Stephen Sondheim Theatre
{{good article}}
{{Short description|Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{About|the Broadway theater|the West End theater|Sondheim Theatre}}
{{Infobox Theatre
| name = Stephen Sondheim Theatre
| image = Anything Goes at Stephen Sondheim Theatre.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = (2011)
| address = 124 West 43rd Street
| city = Manhattan, New York
| country = United States
| publictransit = Subway: {{stn|Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal}} or {{stn|42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue}}
| type = Broadway
|coordinates = {{coord|40.755869|-73.985|type:landmark|display=it|format=dms}}
| architect =
| owner =
| operator = Roundabout Theatre Company
| capacity = 1,055
| opened = {{Start date and age|2009|10|15|p=yes}}
| yearsactive = 1918-1968; 2001-2004; 2009-2010 (Henry Miller's Theatre)
1998 (as Kit Kat Club)
2010-present (Stephen Sondheim Theatre)
| rebuilt = 2004-2009
| closed =
| othernames =
| production = & Juliet
| currentuse =
| website = {{oweb|https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/theatres-and-venues/stephen-sondheim-theatre/}}
| embedded = {{Infobox historic site
| embed = yes
| designation1 = NYCL
| designation1_date = July 14, 1987
| designation1_free1name = Designated entity
| designation1_free1value = Facade
}}
}}
The Stephen Sondheim Theatre, formerly Henry Miller's Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 124 West 43rd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Owned by the Durst Organization and managed by the Roundabout Theatre Company, the modern 1,055-seat theater opened in 2009 at the base of the Bank of America Tower. The current theater is mostly underground and was designed by COOKFOX, architects of the Bank of America Tower, with Adamson Associates Architects as architect of record.{{cite web |title=In the News |url=https://www.aiany.org/news/9815/ |website=AIA New York |publisher=American Institute of Architects |access-date=12 March 2025}} It retains the landmarked facade of the original Henry Miller's Theatre, which was built in 1918 by Henry Miller, the actor and producer.
The original 950-seat theater was designed in the neoclassical style by Harry Creighton Ingalls of Ingalls & Hoffman, in conjunction with Paul R. Allen. Its facade is protected as a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. It was managed by Henry Miller along with Elizabeth Milbank Anderson and Klaw & Erlanger. After Miller's death in 1926, his son Gilbert Miller took over operation. The Miller family sold the theater in 1966 to the Nederlander Organization, who sold it in 1968 to Seymour Durst. The final musical production at the theater closed in 1969. It served as a porn theater through much of the 1970s, then operated as a discotheque called Xenon from 1978 to 1984, and subsequently operated as a nightclub under various names in the 1980s and 1990s.
Henry Miller's Theatre reopened as a Broadway house in 1998, when Roundabout staged a revival of Cabaret, during which it was advertised as the Kit Kat Klub, the musical's fictional venue. Cabaret transferred to Studio 54 later that year, and the theater briefly operated as a nightclub in 1999 and 2000. The dystopian musical Urinetown played in the venue from 2001 to 2004. Afterward, the auditorium was demolished, and the modern theater, originally retaining the Henry Miller's name, opened in 2009. The theater was renamed for American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim on his 80th birthday in 2010.
Design<span class="anchor" id="Architecture"></span><span class="anchor" id="Description"></span>
The Stephen Sondheim Theatre is on 124 West 43rd Street, at the base of the Bank of America Tower, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S.{{cite aia5|pages=271}} It was originally known as Henry Miller's Theatre and was designed in the neo-Georgian style by Paul R. Allen with Ingalls & Hoffman, a firm composed of Harry Creighton Ingalls and F. Burrall Hoffman Jr.{{cite news|date=December 23, 1917|title=Actor-Manager: Henry Miller's Theater in New York is Nearing Completion--An Odd Design.|page=III14|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|160457006}}}} Though listed as an architect of record, Hoffman was not involved with the theater's design, having enlisted in the military when Ingalls and Allen began designing the theater. The theater was originally named for its builder, English-born actor-producer Henry Miller;{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|p=1}}{{harvnb|ps=.|Cornelius|1918|pp=113–115}} since 2010, it has been named for composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021).{{Cite news|last=Weber|first=Bruce|date=2021-11-26|title=Stephen Sondheim, Titan of the American Musical, Is Dead at 91|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/26/theater/stephen-sondheim-dead.html|access-date=2021-11-27|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126220529/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/26/theater/stephen-sondheim-dead.html|url-status=live}} While the facade dates from Allen and Ingalls & Hoffman's original design in 1918, the auditorium and other internal spaces date to a 2009 reconstruction.{{Cite news|last=Healy|first=Patrick|date=May 3, 2009|title=White Way Gets a 'Green' Theater|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/theater/04Green.html|access-date=September 12, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912152530/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/theater/04Green.html|url-status=live}}
= Facade =
The facade is made of red brick and white marble.{{cite NY1900|pages=219-220}}{{cite book|last=Morrison|first=William|title=Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture|publisher=Dover Publications|year=1999|isbn=0-486-40244-4|location=Mineola, NY|page=107}} Miller had conceived of the theater building as the ideal "American theatre", but the facade took significant inspiration from English theater, and even the neo-Georgian decoration was meant to evoke the English origins of American drama.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|pp=12–13}} A writer for Architectural Record wrote that the design appeared to be at least partially inspired by the architecture of the Drury Lane Theatre.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|p=13}}{{harvnb|Cornelius|1918|ps=.|p=113}} Unlike most theaters of its time, Henry Miller's Theatre had windows on its street-facing facade, illuminating what were originally offices.{{Cite news|date=April 7, 1918|title=The New Miller Theatre|pages=38|work=New-York Tribune|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85401672/the-new-miller-theatre/|access-date=September 16, 2021|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916005040/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85401672/the-new-miller-theatre/|url-status=live}} The original facade still exists but only serves as an entrance to the rebuilt theater underground.{{Cite news|last=Edidin|first=Peter|date=April 17, 2005|title=Something There Is That Does Love a Wall|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/17/nyregion/thecity/something-there-is-that-does-love-a-wall.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916200415/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/17/nyregion/thecity/something-there-is-that-does-love-a-wall.html|url-status=live}} The facade protrudes from the Bank of America Tower's glass curtain wall, which surrounds it on all sides.{{Cite news|last=Pollak|first=Michael|date=August 8, 2004|title=F.Y.I.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/08/nyregion/fyi-553174.html|access-date=September 13, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913165044/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/08/nyregion/fyi-553174.html|url-status=live}}
File:AR-1918-08 p26 (central doorway).jpg
The theater's ground-story facade consists of a water table made of granite, above which is a brick facade. There are five rectangular doorways at the center of the facade, each containing a recessed pair of metal doors; above these doorways are stone lintels with urn symbols flanked by rosettes. When the theater was built, the three center doorways led to a box office lobby; the leftmost doorway led to the balcony; and the rightmost doorway led to the gallery.{{harvnb|Cornelius|1918|ps=.|p=115}} There is a marquee above the three center bays of the ground story.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|p=16}} {{As of|September 2010}}, the marquee displays the words "Stephen Sondheim", reflecting its rename from Henry Miller's Theatre.{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Kenneth|date=September 15, 2010|title=Bright Lights, White Lights: Marquee of Broadway's Sondheim Theatre Unveiled Sept. 15|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/bright-lights-white-lights-marquee-of-broadways-sondheim-theatre-unveiled-sept-15-com-171753|access-date=September 12, 2021|website=Playbill|archive-date=September 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912160818/https://www.playbill.com/article/bright-lights-white-lights-marquee-of-broadways-sondheim-theatre-unveiled-sept-15-com-171753|url-status=live}}
Henry Miller's Theatre was the first Broadway theater to be built under the 1916 Zoning Resolution, which is reflected in its design. Where previous Broadway theaters had to contain open-air alleys on either side, Henry Miller's Theatre concealed its alleys behind the extreme ends of either facade. Accordingly, the five center doorways are flanked by a pair of segmental-arched gateways with wrought-iron gates. The gateways have paneled keystones above their centers and wrought-iron lanterns flanking each side.
