- Imperial Theatre
Infobox Theatre
name = Imperial Theatre
caption = Imperial Theatre, February 2003
address = 249 West 45th Street
city =Manhattan ,New York City
country =United States
designation =
latitude =
longitude =
architect =Herbert J. Krapp
owner =The Shubert Organization
capacity = 1417
type = Broadway,Musical Theatre
opened = December 25, 1923
yearsactive =
rebuilt =
closed =
othernames =
production =
currentuse =
website = www.imperialtheater.net:"For other uses, see Imperial Theatre."The Imperial Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 249 West 45th Street (
George Abbott Way ) in midtown-Manhattan . The theatre seats up to 1417 peopleThe Shubert Organization 's fiftieth venue inNew York City , it was constructed to replace their outdated Lyric Theatre. Designed byarchitect Herbert J. Krapp specifically to accommodatemusical theatre productions, it opened onDecember 25 1923 with theOscar Hammerstein II -Vincent Youmans production "Mary Jane McKane". Since then, it has hosted numerous important musicals, including "Annie Get Your Gun " (1946), "Fiddler on the Roof " (1964), "Dreamgirls " (1981), "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" (1985), and "Les Miserables" (1990), which played at the theatre until 2003.Among the famed 20th century composers and lyricists whose works were housed here are
Cole Porter ,Richard Rodgers ,Lorenz Hart ,Irving Berlin ,Harold Rome ,Frank Loesser ,Lionel Bart ,Bob Merrill ,Stephen Sondheim ,Jule Styne ,E.Y. Harburg ,Harold Arlen , and George andIra Gershwin . Performers who have graced the stage includeGertrude Lawrence ,John Gielgud ,Clifton Webb ,Montgomery Clift ,Mary Boland ,Ray Bolger ,Desi Arnaz ,Mary Martin ,Ethel Merman ,Zero Mostel ,Danny Kaye ,Jerry Orbach ,Shelley Winters ,Bernadette Peters ,Ben Vereen ,George Rose ,Hugh Jackman , andJohn Lithgow .Notable productions
*1924: "Rose Marie"
*1926: "Oh, Kay! "
*1927: "The Desert Song "
*1928: "The New Moon "
*1932: "Flying Colors"
*1933: "Of Thee I Sing "; "Let 'Em Eat Cake "
*1935: "Jubilee"
*1936: "On Your Toes "
*1938: "Leave It to Me! "
*1939: "Too Many Girls "
*1940: "Louisiana Purchase"
*1941: "Let's Face It! "
*1943: "One Touch of Venus " (Kurt Weill 's Broadway debut)
*1944: "Song of Norway "
*1946: "Annie Get Your Gun "
*1949: "Miss Liberty "
*1950: "Call Me Madam "
*1952: "Wish You Were Here"
*1955: "Silk Stockings "
*1956: "The Most Happy Fella "
*1957: "Jamaica"
*1959: "Destry Rides Again"
*1960: ""
*1961: "Carnival! "
*1963: "Oliver! "
*1964: "Fiddler on the Roof "
*1967: "Cabaret"
*1968: "Zorba"
*1970: "Minnie's Boys "; "Two by Two"
*1971: "On the Town"
*1972: "Pippin"
*1977: "Mark Twain Tonight!"; "Chapter Two "
*1979: "They're Playing Our Song "
*1981: "Dreamgirls "
*1985: "The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
*1988: "Chess"
*1989: "Jerome Robbins' Broadway "
*1990: "Les Misérables"
*2003: "The Boy from Oz "
*2005: "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"
*2006: "High Fidelity" (closed after only 14 performances)
*2007: "Coram Boy", (limited run)
*2008: "Billy Elliot the Musical " Previews October, Opening NovemberExternal links
*ibdb venue|id=1208|venue=Imperial Theatre
* [http://www.shubertorganization.com/theatres/imperial.asp Shubert Organization website]
* [http://www.imperialtheater.net/ Imperial Theatre] home page
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