The Morosco Theatre was a
Broadway theatre near
Times Square in
New York City from 1917 to 1982. It housed many notable productions and its demolition, along with four adjacent theaters, was controversial.[2][3]
History
Located at 217 West 45th Street, the Morosco Theatre was designed by architect
Herbert J. Krapp for the
Shubert family, who constructed it for
Oliver Morosco in gratitude for his helping them break the monopoly of the
Theatrical Syndicate. It had approximately 955 seats. After an invitation-only preview performance on February 4, 1917, it opened to the public on February 5. The inaugural production was Canary Cottage, a
musical with a book by Morosco and a score by
Earl Carroll.[2][3][4]
The Shuberts lost the building in the
Great Depression, and City Playhouses, Inc. bought it at auction in 1943. It was sold in 1968 to
Bankers Trust Company[2] and, after a massive "Save the Theatres" protest movement led by
Joe Papp and supported by various actors and other theatrical folk failed,[5][6] it was razed in 1982, along with the
first Helen Hayes, the
Bijou, and remnants of the
Astor and the
Gaiety theaters; it was replaced by the 49-story
Marriott Marquis hotel and
Marquis Theatre.[4]
Notable productions
Billy Bishop Goes to War, musical about a Canadian air ace. Written and composed by John MacLachlan Gray in collaboration with Eric Peterson. Opened May 29, 1980. The Morosco's final show.