The rest of the facade is made of red brick in common bond and is split into two end pavilions flanking five vertical bays. Each bay is delineated by projecting brick pilasters topped by decorated Corinthian-style capitals of terracotta. The five center bays have rectangular window openings at the second story, with stone keystones and brick voussoirs atop each window, as well as iron balconies curving outward. On the third story, there are three round-arched windows at the center, flanked by two blind openings with brick infill; they also have stone keystones and brick voussoirs. The end pavilions have arched brick niches at the second story and terracotta roundels on the third story. Above that is a terracotta frieze with the name "Henry Miller's Theatre" carved in the center and triangular pediments above the end pavilions. A parapet runs at the roof of the facade. Above the theater facade is a billboard attached to the Bank of America Tower's curtain wall.{{Cite news|last=Troianovski|first=Anton|author-link=Anton Troianovski|date=May 24, 2010|title=One Bryant Park Banks on Many Shapes|language=en|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704226004575262401602012916|url-status=live|access-date=September 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914012150/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704226004575262401602012916|archive-date=September 14, 2021|issn=0099-9660}}
= Interior =
== Original design ==
{{multiple image
|align=right
|direction=horizontal
|total_width=400
|header=Original theater as seen in the Architectural Forum (August 1918)
|image1=AR-1918-08 p20 (lounge).jpg
|caption1=Lounge
|image2=AR-1918-08 p22 (foyer).jpg
|caption2=Foyer
}}
The interior was designed similarly to old English rooms in the Adam style. The box-office lobby was an elliptical space.{{Cite news|last=Krows|first=Arthur Edwin|date=March 3, 1918|title=Henry Miller Builds a Theatre|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/03/03/archives/henry-miller-builds-a-theatre.html|access-date=September 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915183100/https://www.nytimes.com/1918/03/03/archives/henry-miller-builds-a-theatre.html|url-status=live}} The walls were cream-colored with mauve glazing and were decorated with a molding, a plaster cornice, and lighting fixtures. The box-office lobby had a floor of black and white marble, and the ceiling was made of plaster. The metal grilles and fixtures were painted in dark colors, while the doors were a dark ivory shade.{{harvnb|Cornelius|1918|ps=.|pp=115–117}} Three doorways from the box-office lobby led to a shallow foyer running across the rear of the auditorium's orchestra. The foyer had bright-blue walls similar to those along the stairways and passageways.{{harvnb|Cornelius|1918|ps=.|p=117}} Stairs at either end of the foyer descended to the lounge, and another stair on the right side ascended to the balcony. The stairs between the foyer and lounge contained landings, which led to a ladies' retiring room and gentlemen's smoking room. The lounge had English green walls with silk hangings; its design elements included an onyx-and-crystal candelabra. Different designs of light fixtures were used for the foyer and lounge, but they had similarly designed black carpets with green and rose decorations.
The original auditorium had 950 seats.{{cite web|date=September 16, 2010|title=Henry Miller's Theatre in New York, NY|url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/2969|access-date=September 15, 2021|website=Cinema Treasures|archive-date=May 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525234322/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/2969|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Stephen Sondheim Theater / COOKFOX|url=https://www.archdaily.com/283575/stephen-sondheim-theater-cook-fox-architects|access-date=September 12, 2021|website=ArchDaily|date=October 22, 2012 |archive-date=September 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912152531/https://www.archdaily.com/283575/stephen-sondheim-theater-cook-fox-architects|url-status=live}} It was semicircular and designed with what Miller considered an "intimate" feel. The parquet level was outfitted with 404 seats, even though the back row had to be removed because of the presence of the lobby behind it.{{harvnb|Cornelius|1918|ps=.|p=124}} The original auditorium included two balcony levels, the higher level being the "gallery".{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|p=12}} The second balcony was included because Miller had only been able to afford balcony seats in his youth. Many older and larger theaters of the time had two balconies, but newer or smaller theaters only contained one balcony. The lower balcony level had boxes, which Miller had initially planned to exclude from the design, though he ultimately decided upon making them inconspicuous.{{Cite news|date=December 31, 1916|title=Henry Miller's Theatre|pages=24|work=New York Herald|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85375355/henry-millers-theatre/|access-date=September 15, 2021|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915183100/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85375355/henry-millers-theatre/|url-status=live}} The gallery level, on the same level as Miller's office, had an elevator so people could reach the gallery easily. There were 200 seats in the gallery. The auditorium's carpets had a black background with colorful patterns, a contrast to contemporary theaters that had monochrome carpets. The auditorium also had gray walls, hand-painted panels, and brightly colored plaster medallions and swags. Illumination was provided by central chandeliers as well as lights in the boxes.
The front of the auditorium had a wooden orchestra pit separated from the audience by a curved screen. The music came from louvers at the top of the screen. A pianist in the pit operated a choral cello, sounds from which were piped throughout the auditorium. The stage was {{Convert|33|ft}} wide and had an amber brocade curtain. Above the curtain was a medallion with personifications of comedy and tragedy. The left side of the stage contained its "working side", where stage directions were given, while the right side contained the dressing rooms. The rear of the stage had an additional space with a low ceiling. A counterweight system was installed over the stage, which obviated the requirement for a fly system. A switchboard controlled the lights above the stage.
== 2009 reconstruction ==
From 2004 to 2009, the old theater was replaced with a 1,055-seat theater{{cite web|date=September 27, 2010|title=Bank of America Tower achieves LEED Platinum: Tishman plays key role|url=https://nyrej.com/bank-of-america-tower-achieves-leed-platinum-tishman-plays-key-role|access-date=September 12, 2021|website=New York Real Estate Journals|archive-date=September 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912152531/https://nyrej.com/bank-of-america-tower-achieves-leed-platinum-tishman-plays-key-role|url-status=live}} designed by COOKFOX, architects of the Bank of America Tower,{{cite web|title=Stephen Sondheim Theater|url=http://cookfox.com/project.php?id=Stephen-Sondheim-Theater|access-date=May 16, 2018|publisher=Cook+Fox|archive-date=May 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517005905/http://cookfox.com/project.php?id=Stephen-Sondheim-Theater|url-status=live}} with Adamson Associates Architects as the architect of record. The rebuilt theater covers {{Convert|50000|ft2}}. Severud and Tishman had to excavate up to {{Convert|70|ft}} below street level, since the new auditorium could not rise above the old facade.{{cite web|date=September 13, 2010|title=Second Time Around|url=https://www.bdcnetwork.com/second-time-around|access-date=September 12, 2021|website=Building Design + Construction|archive-date=September 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912152539/https://www.bdcnetwork.com/second-time-around|url-status=live}} This makes the theater one of two subterranean houses on Broadway.{{cite web | title=Simply New York: Secrets of the Stephen Sondheim Theatre | website=ABC7 New York | date=January 1, 2018 | url=https://abc7ny.com/3007464/ | access-date=September 17, 2021 | archive-date=September 17, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917155456/https://abc7ny.com/3007464/ | url-status=live }}{{efn|The Circle in the Square Theatre is in the basement of Paramount Plaza.{{Cite web|last=Simonson|first=Robert|date=February 24, 2012|title=Theodore Mann, Founder of Circle in the Square, Dies at 87|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/theodore-mann-founder-of-circle-in-the-square-dies-at-87-com-187826|access-date=2021-09-24|website=Playbill|language=en|archive-date=September 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924184709/https://www.playbill.com/article/theodore-mann-founder-of-circle-in-the-square-dies-at-87-com-187826|url-status=live}}}} The ground-level entrance contains the mezzanine, with the orchestra level located below. The ground level has a bar and cafe, and there is an upper mezzanine with a restaurant. Two-thirds of the seating, as well as a lobby bar, are at orchestra level. The interior retains artifacts from the original structure.{{cite web|date=March 10, 2010|title=Stephen Sondheim|url=https://www.spotlightonbroadway.com/theater/stephen-sondheim|access-date=September 12, 2021|website=Spotlight on Broadway|archive-date=September 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912152539/https://www.spotlightonbroadway.com/theater/stephen-sondheim|url-status=live}} These artifacts include the original emergency-exit doors and the plaster frieze from the auditorium.
The theater's interior was designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold green-building standards.{{cite web | title=On Broadway: LEED makes the Sondheim Theatre healthier and more beautiful [video] | website=U.S. Green Building Council | date=June 6, 2017 | url=https://www.usgbc.org/articles/broadway-leed-makes-sondheim-theatre-healthier-and-more-beautiful-video | access-date=September 11, 2023 | archive-date=March 17, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317190402/https://www.usgbc.org/articles/broadway-leed-makes-sondheim-theatre-healthier-and-more-beautiful-video | url-status=live }} The environmental features include recycled wall panels, locally quarried marble, and waterless urinals. This makes the Stephen Sondheim Theatre the first Broadway theater to meet LEED standards. The rebuilt theater's design was influenced by input from numerous government agencies, theatre companies, and other organizations. For instance, the women's restroom was designed with 22 stalls, three times the number required under building code,{{cite web | last=Jones | first=Kenneth | title=Broadway's Newest Theatre, Henry Miller's, Will Open in September With Bye Bye Birdie | website=Playbill | date=May 3, 2009 | url=http://www.playbill.com/article/broadways-newest-theatre-henry-millers-will-open-in-september-with-bye-bye-birdie-com-160546 | access-date=September 17, 2021 | archive-date=September 17, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917160442/https://www.playbill.com/article/broadways-newest-theatre-henry-millers-will-open-in-september-with-bye-bye-birdie-com-160546 | url-status=live }} and the men's restroom was designed with 10 stalls, one and a half times the code requirement. In addition, the Stephen Sondheim is fully accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, with 20 viewing stations, a drinking fountain, and a restroom for disabled guests.
History
Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and the Great Depression.{{Cite web|last=Swift|first=Christopher|date=2018|title=The City Performs: An Architectural History of NYC Theater|url=https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=dbe468bfd33343dc96c23db1da55f803|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325233910/https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html%3Fappid%3Ddbe468bfd33343dc96c23db1da55f803|archive-date=March 25, 2020|access-date=March 25, 2020|publisher=New York City College of Technology, City University of New York}} Manhattan's theater district had begun to shift from Union Square and Madison Square during the first decade of the 20th century.{{cite web|title=Theater District -|url=https://www.nypap.org/preservation-history/theater-district|access-date=October 12, 2021|website=New York Preservation Archive Project|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019151144/https://www.nypap.org/preservation-history/theater-district/|url-status=live}}{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|p=2|ps=.}} From 1901 to 1920, forty-three theaters were built around Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, including Henry Miller's Theatre.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|p=4|ps=.}}
=Original theater=
Henry Miller had held a lifelong dream of operating a theater.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|pp=7–8}} In December 1916, he announced his intention to build a theater on a plot at 124-130 West 43rd Street, next to the established theater district on Times Square.{{cite news|date=December 19, 1916|title=News of Plays and Players: Henry Miller to Build a Theatre in 43d Street, Near Broadway|page=13|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|575667355}}}}{{cite magazine|date=December 23, 1916|title=New 43rd Street Theatre|url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_058&page=ldpd_7031148_058_00001187&no=2|journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide|volume=98|pages=767|via=columbia.edu|number=2545|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916201432/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_058&page=ldpd_7031148_058_00001187&no=2|url-status=live}} The site measured {{Convert|85.9|by|100.5|ft}} and had previously been proposed as the site of an unbuilt theater by Felix Isman. Miller had leased the lot from its owner, Elizabeth Milbank Anderson.{{Cite news|date=June 30, 1921|title=Half of $7,000,000 Estate to Public; Mrs. Elizabeth Milbank Anderson Left $1,500,000 to Memorial Fund Association.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1921/06/30/archives/half-of-7000000-estate-to-public-mrs-elizabeth-milbank-anderson.html|access-date=September 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915165006/https://www.nytimes.com/1921/06/30/archives/half-of-7000000-estate-to-public-mrs-elizabeth-milbank-anderson.html|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|date=March 18, 1922|title=Theatre Leasehold Conveyed|url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_069&page=ldpd_7031148_069_00000311&no=1|journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide|volume=109|pages=337|via=columbia.edu|number=11|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916163710/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_069&page=ldpd_7031148_069_00000311&no=1|url-status=live}} Paul Allen and Ingalls & Hoffman were hired for the design. Allen had been involved in the project partially because Miller had a history of working with Allen's sister, actress Viola Allen.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|p=10}}
== Early years ==
Henry Miller's Theatre opened on April 1, 1918, hosting the play The Fountain of Youth,{{Cite news|date=April 2, 1918|title=Henry Miller in His New Theatre; 'The Fountain of Youth' Sprays Brilliants of Wit and Rainbow Charm|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/04/02/archives/henry-miller-in-his-new-theatre-the-fountain-of-youth-sprays.html|access-date=September 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915183102/https://www.nytimes.com/1918/04/02/archives/henry-miller-in-his-new-theatre-the-fountain-of-youth-sprays.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Broun|first=Heywood|date=April 2, 1918|title=The Drama: Handsome New Theatre Opens With Artificial and Dull Play|pages=9|work=New-York Tribune|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85379560/the-drama-handsome-new-theatre-opens/|access-date=September 15, 2021|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915183059/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85379560/the-drama-handsome-new-theatre-opens/|url-status=live}} in which Miller himself starred.{{Cite news|date=March 20, 1918|title=Plays and Players|pages=11|work=New-York Tribune|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85402360/plays-and-players/|access-date=September 16, 2021|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916005037/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85402360/plays-and-players/|url-status=live}} John Corbin wrote for The New York Times that the new theater was "of the ideal size and shape" and that "the decorations are at once rich and in the perfection of good taste".{{Cite news|last=Corbin|first=John|date=April 7, 1918|title=Old Vainglory; Henry Miller's Theatre. In the Mailbag.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/04/07/archives/old-vainglory-henry-millers-theatre-in-the-mailbag.html|access-date=September 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916005040/https://www.nytimes.com/1918/04/07/archives/old-vainglory-henry-millers-theatre-in-the-mailbag.html|url-status=live}} Heywood Broun of the New-York Tribune said the theater "is a delight if you don't mind the curtain too much". The Brooklyn Times-Union subsequently said the theater was "a memorial worthy of any man" even if Miller did not have further accomplishments in his lifetime.{{Cite news|date=February 19, 1922|title=Henry Miller as Actor and as Theatre Manager|pages=17|work=Times Union|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85428916/henry-miller-as-actor-and-as-theatre/|access-date=September 16, 2021|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916200411/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85428916/henry-miller-as-actor-and-as-theatre/|url-status=live}} The Fountain of Youth itself was a flop, as was the play that succeeded it, The Marriage of Convenience.{{harvnb|Bloom|2013|ps=.|p=112}} That July, Klaw & Erlanger agreed to jointly manage the theater with Miller.{{Cite news|date=July 24, 1918|title=Partners of Henry Miller; Klaw & Erlanger Join Him in His Theatre and Productions.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/07/24/archives/partners-of-henry-miller-klaw-erlanger-join-him-in-his-theatre-and.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916163701/https://www.nytimes.com/1918/07/24/archives/partners-of-henry-miller-klaw-erlanger-join-him-in-his-theatre-and.html|url-status=live}}
