatres Former theatres in Manhattan Theatres completed in 1913 Buildings and structures demolished in 1955 1913 establishments in New York City 1955 disestablishments in New York (state) Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan