"Erlanger's Theatre" redirects here. For the former theater in Philadelphia, see
Erlanger Theatre. For other theaters named the St. James Theatre or variants thereof, see
St. James Theatre (disambiguation).
St. James Theatre
Erlanger's Theatre
St. James Theatre in July 2019
Address
246 West 44th Street Manhattan, New York United States
The facade is made largely of
stucco, except for the ground story, which is clad in
cast stone above a granite
water table. The ground story has several recessed openings to the lobby, auditorium, and upper-story offices. Above that are two
marquees and a double-story cast-iron
loggia, masking the fire escapes from the auditorium. The top story contains windows from the offices there. The auditorium is decorated largely with murals and ornamental plasterwork. The theater has a sloped orchestra level, two balcony levels, and a flat ceiling with a carved
sounding board. The first balcony level contains
box seats near the front of the auditorium, above which are murals. In addition, there are several lounges and passageways throughout the theater.
Erlanger had proposed a theater on the site as early as 1921, but two proposals failed to materialize. Erlanger's Theatre opened on September 26, 1927, with the musical The Merry Malones. Erlanger died in 1930, and the theater then passed to Lodewick Vroom in 1932; Vroom renamed it after
St James's Theatre in London. The
Shubert family acquired the St. James in 1941 but were forced to sell it in 1956 following an antitrust suit.
William L. McKnight bought the theater and renovated it in 1958, with Jujamcyn taking over the venue's operation. The theater was further renovated in 1985, 1999, and 2016. The theater has housed several long-running musicals in its history, including original productions of Oklahoma!, The King and I, Hello, Dolly!, The Who's Tommy, and The Producers.
The
facade is symmetrically arranged and is shorter than its width.[10] In general, the facade is plain in design.[14] The facade is made largely of
stucco.[14][15] The ground story is clad in
cast stone above a granite
water table. Part of the eastern wall is also visible from the street and is clad in stucco over brick.[16] The St. James has a relatively simple facade, in contrast to nearby theaters like the Hayes or Shubert, but similar to the Majestic and Broadhurst.[5] This led The New York Times to call it "probably the least ornate of all the theatres recently added to the Times Square district".[17][18]
The ground story has numerous recessed doorways.[10] The doorway at the far west (on the right, as viewed from the front) is a metal stage door.[10][12] The entrance to the box office lobby is immediately adjacent to the stage door.[12][16] The lobby entrance consists of three aluminum and glass double doors, above which is a
transom panel with signs.[16] East of the lobby entrance is a sign board, as well as a service door accessed by two granite steps. The center of the ground-story facade has four metal doors from the auditorium. The eastern section has a glass-and-metal double door to Jujamcyn's upper-story offices, as well as additional service doors. A pair of
marquees, with signs facing west and east, is suspended above the western and central sections of the facade.[a] A stone
band course runs above the base.[19]
The 44th Street facade has
quoins at the extreme west and east ends on the upper stories.[19] The center of the facade has a projecting double-height
loggia of
wrought iron, which conceals the fire escape.[5][9][14] The bottom of the loggia contains stone panels, beneath which is a metal base that curves onto the marquee below it. The loggia has three arches are separated by
Ionic-style columns. The arches contain wrought-iron grilles, above which are
cartouches flanked by foliate decoration. The
spandrels above the arches' corners contain wrought-iron foliate decoration and winged animals. A wrought-iron
frieze runs above the loggia, and finials are placed on the loggia's roof. On either side of the loggia are two vertical signs with the letters "St. James", which face west and east. These signs have
corbels at their bottoms and lanterns on top.[19] At the time of the theater's construction, one observer said that the blank facade was "most appropriate" for the backdrop of an electric sign.[17][20]
The attic has five rectangular windows between two circular windows.[5] Three of the rectangular windows have decorative surrounds that are scrolled at the bottom and eared at the top; they alternate with the other two windows, which have no surrounds. The two circular windows contain surrounds with foliate ornament. The attic is topped by a
frieze with circular bellflower decorations, vertical niches, and masks depicting comedy and tragedy. Above that is the
cornice, which is simple in design. The cornice, frieze, and quoins are also visible on the eastern wall (facing the Hayes Theater).[19]
Auditorium
The auditorium has an orchestra level, two balconies,
boxes, and a
stage behind the
proscenium arch. The space is designed with plaster decorations in
relief, as well as paintings designed to resemble reliefs.[21]Playbill cites the theater as having 1,684 seats,[12] while
The Broadway League cites 1,709 seats.[13] Originally, Erlanger's Theatre had 1,600 seats, a comparatively large capacity as the theater was primarily meant to host musicals.[22] The presence of two balconies ran counter to most other theatrical designs of the time, which only had one balcony.[14]
Unlike similar Broadway theaters, the St. James's interior was designed in a simple style without much plasterwork. One contemporary publication described the auditorium as having a "residential rather than theatrical" character.[23] The lack of plasterwork contrasts with the ornate plaster decorations in theaters developed by the
Shubert family,[14] as well as those designed by
Herbert J. Krapp.[24] Instead, Warren and Wetmore placed emphasis on the interior layout and color scheme.[24][23] As designed, the theater had coral-colored surfaces with antique gold highlights.[9][15] The interior design scheme was overseen by
John B. Smeraldi.[9][23] One source described the walls as being "marble and plaster finished in coral lacquer and gold", while the chairs had coral tapestries with gold and blue highlights.[15] After a 1958 renovation, the interior was decorated in charcoal and gold.[25][26]
Seating areas
The orchestra level is wheelchair-accessible via the main doors,[27] and it contains the theater's wheelchair-accessible restrooms.[12][27] The rear or western end of the orchestra contains a shallow promenade. A stair with ornate metal railings leads up from the orchestra promenade to the balcony level. The orchestra level is
raked, sloping down toward an
orchestra pit in front of the stage,[21] which can fit 40 people.[15] The orchestra's side walls were originally designed to resemble
ashlar blocks.[24] The current configuration of the orchestra level dates to a renovation in 1958, during which the orchestra's rear wall was relocated, enlarging the lobby and shrinking the promenade.[28]
The balcony levels can only be accessed by steps.[27] The first balcony level (also known as the mezzanine) is raked and is divided into front and rear sections by an aisle halfway across its depth.[29] The first balcony is much deeper than in similar theaters,[15] reaching over what originally was the tenth row of orchestra seats.[20][24] The second balcony is also raked but is recessed.[15][29] The front of the mezzanine level is curved outward, with molded decorations, and connects with the boxes on either side. An entablature runs near the top of the auditorium, starting from the front of the second balcony level and extending above the boxes and proscenium arch. The undersides of the balcony levels are simple in design and made of plaster.[30] The fronts of both balcony levels have light boxes, and the second balcony also has a technical booth on its rear wall.[31] The side walls were originally designed with murals,[9][24] which were painted by
Paul Arndt and depicted romantic themes.[15] The murals were covered up during subsequent modifications to the theater.[26][32]
On either side of the proscenium is a curved wall section with one box at the mezzanine level.[29] Originally, one of the boxes was known as the President's box, while the other was called the Governor's box.[15][24] The fronts of the boxes curve outward and contain plaster moldings.[21] Beside each box are
pilasters, which support the entablature above the boxes. There are oval niches on the walls in front of each box, which have
busts depicting women.[30] There are also golden urns behind the boxes, next to the mezzanine seating.[24] Draperies were originally hung above the boxes, but they were removed in subsequent renovations.[14] Also above the boxes are
lunettes with murals.[24]
Other design features
Next to the boxes is the proscenium, which contains a flat-arched opening surrounded by an elliptical arch. The top corners of the proscenium opening are concave, protruding slightly inward.[29] The proscenium opening is surrounded by an
ovolo molding.[30] A mural is placed above the flat-arched opening, beneath the elliptical arch. It shows
cupids playing golf while
Satan stands amid a "ruined temple of love".[15] The proscenium's original curtain was made of
asbestos and was designed by Smeraldi.[9][23] On either side of the flat arch, there are depictions of court jesters pulling the curtains open.[15]
A
sounding board curves onto the ceiling above the boxes, in front of the proscenium arch.[29] The sounding board contains molded bands of interlocked leaves and ribbons, which divide it into two sections. The front section (nearer the proscenium) is divided into rectangular-paneled sections with urn, leaf, and
swag motifs. The rear section (nearer the balconies) rises from the lunettes above each arch, with a panel at the center, which depicts a musical instrument. The rest of the sounding board's rear section is filled with squares containing rosettes. These squares are laid diagonally in a diamond pattern, which is intended to simulate a
coffered ceiling.[30] The ceiling itself is flat, curving downward toward the rear of the second balcony.[29] The center of the ceiling has a plasterwork centerpiece, containing motifs of instruments and swags, as well as a hanging chandelier.[30] The centerpiece is surrounded by grilles, which originally served as ventilation openings.[15][30]
Other interior spaces
The lobby, to the west of the orchestra promenade, extends across the width of the auditorium. The lobby is divided into outer and inner sections, with the box office in the lobby's outer section.[9][15] The lobby's inner section originally contained a 17th-century Flemish tapestry on the west wall and a green-and-white marble table, which were the only furnishings in the room. The inner lobby had black-and-white terrazzo marble tiles surrounded by a band of black marble and black-and-white squares. The room also had gray-stone walls with black-and-gold marble decorations, as well as a polychrome-and-gold ceiling with lights. Three black-and-gold marble doorways led to the auditorium. The south portion of the inner lobby had a gray marble staircase with a polychrome-and-gold balustrade and an ebony-wood railing.[15] The lobby was enlarged and modified during a 1958 renovation.[28]
The theater was designed with a ladies' lounge in the basement and a men's lounge on the mezzanine.[33] The ladies' lounge had
Adam style decorations and a rose-and-gold color scheme; it included a marble shelf with a mirror, as well as ceiling vents. The mezzanine lounge had a gray-green color scheme and was indirectly lit by lamps hidden behind silk curtains. The lounge was 50 feet (15 m) long and was connected with restrooms, telephone booths, and a writing room via a gray-green corridor. Additionally, a men's club room was placed in the basement and was decorated in a Tudor style, with a large fireplace and plaster walls.[15]
Backstage, the dressing rooms could accommodate 150 cast members; the stars had their own suites with baths. The musicians had their own quarters, which connected to the orchestra pit.[15] Jujamcyn Theaters' corporate offices are also at 246 West 44th Street, the St. James Theatre building.[34][35]
History
Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and
the Great Depression.[36] At the beginning of the 20th century, Erlanger was a founding member of the
Theatrical Syndicate, and he worked with
Marc Klaw to run
Klaw and Erlanger, the predominant theatrical booking agency in the United States. They developed two major theaters on nearby
42nd Street: the still-extant
New Amsterdam Theatre and the no-longer-operational
Liberty Theatre.[37] Klaw and Erlanger continued to work together until a dispute in 1919.[37][38] Soon after the breakup, Erlanger began planning a dozen theaters in the U.S., including three in New York City.[39]
Development and early years
Erlanger proposed his first new theater in New York City in 1921,[40][41] when he hired Warren and Wetmore to draw up plans for a 1,200-seat theater on 44th Street, named the Model Theatre.[42][43] The venue would have been a single-story structure at 246–256 West 46th Street (the current site of the St. James), which would have cost $300,000.[44] The plans were delayed due to Erlanger's disputes with the
Shubert brothers, another major theatrical syndicate, and with Klaw.[40] At the time, the Shubert brothers' theaters were generally designed by
Herbert J. Krapp, while Klaw's were designed by
Eugene De Rosa; both Krapp and De Rosa were experienced theater architects.[45] By contrast, while Warren and Wetmore were well known for designing houses, hotels, and office buildings, as well as collaborating on the design of
Grand Central Terminal and the surrounding
Terminal City building complex, they had never previously designed a theater.[46] It is unknown why Erlanger hired the firm to design his theater.[5]
The plans were completed in 1922.[40] Erlanger made an agreement that December to instead develop the theater for
revues, specifically for vaudeville duo Bernard and Collier; in exchange, the pair would not perform outside New York City.[47][48] That plan also failed for unknown reasons.[5] Finally, in February 1926, Erlanger announced a third proposal: a two-balcony, 1,600-seat venue named Erlanger's Theatre, which would cost $1 million and be comparable in size to the New Amsterdam Theatre. Warren and Wetmore were still associated with the project.[6][33]