Most of the early productions were flops,{{Cite news|last=Schneider|first=Daniel B.|date=June 28, 1998|title=F.Y.I.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/28/nyregion/fyi-607886.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916152435/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/28/nyregion/fyi-607886.html|url-status=live}} until Mis' Nelly of N'Orleans, which opened in 1919 and had 127 performances. The musical La La Lucille, which opened in May 1919,{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|p=14}}{{harvnb|Bloom|2013|ps=.|pp=112–113}}{{Cite news|last=Broun|first=Heywood|date=May 27, 1919|title=Drama: "La-La-Lucille!" Has Its First Performance at the Henry Miller|pages=15|work=New-York Tribune|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85426563/drama-la-la-lucille-has-its-first/|access-date=September 16, 2021|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916163703/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85426563/drama-la-la-lucille-has-its-first/|url-status=live}} was also a success, even though the theater had to close during the 1919 Actors' Equity Association strike.{{Cite news|date=August 20, 1919|title=Gov. Smith Moves in Theatre Strike; Receives Delegations From Actors and Managers and Is Expected to Mediate|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/08/20/archives/gov-smith-moves-in-theatre-strike-receives-delegations-from-actors.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916152432/https://www.nytimes.com/1919/08/20/archives/gov-smith-moves-in-theatre-strike-receives-delegations-from-actors.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=August 20, 1919|title=Henry Miller Theatre Closed; 18 Now Dark|pages=18|work=New-York Tribune|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85426185/henry-miller-theatre-closed-18-now-dark/|access-date=September 16, 2021|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916213537/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85426185/henry-miller-theatre-closed-18-now-dark/|url-status=live}} Miller ultimately starred in eight productions at the theater during his lifetime, including The Famous Mrs. Fair (1918), and The Changelings (1923).{{Cite news|date=April 10, 1926|title=Henry Miller Dies; Veteran of Stage; Noted Actor-Manager Succumbs at 66 to Pneumonia in New York Hospital|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1926/04/10/archives/henry-miller-dies-veteran-of-stage-noted-actormanager-succumbs-at.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916152430/https://www.nytimes.com/1926/04/10/archives/henry-miller-dies-veteran-of-stage-noted-actormanager-succumbs-at.html|url-status=live}} During the early 1920s, Henry Miller's Theatre hosted the Broadway debuts of Leslie Howard in Just Suppose (1920){{Cite news|date=April 1, 1943|title=A Theatre Anniversary; Henry Miller's to Observe 25th Tonight -- Opened in 1918|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/04/01/archives/a-theatre-anniversary-henry-millers-to-observe-25th-tonight-opened.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916163704/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/04/01/archives/a-theatre-anniversary-henry-millers-to-observe-25th-tonight-opened.html|url-status=live}} as well as Noël Coward in The Vortex (1925). Other actors and actresses to perform at the Henry Miller included Alfred Lunt and Billie Burke in The Awful Truth (1922), Ina Claire in Romeo and Juliet (1923), and Jane Cowl and Dennis King in Quarantine (1924).{{harvnb|Bloom|2013|ps=.|p=113}} Meanwhile, Elizabeth Milbank Anderson had died in 1921, and the lease on the underlying land was transferred to the City Real Estate Company. Miller, the theater's lessee, subleased the theater for five years to himself and A. L. Erlanger in June 1924.{{Cite news|date=April 19, 1927|title=Suit Over Theatre Lease; Gilbert Miller Brings Action Against A.L. Erlanger.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/04/19/archives/suit-over-theatre-lease-gilbert-miller-brings-action-against-al.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916163703/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/04/19/archives/suit-over-theatre-lease-gilbert-miller-brings-action-against-al.html|url-status=live}}
== Gilbert Miller operation ==
Henry Miller died in 1926, and his son Gilbert took over management of the theater. As trustee of his father's estate, Gilbert filed a lawsuit to cancel Erlanger's sublease of the theater. Miller argued that he did not have the power to reassign his father's stake in the sublease to himself, and Erlanger was refusing to vouch for him. As a result, shows at Henry Miller's Theatre were transferred to the Shubert Theatre while the litigation was pending.{{Cite news|date=May 31, 1927|title=Miller Shifts Bookings.; Shuberts to Get Them Instead of Erlanger as Result of Suit.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/05/31/archives/miller-shifts-bookings-shuberts-to-get-them-instead-of-erlanger-as.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916163703/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/05/31/archives/miller-shifts-bookings-shuberts-to-get-them-instead-of-erlanger-as.html|url-status=live}} Gilbert Miller ultimately bought Erlanger's interest and paid 25 percent of the gross profit from each production to the Milbank Memorial Fund, Anderson's legatee.{{cite magazine|last=Harriman|first=Margaret Case|date=June 5, 1943|title=Profile: Mr. Miller and Mr. Hyde|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1943/06/05/mr-miller-and-mr-hyde-ii|magazine=The New Yorker|page=30|access-date=May 18, 2018|archive-date=May 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518195824/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1943/06/05/mr-miller-and-mr-hyde-ii|url-status=live}} Performances at Henry Miller's Theatre around this time included The Play's The Thing (1926),{{Cite news|date=October 29, 1926|title=Molnar Comedy on Nov. 3; "The Play's the Thing" at Henry Miller's|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1926/10/29/archives/molnar-comedy-on-nov-3-the-plays-the-thing-at-henry-millers-mellers.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916171021/https://www.nytimes.com/1926/10/29/archives/molnar-comedy-on-nov-3-the-plays-the-thing-at-henry-millers-mellers.html|url-status=live}} Our Betters (1928),{{Cite news|last=Atkinson|first=J. Brooks|date=February 21, 1928|title=The Play; Americans Stopping in London.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1928/02/21/archives/the-play-americans-stopping-in-london.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916232327/https://www.nytimes.com/1928/02/21/archives/the-play-americans-stopping-in-london.html|url-status=live}} and Journey's End (1929).{{harvnb|Bloom|2013|ps=|p=113}}; {{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|p=14}}{{cite news|last=Ruhl|first=Arthur|date=March 23, 1929|title=Journey's End Casts Deep Spell Over Audience at Opening Here|page=10|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1111956895}}}}
Henry Miller's Theatre was most successful from the 1930s through 1950s. In the early 1930s, the theater hosted The Good Fairy (1931), with Helen Hayes and Walter Connolly;{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|p=15}}{{Cite news|last=J.b|date=November 18, 1932|title=The Good Fairy" Again.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/11/18/archives/the-good-fairy-again.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921195838/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/11/18/archives/the-good-fairy-again.html|url-status=live}} The Late Christopher Bean (1932), with Pauline Lord;{{Cite news|date=April 29, 1933|title=Theatrical Notes.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/29/archives/theatrical-notes.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916181056/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/04/29/archives/theatrical-notes.html|url-status=live}} and Personal Appearance (1934), with Gladys George.{{cite news|date=June 27, 1935|title=News of the Theaters: 'Personal Appearance' Will Be 300 Performances Old at Matinee Today Gladys George|page=14|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1221598616}}}} Other notable plays in that decade included a revival of The Country Wife (1936){{Cite news|date=January 29, 1937|title=News of the Stage; ' Country Wife' to Stay Through Feb. 13, at LeastAbbott Inventory-Six Shows Due Week of Feb. 8.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/01/29/archives/news-of-the-stage-country-wife-to-stay-through-feb-13-at.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916183532/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/01/29/archives/news-of-the-stage-country-wife-to-stay-through-feb-13-at.html|url-status=live}} and French Without Tears (1937).{{Cite news|date=September 28, 1937|title=News of the Stage; ' French Without Tears' Tonight-leslie Banks Ill, 'to Quito and Back' Postponed From Monday|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/09/28/archives/news-of-the-stage-french-without-tears-tonightleslie-banks-ill-to.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916183534/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/09/28/archives/news-of-the-stage-french-without-tears-tonightleslie-banks-ill-to.html|url-status=live}} The Henry Miller briefly hosted Our Town in 1938 before the play was moved to the Morosco Theatre.{{harvnb|Bloom|2013|ps=|p=113}}; {{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|p=15}}{{Cite news|date=February 7, 1938|title=Our Town' Slated for the Morosco; Change Will Take Place Next Week, With 'bachelor Born' Going to the Playhouse|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/02/07/archives/our-town-slated-for-the-morosco-change-will-take-place-next-week.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916181053/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/02/07/archives/our-town-slated-for-the-morosco-change-will-take-place-next-week.html|url-status=live}} The Henry Miller's productions in the early 1940s included Ladies in Retirement (1940) with Flora Robson and Estelle Winwood, Spring Again (1941) with Grace George, and Harriet (1943) with Helen Hayes.{{Cite news|date=March 6, 1943|title=News of the Stage; ' Harriet,' Starring Helen Hayes, Resumes Run This Afternoon at Henry Miller's Theatre|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/03/06/archives/news-of-the-stage-harriet-starring-helen-hayes-resumes-run-this.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916181052/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/03/06/archives/news-of-the-stage-harriet-starring-helen-hayes-resumes-run-this.html|url-status=live}} By the theater's twenty-fifth anniversary in 1943, Henry Miller's Theatre had hosted 83 plays and one musical, La La Lucille. Later in the decade, the theater showed Dear Ruth in 1944{{Cite news|last=Zolotow|first=Sam|date=December 13, 1944|title=Premiere Tonight of Krasna Comedy; 'dear Ruth,' a War Love Story, Due at Henry Miller's -- Hull Quits 'happy Returns'|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/12/13/archives/premiere-tonight-of-krasna-comedy-dear-ruth-a-war-love-story-due-at.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916225749/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/12/13/archives/premiere-tonight-of-krasna-comedy-dear-ruth-a-war-love-story-due-at.html|url-status=live}} and Born Yesterday from 1948 to 1950.
