Hilton Theatre

Infobox Theatre
name = Hilton Theatre

---

caption = 43rd Street entrance
address = 213 W. 42nd St., New York City, NY
country = USA
designation =
latitude =
longitude =
architect = Richard Blinder
Peter Kofman
owner = Clear Channel
capacity = 1829 [ [http://ibdb.com/venue.aspx?id=1156 - Retrieved March 21, 2008] ]
type = Broadway theatre
opened = January 18 1998
yearsactive = 1998-Present
rebuilt = 1998
closed =
othernames = Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Apollo Theatre, Lyric Theatre
production = Young Frankenstein
currentuse =
website =

The Hilton Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 213 West 42nd Street in Manhattan.

musical "Strike Up the Band" and "George White's Scandals", among other works, but was also turned into a film venue by the early 1930s. A brief return to use as a legitimate theatre in the late 1970s proved unsuccessful, and the venue ended its existence as the Academy nightclub.

By the early 1990s, after being neglected and falling into serious disrepair, both theatres were condemned. They were among the 42nd Street theatres repossessed by the City and State of New York in 1990, and fell under the protection of the New 42nd Street organization in 1992.

In 1996, the theatres were leased by Livent and demolished. However, certain major architectural elements and structures were protected under landmark status; these were carefully removed from the buildings, stored, and incorporated into the new theatre. Today, patrons visiting the Hilton sit under the dome from the Lyric and proscenium arch from the Apollo, and pass through the ornate Lyric facades on 43rd and 42nd Streets.

The theatre opened as the Ford Center for the Performing Arts on January 26, 1998 with a musical version of E.L. Doctorow's "Ragtime". In 2005, the venue was completely renovated and renamed the Hilton for the US premiere of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".

Additional productions

* 1998: "Ragtime"
* 2000: "Jesus Christ Superstar"
* 2001: "42nd Street"
* 2005: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
* 2006: "Hot Feet"; "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"
* 2007: "The Pirate Queen"; "Young Frankenstein"

References

External links

* [http://www.newyorkcitytheatre.com/theaters/hiltontheater/theater.html Broadway Theatre Guide] with full show details for the Hilton Theatre
* [http://www.new42.org/about_history_apollo.cfm Apollo information at the New 42nd Street]
* [http://www.new42.org/about_history_lyric.cfm Lyric information at the New 42nd Street]
*
* [http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/chartweb/plan_for.htm Seating chart]
* "Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture", William Morrison, 1999, Dover Publications, ISBN 0-486-40244-4
* "Lost Broadway Theatres", Nicholas Van Hoogstraten, Princeton Architectural Press, 1997, ISBN 1-56898-116-3