By May 1927, the theater was reportedly ready for A. L. Erlanger to inspect.[49] That July, Erlanger announced that he had booked
George M. Cohan's The Merry Malones as the inaugural production.[18] The theater opened on September 26, 1927, with The Merry Malones,[50][51][52] which ultimately ran for 192 performances.[53][54] Erlanger assumed full control of the theater's operation a month after the venue opened.[55] The run of The Merry Malones was interrupted briefly in early 1928 by a
flop entitled The Behavior of Mrs. Crane.[53][56] Cohan's last musical, Billie,[22] opened in 1928 and had 112 performances.[53][57] The next year,
Lew Fields starred in Hello, Daddy, which had transferred from the
Mansfield Theatre.[53][58] The other runs of 1929 included Murray Anderson's Almanac[59][60] and Ladies of the Jury.[59][61]
A. L. Erlanger died in March 1930, and his estate continued to operate the theater.[62] In that year, Erlanger's Theatre hosted a revival of The Rivals,[59][63] followed by the popular musical
Fine and Dandy,[50][64] the latter of which had 246 performances.[59][65] In 1931, the Civic Light Opera Company leased the Erlanger for
Gilbert and Sullivan productions.[66][67] The theatrical company occupied the Erlanger for the next year,[67] presenting a variety of operettas from Gilbert and Sullivan and from other writers.[68] After A. L. Erlanger's estate failed to pay rent,[69] ownership of the theater reverted to the
Astor family, the owners of the underlying land.[70][71]
The Shubert Organization started operating the St. James in July 1941[119] and immediately booked the play Anne of England.[120] From January to March 1942, the St. James hosted the Boston Comic Opera Company and the Jooss Ballet Dance Theatre in repertory.[110] The Boston Opera Company presented Gilbert and Sullivan works, which were performed simultaneously with dance shows such as
Kurt Jooss's The Green Table.[121][122] The same year, the theater hosted a transfer of the long-running play
Claudia,[117][123][124] as well as the
Theatre Guild comedy
Without Love with
Audrey Christie,
Katharine Hepburn, and
Elliott Nugent.[110][125][126] The Theater Guild, which had seen little success with their shows to date,[110] premiered
Rodgers and Hammerstein's first musical, Oklahoma!, at the St. James in March 1943.[127][128]Vincent Astor sold the theater to the Shuberts later the same year.[129] With over 2,200 performances[c] through 1948,[134][132]Oklahoma! saved the Theatre Guild from bankruptcy[133][135] and became known as a Rodgers and Hammerstein masterpiece.[135]
By the 1950s, the Shuberts operated nearly half of all legitimate theaters in New York City, prompting the U.S. federal government to file an
antitrust suit against the family. As part of a settlement made in February 1956, the Shuberts had to sell off some of their theaters.[149][150] If the Shuberts did not sell the St. James within two years, they had to lease out either the St. James or the Imperial.[150] In May 1956, a group headed by businessman Jerome S. Jennings offered the Shuberts $2.1 million for the St. James Theatre.[151][152] The sale was finalized that July, when
Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing president
William L. McKnight and theatrical executive Samuel H. Schwartz agreed to buy the St. James for $1.75 million in cash.[153][154] Schwartz was subsequently appointed president of the Jujamcyn Corporation, an entity formed to operate the theater.[155]Li'l Abner continued to run during this time.[153]
The musical Barnum premiered in 1980, starring
Jim Dale with music by
Michael Stewart,
Cy Coleman, and
Mark Bramble;[178][197] it had 854 performances over the next two years.[198][199][200] The next show was the 1982 revue Rock 'N Roll! The First 5,000 Years, which flopped after a week.[201][202] Following this was another long run, the musical My One and Only, which opened in 1983[178][203] and ran for 767 performances.[198][204] The stage floor and traps were replaced after My One and Only's run ended. In July 1985, Jujamcyn announced a $1.5 million renovation for the theater.[205] The changes, executed by Total Concept,[206] included a new marquee, seats, draperies, and carpets, as well as a repainted auditorium and new electrical wiring.[205][206] Due to the relatively small budget and the project's eighteen-week schedule, the lighting was not changed; additionally, some of the original details could not be restored.[206] The theater reopened in December 1985 with the revue Jerry's Girls,[207] which lasted four months.[208][209] Afterward, the long-running musical 42nd Street transferred from the
Majestic in 1987,[210] extending its run for two years.[211][212] The St. James's last shows of the decade were