The Henry Miller presented The Cocktail Party in 1950 with Alec Guinness, Cathleen Nesbitt, and Irene Worth{{Cite news|last=Calta|first=Louis|date=January 21, 1950|title='Cocktail Party' Arrives Tonight; T.S. Eliot Drama Will Open at Henry Miller's Theatre-- British Players in Cast Going to London Later Bambi Linn in Musical Unions Act on Short Plays|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/21/archives/cocktail-party-arrives-tonight-ts-eliot-drama-will-open-at-henry.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916232017/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/21/archives/cocktail-party-arrives-tonight-ts-eliot-drama-will-open-at-henry.html|url-status=live}} and The Moon Is Blue in 1951 with Barbara Bel Geddes and Barry Nelson.{{Cite news|last=Calta|first=Louis|date=March 8, 1951|title=Herbert Comedy Arriving Tonight; 'Moon Is Blue' Will Open at Henry Miller's Bel Geddes, Cook and Nelson in Cast|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/03/08/archives/herbert-comedy-arriving-tonight-moon-is-blue-will-open-at-henry.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917073240/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/03/08/archives/herbert-comedy-arriving-tonight-moon-is-blue-will-open-at-henry.html|url-status=live}} This was followed in 1953 by Oh, Men! Oh, Women!,{{Cite news|last=Calta|first=Louis|date=1953-12-17|title=Chodorov Comedy Arrives Tonight; ' Oh, Men! Oh, Women!' Will Bow at Henry Miller Theatre -- Franchot Tone Starred|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/12/17/archives/chodorov-comedy-arrives-tonight-oh-men-oh-women-will-bow-at-henry.html|access-date=2022-09-14|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914140856/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/12/17/archives/chodorov-comedy-arrives-tonight-oh-men-oh-women-will-bow-at-henry.html|url-status=live}} which ran for a year. The Living Room also opened at the Henry Miller in November 1954 but, after a month, was replaced by Witness for the Prosecution, which ran until 1956. Other notable shows and performances in the 1950s included The Reluctant Debutante (1956);{{Cite news|last=Atkinson|first=Brooks|date=October 11, 1956|title=Theatre: Comedy Made in England; 'Reluctant Debutante' at Henry Miller's Light Drawing-Room Play Is Pleasant The Cast|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/10/11/archives/theatre-comedy-made-in-england-reluctant-debutante-at-henry-millers.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916232017/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/10/11/archives/theatre-comedy-made-in-england-reluctant-debutante-at-henry-millers.html|url-status=live}} Hotel Paradiso (1957) with Bert Lahr and Angela Lansbury;{{Cite news|last=Calta|first=Louis|date=April 11, 1957|title='Hotel Paradiso' Opening Tonight; Glenville Version of French Is Due at Henry Miller's Equity Official Resigns Off-broadway Opening|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/04/11/archives/hotel-paradiso-opening-tonight-glenville-version-of-french-is-due.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921195838/https://www.nytimes.com/1957/04/11/archives/hotel-paradiso-opening-tonight-glenville-version-of-french-is-due.html|url-status=live}} Under Milk Wood (1957);{{Cite news|last=Zolotow|first=Sam|date=October 15, 1957|title=Opening Tonight for 'Milk Wood'; Dylan Thomas Play Due at Henry Miller's--Vehicle Panned for Julie Harris Gurian Plans Production 'two on a Journey'|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/10/15/archives/opening-tonight-for-milk-wood-dylan-thomas-play-due-at-henry.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916232021/https://www.nytimes.com/1957/10/15/archives/opening-tonight-for-milk-wood-dylan-thomas-play-due-at-henry.html|url-status=live}} Look After Lulu! (1959) with Tammy Grimes,{{harvnb|Bloom|2013|ps=.|p=114}}{{Cite news|last=Atkinson|first=Brooks|date=March 4, 1959|title=Theatre: Frantic Farce; Noel Coward's 'Look After Lulu' Opens|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/03/04/archives/theatre-frantic-farce-noel-cowards-look-after-lulu-opens.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921195838/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/03/04/archives/theatre-frantic-farce-noel-cowards-look-after-lulu-opens.html|url-status=live}} and The Andersonville Trial (1959) with George C. Scott and Albert Dekker. The early 1960s saw performances such as The World of Carl Sandburg (1960) with Bette Davis;{{Cite news|last=Taubman|first=Howard|date=September 15, 1960|title=The World of Carl Sandburg' Explored|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/09/15/archives/the-world-of-carl-sandburg-explored.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916232008/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/09/15/archives/the-world-of-carl-sandburg-explored.html|url-status=live}} Under the Yum Yum Tree (1960) with Gig Young;{{Cite news|last=Taubman|first=Howard|date=November 17, 1960|title=Theatre: Teasing Comedy; 'Under the Yum-Yum Tree' Has Premiere|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/11/17/archives/theatre-teasing-comedy-under-the-yumyum-tree-has-premiere.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916232015/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/11/17/archives/theatre-teasing-comedy-under-the-yumyum-tree-has-premiere.html|url-status=live}} and Enter Laughing (1963) with Alan Arkin and Vivian Blaine.{{harvnb|Bloom|2013|ps=|p=114}}; {{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987|ps=.|p=15}}{{Cite news|last=Taubman|first=Howard|date=October 6, 1963|title=The Theater:'Enter Laughing'; Really Funny Comedy Opens in New York|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/10/06/archives/the-theaterenter-laughing-really-funny-comedy-opens-in-new-york.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917041816/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/10/06/archives/the-theaterenter-laughing-really-funny-comedy-opens-in-new-york.html|url-status=live}} The 416-performance run of Enter Laughing was followed by a series of flops, some with as few as five performances.
== Late 1960s through 1980s ==
In April 1966, Gilbert Miller's wife offered the theater for sale for $1 million, saying she did not want her 81-year-old husband to "work hard as a producer" in his old age.{{Cite news|last=Zolotow|first=Sam|date=April 18, 1966|title=Mrs. Gilbert Miller Preparing To Sell Henry Miller's Theater|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/04/18/archives/mrs-gilbert-miller-preparing-to-sell-henry-millers-theater.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916163705/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/04/18/archives/mrs-gilbert-miller-preparing-to-sell-henry-millers-theater.html|url-status=live}} Theatrical director Elia Kazan and his lawyer H. William Fitelson were reportedly interested in buying the Henry Miller. Instead, that November, the Millers sold the theater to the Nederlanders for $500,000.{{Cite news|last=Zolotow|first=Sam|date=November 1, 1966|title=Miller Theater Brings $500,000; Producer's Wife Is Selling It to Detroit Chain|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/11/01/archives/miller-theater-brings-500000-producers-wife-is-selling-it-to.html|access-date=September 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915165008/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/11/01/archives/miller-theater-brings-500000-producers-wife-is-selling-it-to.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=November 19, 1966|title=Henry Miller Theater Sold For $500,000|pages=30|work=The Troy Record|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85456776/henry-miller-theater-sold-for-500000/|access-date=September 16, 2021|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921195838/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85456776/henry-miller-theater-sold-for-500000/|url-status=live}} This was not the high offer that the Millers had received, but the buyers had promised to retain the "Henry Miller" name.{{cite news|last=Lyons|first=Leonard|date=November 8, 1966|title=The Lyons Den: Henry Miller Theater Sold|page=B4|work=The Sun|id={{ProQuest|537475037}}}} The marquee outside the theater was installed around this time. The off-off-Broadway venue Circle in the Square took a one-year lease on the Henry Miller in May 1968, to start that August.{{Cite news|last=Zolotow|first=Sam|date=May 23, 1968|title=Circle in Square Expands Uptown; Leases Henry Miller's for a Year as a 2d Stage|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/05/23/archives/circle-in-square-expands-uptown-leases-henry-millers-for-a-year-as.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916200526/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/05/23/archives/circle-in-square-expands-uptown-leases-henry-millers-for-a-year-as.html|url-status=live}} The theater became known as "Circle in the Square on Broadway" and was planned to show feature films.{{Cite news|last=Zolotow|first=Sam|date=August 12, 1968|title=Henry Miller's to Get New Name; Theater to Become Circle in the Square on Broadway|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/08/12/archives/henry-millers-to-get-new-name-theater-to-become-circle-in-the.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916232008/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/08/12/archives/henry-millers-to-get-new-name-theater-to-become-circle-in-the.html|url-status=live}} The Circle only ran two shows at the venue, both of which were flops.{{Cite news|last=Zolotow|first=Sam|date=February 19, 1969|title=Circle in Square Fails on Broadway|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/02/19/archives/circle-in-square-fails-on-broadway.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916232018/https://www.nytimes.com/1969/02/19/archives/circle-in-square-fails-on-broadway.html|url-status=live}}
The Nederlander Organization sold the Henry Miller in 1968 to Seymour Durst, who leased the theater back to the Nederlanders.{{Cite news|last=Zolotow|first=Sam|date=May 28, 1968|title=Clarence Derwent Awards Won By 2 Young Supporting Actors; Girl in 'Miss Jean Brodie' Chosen -- Other Winner in 'Summertree' Cast|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/05/28/archives/clarence-derwent-awards-won-by-2-young-supporting-actors-girl-in.html|access-date=September 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915165010/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/05/28/archives/clarence-derwent-awards-won-by-2-young-supporting-actors-girl-in.html|url-status=live}} Durst wanted to redevelop the entire city block but, over the following three decades, failed to carry out several proposals for the block.{{Cite news|last=Bagli|first=Charles V.|date=March 16, 1999|title=A Project 30 Years in the Making; Durst Tries to Revive Father's Dream, Decades Later|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/16/nyregion/project-30-years-making-durst-tries-revive-father-s-dream-decades-later.html|access-date=September 11, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911221036/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/16/nyregion/project-30-years-making-durst-tries-revive-father-s-dream-decades-later.html|url-status=live}} After the Circle's lease was terminated in January 1969, James M. Nederlander leased the theater to "movie exhibitor" Maurice Maurer. The production But, Seriously, which ran for three days the following month, was the last multi-day production at the theater for nearly three decades.{{Cite news|last=Kuchwara|first=Michael|date=March 15, 1998|title=For Old Theater, Life Is a Cabaret|pages=170|work=The Record|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85457227/for-old-theater-life-is-a/|access-date=September 16, 2021|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921195846/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85457227/for-old-theater-life-is-a/|url-status=live}} The theater was renamed the Park-Miller and began showing "feature films" in 1970.{{cite book|last=Botto|first=Louis|url=https://archive.org/details/atthistheatre10000bott |title=At This Theatre|publisher=Applause|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4768-5028-3|series=Applause Books|page=936|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916235918/https://books.google.com/books?id=qM-GDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT936|url-status=live}} According to theatrical historian Ken Bloom, the Park-Miller aired male pornographic films.{{cite book|last=Bloom|first=Ken|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TxdQGX7pDsEC&pg=PA236|title=Broadway: An Encyclopedia|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2013|isbn=978-1-135-95019-4|page=236|ref=none|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921195840/https://books.google.com/books?id=TxdQGX7pDsEC&pg=PA236|url-status=live}} Two years later, the theater was leased to the Avon chain of theaters, becoming Avon-on-the Hudson. Through 1977, the theater was still showing porn films.{{Cite news|date=July 10, 1977|title=4 Groups Are Key Landlords For Midtown Sex Industry|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/10/archives/4-groups-are-key-landlords-for-midtown-sex-industry-rent-double-the.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916235920/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/10/archives/4-groups-are-key-landlords-for-midtown-sex-industry-rent-double-the.html|url-status=live}} The Durst Organization retook operation of the theater later that year and renovated it.{{Cite news|date=November 28, 1977|title=Henry Miller's Theater Is Being Refurbished|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/28/archives/henry-millers-theater-is-being-refurbished.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916235918/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/28/archives/henry-millers-theater-is-being-refurbished.html|url-status=live}}
