Belasco Theatre
The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was built in 1907 and designed by architect George Keister for impresario David Belasco. The Belasco Theatre has 1,016 seats across three levels and has been operated by The Shubert Organization since 1948. Both the facade and interior of the theater are New York City landmarks.
"Stuyvesant Theatre" redirects here. For the movie theater on Second Avenue formerly known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, see Village East by Angelika. For the theater in Los Angeles, see Belasco Theatre (Los Angeles). For the theater on 42nd Street formerly known as the Belasco Theatre, see New Victory Theater.
The main facade on 44th Street is made of red brick in Flemish bond, with terracotta decorative elements. The ground floor contains the entrance, while the upper stories are asymmetrical and topped by a pediment. Belasco and his company had their offices in the western wing of the theater. A ten-room duplex penthouse apartment occupies the top of the eastern wing and contained Belasco's collection of memorabilia. The interior features Tiffany lighting and ceiling panels, rich woodwork, and expansive murals by American artist Everett Shinn. The auditorium consists of a ground-level orchestra and two overhanging balconies, with boxes at the second balcony level.
The theater was developed by Meyer R. Bimberg and operated by David Belasco as the Stuyvesant Theatre. It opened on October 16, 1907, and was expanded in 1909 with Belasco's apartment. Belasco renamed the venue for himself in 1910. After his death in 1931, Katharine Cornell and then the wife of playwright Elmer Rice leased the space. The Shuberts bought the theater in 1948 and leased it to NBC for three years before returning it to legitimate use in 1953. Through the late 20th century, despite a decline in the quality of productions hosted at the Belasco, it continued to show Broadway plays and musicals. The theater was renovated multiple times over the years, including in the 1920s, 1970s, and 2000s.
Site[edit]
The Belasco Theatre is on 111 West 44th Street, on the north sidewalk between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, near Times Square in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City.[3][4] The rectangular land lot covers 12,552 sq ft (1,166.1 m2),[4] with a frontage of 125 ft (38 m) on 44th Street and a depth of about 100 ft (30 m).[5][6] On the same block, the Hotel Gerard, Hudson Theatre, and Millennium Times Square New York are to the west. Other nearby buildings include the Algonquin Hotel to the east, 1166 Avenue of the Americas to the northeast, the Americas Tower and High School of Performing Arts to the north, the Lyceum Theatre and 1540 Broadway to the northwest, 1500 Broadway to the southwest, and the Chatwal New York hotel and the Town Hall to the south.[4]
Alleged haunting[edit]
The Belasco Theater is the subject of an urban legend that David Belasco's ghost haunts the theater every night.[242][56][243] According to actors and backstage personnel, the ghost would be seen in clerical-like wear, sitting in an empty box during the opening night of a production.[56][181][244] Several actors have reported that the ghost would try to speak to them.[243][244] One caretaker reportedly also heard rattling from the chains of Belasco's private elevator, which had long since been abandoned.[21][181] Other accounts have described unexplained footsteps; doors and curtains moving randomly; and the elevator moving while not in use.[244][245][246] Sightings of a second ghost, called the "Blue Lady", have been reported at the theater.[243][244][246] This ghost, reported as an "icy cold blue mist",[243] was supposedly an actress that fell to her death in an elevator shaft.[246]
After Oh! Calcutta! played at the theater, the ghost of David Belasco reportedly stopped appearing.[242][60][178] By the 2000s, people reported that the ghost had reappeared.[242][136] In Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hedwig briefly discusses the history of the Belasco and references the ghost of Belasco, claiming that if the ghost appears on a show's opening night, then the show is blessed. She then asks audience members in one of the boxes to tell her if the ghost appears.[247]