Bill Irwin's play Largely New York[213][214] and a revival of the musical Gypsy with
Tyne Daly in 1989.[215] The latter ran for more than a year.[216]
The
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started to consider protecting the St. James as a landmark in 1982,[217] with discussions continuing over the next several years.[218] The LPC designated the St. James's facade and interior as a landmark on December 15, 1987.[219] This was part of the commission's wide-ranging effort in 1987 to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters.[220] The
New York City Board of Estimate ratified the designations in March 1988.[221] Jujamcyn, the
Nederlanders, and the
Shuberts collectively sued the LPC in June 1988 to overturn the landmark designations of 22 theaters, including the St. James, on the merit that the designations severely limited the extent to which the theaters could be modified.[222] The lawsuit was escalated to the
New York Supreme Court and the
Supreme Court of the United States, but these designations were ultimately upheld in 1992.[223]
Swing! closed in January 2001[246] and was replaced by
Mel Brooks's musical The Producers, which broke a ticket-sale record when it opened in April 2001.[248] Due to high demand, The Producers' producers started reserving premium seat tickets at the theatre in a
will call system to prevent
scalping, the first time any Broadway show had done this. Prior to the implementation of this policy, brokers would buy tickets for $100 and resell them for as much as $742.50; though such markups were illegal in New York state, the tickets were sold on websites that were based in other states.[249] After Binger died in 2004,[250]Rocco Landesman bought the St. James and Jujamcyn's four other theaters in 2005, along with the air rights above them.[251] Jordan Roth joined Jujamcyn as a resident producer the same year.[252]The Producers ultimately lasted until 2007, with 2,502 performances.[253][254] It was followed the same year by a limited run of
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,[255][256] which opened one day before the start of the
2007 Broadway stagehand strike; a
New York Supreme Court judge ruled that forced to keep operating during the strike.[257] The St. James then hosted a revival of Gypsy in 2008, featuring
Patti LuPone,
Laura Benanti, and
Boyd Gaines.[258][259]
Something Rotten! opened in 2015[267] and ran for a year and a half.[268] A revival of the play Present Laughter was then hosted in 2017.[269][270] After
Second Stage Theater bought the adjacent Hayes Theater in 2016, Roth approached Second Stage about the possibility of simultaneously renovating both theaters.[266] Second Stage sold the alley between the theaters to Jujamcyn, which extended the St. James's stage 10 feet (3.0 m) eastward into the alley.[271][272] The stage expansion was completed for the
Disney musical Frozen,[273][274] which opened in March 2018.[275][276]Frozen achieved the box office record for the St. James Theatre,[277] grossing $2,624,495 over eight performances for the week ending December 30, 2018.[278]
^One marquee is suspended above the lobby doors and stage door, with a sign facing west. The other is suspended above the auditorium doors and service doors, with a sign facing east.
^The Ballet Russe had a short gap from January to March 1934.[84]
^
abcdefMorrison, William (1999). Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. p. 153.
ISBN0-486-40244-4.
^
abcdefghijklmno"Architectural Features of New Erlanger Theater, New York". The Christian Science Monitor. October 13, 1927. p. 12.
ProQuest512226941.
^"Astor Files Suit To Dispossess Erlanger Firm: Theater Rental Action Is Added to Litigation Involving Producer's Estate". New York Herald Tribune. June 22, 1932. p. 19.
ProQuest1114524657.
^"Legitimate: New Amsterdam Ouster Proceedings Technical Move for Jumbled Estate". Variety. Vol. 107, no. 8. August 2, 1932. p. 45.
ProQuest1529364780.
^
ab"Legitimate: Erlanger's Lose Name House". The Billboard. Vol. 44, no. 31. July 30, 1932. p. 14.
ProQuest1032005091.
^"News of the Theaters: 'Domino' to Open Aug. 16; Lodewick Vroom Leases the Erlanger Theater". New York Herald Tribune. August 5, 1932. p. 8.
ProQuest1221283956.
^"News of the Theaters: Casting of 'enchantment' Completed Aborn Opens 'the Mikado' April 17 Laurette Taylor". New York Herald Tribune. April 4, 1933. p. 10.
ProQuest1221794168.
^""Oklahoma" A Radiant Show Of Color, Motion And Period Style: Guild Production At St. James Theatre A Designer's Stimulant —Chartreuse, Coral And Violet Blues In Rich Color Schemes". Women's Wear Daily. Vol. 66, no. 64. April 2, 1943. p. 5.
ProQuest1654263951.
^"Astor Disposes Of 2 Theaters In W. 44th St: Shuberts Buy St. James; Nora Bayes House Goes to the 'New York Times'". New York Herald Tribune. September 4, 1943. p. 20.
ProQuest1282800001.