In June 1978, the old Henry Miller's Theatre reopened as a discotheque called Xenon.{{Cite news|last=Klemesrud|first=Judy|date=June 9, 1978|title=Discotheque Fanatics Mob Latest Addition to Scene|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/09/archives/discotheque-fanatics-mob-latest-addition-to-scene-rating-the-discos.html|access-date=September 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917175459/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/09/archives/discotheque-fanatics-mob-latest-addition-to-scene-rating-the-discos.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Schreiber|first=Abby|date=November 13, 2015|title=Amazing Photos from Studio 54, Xenon, the Mudd Club and More '70s NYC Nightlife Haunts|url=https://www.papermag.com/bill-bernstein-studio-54-xenon-1453095018.html|access-date=September 17, 2021|website=Paper|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917173430/https://www.papermag.com/bill-bernstein-studio-54-xenon-1453095018.html|url-status=live}} The disco was outfitted with a descending neon panel on the ceiling. Xenon hosted one play, The Ritz, which had exactly one performance on May 2, 1983. Xenon operated until either 1983{{Cite news|last=Troup|first=Stuart|date=February 26, 1986|title=Making a fantasy of the '50s|pages=99|work=Newsday|issn=2574-5298|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85483158/making-a-fantasy-of-the-50sstuart/|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921174741/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85483158/making-a-fantasy-of-the-50sstuart/|url-status=live}} or 1984. The old theater reopened as the nightclub Shout in August 1985.{{cite news|last=Prince|first=Dinah|date=August 3, 1985|title=Shout! Is New York's New Nostalgia Club|page=D3|work=The Hartford Courant|issn=1047-4153|id={{ProQuest|758749768}}}} The nightclub featured music from the 1950s and 60s, and the auditorium had decorations including a full-sized Cadillac projecting from the wall of the stage. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started considering protecting the Henry Miller as an official city landmark in 1982,{{Cite news|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=1982-10-20|title=Landmark Status Sought for Theaters|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/20/nyregion/landmark-status-sought-for-theaters.html|access-date=2021-10-29|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029222429/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/20/nyregion/landmark-status-sought-for-theaters.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Chadwick|first=Bruce|date=June 3, 1982|title=Theaters turned discos may be landmarks|pages=126|work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85482731/theaters-turned-discos-may-be/|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917152849/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85482731/theaters-turned-discos-may-be/|url-status=live}} with discussions continuing over the next several years.{{Cite news|last=Shepard|first=Joan|date=August 28, 1985|title=Is the final curtain near?|pages=462, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85456671/broadway/ 464]|work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85456704|access-date=September 16, 2021|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921174705/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85456704/is-the-final-curtain-near/|url-status=live}} The LPC designated the Henry Miller's exterior as a city landmark on December 8, 1987,{{Cite news|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=December 14, 1987|title=7 Theaters Become Landmarks; Owners Plan Appeal|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/14/nyregion/7-theaters-become-landmarks-owners-plan-appeal.html|access-date=September 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917175503/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/14/nyregion/7-theaters-become-landmarks-owners-plan-appeal.html|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|date=Dec 16, 1987|title=Legitimate: N.Y.C. Landmarks 7; Owners Don't Like It|volume=329|issue=8|pages=85|id={{ProQuest|1438478876}}|magazine=Variety}} though the interior was merely "tabled" for later consideration. This was part of the LPC's wide-ranging effort in 1987 to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters.{{Cite news|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=1987-11-22|title=The Region; The City Casts Its Theaters In Stone|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/22/weekinreview/the-region-the-city-casts-its-theaters-in-stone.html|access-date=2021-10-29|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016164623/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/22/weekinreview/the-region-the-city-casts-its-theaters-in-stone.html|url-status=live}} The New York City Board of Estimate ratified the designations in March 1988.{{Cite news|last=Purdum|first=Todd S.|date=1988-03-12|title=28 Theaters Are Approved as Landmarks|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/12/nyregion/28-theaters-are-approved-as-landmarks.html|access-date=2021-11-20|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030050107/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/12/nyregion/28-theaters-are-approved-as-landmarks.html|url-status=live}}
== 1990s and 2000s ==
The Shout nightclub had closed by September 1991, when the theater reopened as the City nightclub.{{Cite news|date=September 26, 1991|title=Trump's not purring over Alley Cat|pages=588|work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85483723/trumps-not-purring-over-alley-cat/|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917152848/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85483723/trumps-not-purring-over-alley-cat/|url-status=live}} The nightclub was shuttered before 1994; that March, the old theater was described as being boarded up.{{cite news|last=Flaim|first=Denise|date=March 25, 1994|title=Seventies Fever Those Too Young to Remember the Decade Are Content to Repeat It|page=B04|work=Newsday|issn=2574-5298|id={{ProQuest|278736189}}}} In September 1994, it was announced that the nightclub Club Expo would open in the old Henry Miller. The space was decorated with elements, such as monorails and holograms, based on a futuristic conception from the 1939 New York World's Fair.{{Cite news|date=September 30, 1994|title=Angry Jaye plays camera-shying game|pages=26|work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85484259/angry-jaye-plays-camera-shying-game/|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917205400/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85484259/angry-jaye-plays-camera-shying-game/|url-status=live}}
Club Expo was renovated in late 1997{{Cite news|last=Lyman|first=Rick|date=November 13, 1997|title='Cabaret' Revival to Be Staged in Real Nightclub|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/13/nyregion/cabaret-revival-to-be-staged-in-real-nightclub.html|access-date=September 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206171028/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/13/nyregion/cabaret-revival-to-be-staged-in-real-nightclub.html|url-status=live}} and reopened the following March as the Kit Kat Club, a "club within a club" concept.{{Cite news|last=Riedel|first=Michael|date=March 11, 1998|title=The Risqué Business of 'Cabaret'|pages=147, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85485201/cabaret/ 148]|work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85485182/the-risqu-business-of/|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921174716/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85485182/the-risqu-business-of/|url-status=live}} Named after the Berlin nightclub in the 1966 musical Cabaret, the Kit Kat Club housed Roundabout Theatre Company's popular revival of the musical. After hours, the location served as a popular nightclub with burlesque entertainment and dancing. In July 1998, a nearby construction accident temporarily closed the building, forcing Roundabout to relocate to Studio 54 to finish their production.{{Cite news|last=Greenhouse|first=Steven|date=July 22, 1998|title=Construction Collapse in Times Square: the Accident; Scaffold Collapses, Paralyzing Times Square|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/22/nyregion/construction-collapse-times-square-accident-scaffold-collapses-paralyzing-times.html|access-date=September 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915165004/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/22/nyregion/construction-collapse-times-square-accident-scaffold-collapses-paralyzing-times.html|url-status=live}} That November, the production permanently moved to Studio 54.{{Cite news|last=McKinley|first=Jesse|date=September 25, 1998|title=On Stage and Off; Swinging Again At Studio 54|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/25/movies/on-stage-and-off-swinging-again-at-studio-54.html|access-date=September 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917152849/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/25/movies/on-stage-and-off-swinging-again-at-studio-54.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=October 1, 1998|title=Star Power|pages=105|work=Newsday|issn=2574-5298|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85484102/star-power/|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917152849/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85484102/star-power/|url-status=live}} Douglas Durst of the Durst Organization had wanted to use the Henry Miller as a theater again.{{cite magazine |last=McBride |first=Murdoch |date=1 Apr 1999 |title="T.O.B.A." aims for Tony |magazine=Back Stage |volume=40 |issue=13 |pages=1 |id={{ProQuest|221129460}}}} The Kit Kat Klub's operators sued Durst and Roundabout in November 1998, claiming that Roundabout had committed breach of contract by moving to Studio 54.{{cite magazine |last=McBride |first=Murdoch |date=26 Nov 1998 |title=Kit Kat "Klubs" Roundabout, Durst |magazine=Back Stage |volume=39 |issue=47 |pages=3 |id={{ProQuest|221062407}}}}{{cite news |last1=O'Haire |first1=Patricia |last2=Roura |first2=Phil |date=19 Nov 1998 |title=News Beat |page=48 |work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251 |id={{ProQuest|313694129}}}} At the end of the month, Durst terminated the club's lease.
The show Rolling on the TOBA opened at the Kit Kat Klub in March 1999.{{Cite news |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=1999-03-20 |title=Show Goes On Despite Landlord-Tenant Feud |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/20/nyregion/show-goes-on-despite-landlord-tenant-feud.html |access-date=2022-09-17 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920172237/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/20/nyregion/show-goes-on-despite-landlord-tenant-feud.html |url-status=live }} Its opening was delayed by ongoing eviction proceedings against the Kit Kat Klub, as Durst claimed that the club was violating its lease by booking TOBA without his permission.{{Cite news |last=Rohde |first=David |date=1999-03-18 |title=A Landlord-Tenant Dispute Blocks an Acclaimed Play |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/18/nyregion/a-landlord-tenant-dispute-blocks-an-acclaimed-play.html |access-date=2022-09-17 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171538/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/18/nyregion/a-landlord-tenant-dispute-blocks-an-acclaimed-play.html |url-status=live }} TOBA relocated to the Vivian Beaumont Theater the next month after the Tony Awards administration committee ruled that shows at the venue were not eligible for the Tony Awards.{{Cite news |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=1999-04-05 |title=Stalking Tony Award, A Revue Is Moving |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/05/theater/stalking-tony-award-a-revue-is-moving.html |access-date=2022-09-17 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920183937/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/05/theater/stalking-tony-award-a-revue-is-moving.html |url-status=live }} After a protracted legal dispute, the New York Supreme Court ordered that the Kit Kat Klub vacate the theater in August 1999.{{cite magazine |date=5 Aug 1999 |title=Kit Kat Klub to klose |magazine=Back Stage |volume=40 |issue=31 |pages=2 |id={{ProQuest|221125095}}}} The Henry Miller continued to operate as a nightclub and a venue for private parties until it closed in April 2000. Before its closure, the club had seen several crimes,{{Cite news |last=Kirby |first=David |date=April 16, 2000 |title=Neighborhood Report: Times Square; It's Closing Time for a Club and Its Unsavory Reputation |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/16/nyregion/neighborhood-report-times-square-it-s-closing-time-for-club-its-unsavory.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915165010/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/16/nyregion/neighborhood-report-times-square-it-s-closing-time-for-club-its-unsavory.html |archive-date=September 15, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}} including a December 1999 incident in which rapper Jay-Z stabbed a promoter.{{cite news |last1=Ross |first1=Barbara |last2=Singleton |first2=Don |date=4 Dec 1999 |title=Rapper Out on 50G Bail |page=3 |work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251 |id={{ProQuest|313731309}}}}
By December 2000, The New York Times described the Henry Miller as being dilapidated, with dangling wires in the ceiling and a "carpet is so grubby that patrons are allowed to drink their Weissbier in the theater".{{Cite news|last1=Dewan|first1=Shaila K.|last2=Blair|first2=Jayson|date=December 26, 2000|title=PUBLIC LIVES|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/26/nyregion/public-lives.html|access-date=September 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917152844/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/26/nyregion/public-lives.html|url-status=live}} Around that time, the theater was rechristened the Henry Miller and was renovated with 640 seats and a new air-conditioning system.{{Cite news|last=McKinley|first=Jesse|date=September 2, 2001|title=Theater; Fitting a Little Show Into a Big House|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/02/theater/theater-fitting-a-little-show-into-a-big-house.html|access-date=September 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505185213/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/02/theater/theater-fitting-a-little-show-into-a-big-house.html|url-status=live}} After multiple delays, including a delay caused by the September 11 attacks, Urinetown opened in September 2001,{{Cite news|last=Kuchwara|first=Michael|date=September 21, 2001|title=Broadway rallies around struggling shows|pages=19|work=The Ithaca Journal|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85485313/broadway-rallies-around-struggling/|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921174704/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85485313/broadway-rallies-around-struggling/|url-status=live}} running for two years. By late 2003, Durst was planning to develop a new skyscraper on the site in conjunction with Bank of America. Durst notified the theater's operators that the Henry Miller's would have to be closed and demolished to make way for the construction of the 55-story Bank of America Tower.{{Cite news|last=Weber|first=Bruce|date=October 29, 2003|title=A Theater Closing, A Hit Show In the Cold|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/theater/a-theater-closing-a-hit-show-in-the-cold.html|access-date=September 12, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912152529/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/theater/a-theater-closing-a-hit-show-in-the-cold.html|url-status=live}} The original theater closed in January 2004.{{Cite news |last=Simonson |first=Robert |date=January 11, 2004 |title=Theater; Broadway Gives Its Regards To Itself |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/11/theater/theater-broadway-gives-its-regards-to-itself.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913165048/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/11/theater/theater-broadway-gives-its-regards-to-itself.html |archive-date=September 13, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}
=Current theater=
Because of the theater's landmark status, Durst and Bank of America had to avoid damaging the facade under threat of financial penalty. In addition, the new theater had to be placed underground because it could not rise higher than the height of the old facade. The landmark facade was temporarily attached to a three-story steel support frame when the tower was built.{{Cite news |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=December 19, 2004 |title=The Theater Without a Stage |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/theater/newsandfeatures/the-theater-without-a-stage.html |access-date=September 13, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913165044/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/theater/newsandfeatures/the-theater-without-a-stage.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |date=June 18, 2008 |title=CurbedWire: Henry Miller Theater Facade is Back, City Celebrates First Willets Point Deal |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2008/6/18/10567558/curbedwire-henry-miller-theater-facade-is-back-city-celebrates-first |access-date=September 13, 2021 |website=Curbed NY |archive-date=September 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913011143/https://ny.curbed.com/2008/6/18/10567558/curbedwire-henry-miller-theater-facade-is-back-city-celebrates-first |url-status=live}} By late 2004, the frame had been constructed. The theater's interior was demolished using manual tools, and the contractors installed sensors to detect any vibrations on the facade. Some of the old auditorium's seats became part of a Pennsylvania bowling alley.
Roundabout announced in 2007 that it would operate the theater, which would become its third Broadway venue.{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=Campbell |date=May 10, 2007 |title=Roundabout to Fill a Brand-New 89-Year-Old Theater |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/theater/10roun.html |access-date=September 16, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915195549/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/theater/10roun.html |url-status=live}} By the middle of the following year, the scaffolding over the facade was being dismantled.{{cite web |date=June 18, 2008 |title=CurbedWire: Henry Miller Theater Facade is Back, City Celebrates First Willets Point Deal |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2008/6/18/10567558/curbedwire-henry-miller-theater-facade-is-back-city-celebrates-first |access-date=September 13, 2021 |website=Curbed NY |archive-date=September 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913011143/https://ny.curbed.com/2008/6/18/10567558/curbedwire-henry-miller-theater-facade-is-back-city-celebrates-first |url-status=live}} In May 2009, Roundabout announced that Henry Miller's Theatre would reopen that September with a revival production of the musical Bye Bye Birdie.{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |date=May 3, 2009 |title=Broadway's Newest Theatre, Henry Miller's, Will Open in September With Bye Bye Birdie |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/broadways-newest-theatre-henry-millers-will-open-in-september-with-bye-bye-birdie-com-160546 |access-date=September 15, 2021 |website=Playbill |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917160442/https://www.playbill.com/article/broadways-newest-theatre-henry-millers-will-open-in-september-with-bye-bye-birdie-com-160546 |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Healy |first=Patrick |date=May 3, 2009 |title=White Way Gets a 'Green' Theater |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/theater/04Green.html |access-date=September 15, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912152530/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/theater/04Green.html |url-status=live}} The theater reopened with a preview performance of Bye Bye Birdie on September 10, 2009; the production ran for three months. The other major production to run at the new Henry Miller's Theatre prior to its renaming was All About Me, featuring Dame Edna and Michael Feinstein; it played a limited engagement in early 2010.{{cite book |last=Denny |first=Scott |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yKoCxMfaEAUC&pg=PA36 |title=Theatre World 2009-2010 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4234-9271-9 |pages=36, 60 |access-date= |archive-date=September 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915165004/https://books.google.com/books?id=yKoCxMfaEAUC&pg=PA36 |url-status=live}}
File:& Juliet set on Broadway in Manhattan in July 2023.jpg at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in July 2023]]
On March 22, 2010, the 80th birthday of American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, Roundabout announced that Henry Miller's Theatre would be renamed in Sondheim's honor.{{Cite web |last=Healy |first=Patrick |date=March 22, 2010 |title=One More Birthday Gift for Sondheim: A Broadway Theater |url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/one-more-birthday-gift-for-sondheim-a-broadway-theater/ |access-date=September 15, 2021 |website=ArtsBeat |language=en-US |archive-date=September 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915170507/https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/one-more-birthday-gift-for-sondheim-a-broadway-theater/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |date=March 22, 2010 |title=Roundabout to Rename Henry Miller's Theatre the Stephen Sondheim Theatre |url=https://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/roundabout-to-rename-henry-millers-theatre-the-ste_25973.html |access-date=September 15, 2021 |website=TheaterMania |archive-date=September 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915165005/https://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/roundabout-to-rename-henry-millers-theatre-the-ste_25973.html |url-status=live}} The official unveiling and lighting of the marquee of the new Stephen Sondheim Theatre took place in a ceremony on September 15, 2010.{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |date=September 15, 2010 |title=His Name in Lights: Stephen Sondheim Helps Unveil Broadway Theatre in His Name |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/his-name-in-lights-stephen-sondheim-helps-unveil-broadway-theatre-in-his-name-com-171801 |access-date=September 14, 2021 |website=Playbill |archive-date=January 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123214248/https://www.playbill.com/article/his-name-in-lights-stephen-sondheim-helps-unveil-broadway-theatre-in-his-name-com-171801 |url-status=live}} The first production at the newly renamed theater was The Pee-wee Herman Show, which played a limited ten-week engagement.{{cite news |title=Pee Wee Herman Show Will Celebrate the Holidays on Broadway, Run Extended |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/pee-wee-herman-show-will-celebrate-the-holidays-on-broadway-run-extended-com-171039 |journal=Playbill |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |date=August 19, 2010 |access-date=May 16, 2018 |archive-date=May 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517152650/http://www.playbill.com/article/pee-wee-herman-show-will-celebrate-the-holidays-on-broadway-run-extended-com-171039 |url-status=live}} The Stephen Sondheim then hosted a revival of Anything Goes, which opened in 2011 and lasted for one year.{{Cite web |last1=Hetrick |first1=Adam |last2=Jones |first2=Kenneth |date=July 8, 2012 |title=Tony-Winning Revival of Anything Goes, With Stephanie J. Block and Joel Grey, Sails Into the Sunset July 8 |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/tony-winning-revival-of-anything-goes-with-stephanie-j-block-and-joel-grey-sails-into-the-sunset-july-8-com-195396 |access-date=July 26, 2021 |website=Playbill |archive-date=September 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921174706/https://www.playbill.com/article/tony-winning-revival-of-anything-goes-with-stephanie-j-block-and-joel-grey-sails-into-the-sunset-july-8-com-195396 |url-status=live}} The Trip to Bountiful then opened at the theater in 2013, followed by Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which ran from 2014 to 2019 The Stephen Sondheim also hosted Slava's Snowshow at the end of 2019. All Broadway theaters temporarily closed on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=2020-03-12 |title=Broadway, Symbol of New York Resilience, Shuts Down Amid Virus Threat |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/theater/coronavirus-broadway-shutdown.html |access-date=2021-09-17 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916114023/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/theater/coronavirus-broadway-shutdown.html |url-status=live}} The Stephen Sondheim reopened on October 21, 2021, with performances of Mrs. Doubtfire,{{cite web |title=Broadway Returns Continue With 'Jagged Little Pill,' 'Mrs. Doubtfire' |website=CBS New York |date=October 21, 2021 |url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/10/21/jagged-little-pill-mrs-doubtfire-musical-broadway-reopening/ |access-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027142011/https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/10/21/jagged-little-pill-mrs-doubtfire-musical-broadway-reopening/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Moynihan |first=Caitlin |title=Watch Rob McClure and the Cast of Mrs. Doubtfire Return to Broadway |website=Broadway.com |date=October 22, 2021 |url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/201471/watch-rob-mcclure-and-the-cast-of-mrs-doubtfire-return-to-broadway/ |access-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027142012/https://www.broadway.com/buzz/201471/watch-rob-mcclure-and-the-cast-of-mrs-doubtfire-return-to-broadway/ |url-status=live }} which ran until May 2022. The musical & Juliet then opened at the Stephen Sondheim in November 2022.{{cite web | last=Evans | first=Greg | title='& Juliet' Musical Heading To Broadway This Fall, With Book By 'Schitt's Creek' Writer David West Read & Music By Max Martin | website=Deadline | date=July 7, 2022 | url=https://deadline.com/2022/07/and-juliet-musical-broadway-fall-david-west-read-max-martin-1235059059/ | access-date=July 7, 2022 | archive-date=July 7, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707130401/https://deadline.com/2022/07/and-juliet-musical-broadway-fall-david-west-read-max-martin-1235059059/ | url-status=live }}
{{Cite news|last=Paulson|first=Michael|date=2022-07-07|title=What if Juliet Lived? A Pop Hitmaker's '& Juliet' Heads to Broadway.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/07/theater/and-juliet-broadway-max-martin.html|access-date=2022-07-07|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707152242/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/07/theater/and-juliet-broadway-max-martin.html|url-status=live}}
Notable productions
Productions are listed by the year of their first performance. This list only includes Broadway shows; it does not include films screened at the theater.{{cite web | author=The Broadway League | title=Stephen Sondheim Theatre – New York, NY | website=IBDB | date=November 17, 2022 | url=https://www.ibdb.com/theatre/1197 | access-date=January 3, 2023}}{{cite web | title=Stephen Sondheim Theatre (2010) New York, NY | website=Playbill | date=January 18, 2016 | url=https://www.playbill.com/venue/stephen-sondheim-theatre-vault-0000000184 | access-date=January 3, 2023 | archive-date=January 3, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103163314/https://www.playbill.com/venue/stephen-sondheim-theatre-vault-0000000184 | url-status=live }}
=Henry Miller's Theatre=
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=Stephen Sondheim Theatre=
Box office record
& Juliet set the theater's box-office record, grossing $1,639,788 over nine performances for the week ending January 1, 2023. Previously, the record had been held by Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which grossed $1,546,950 in 2014.{{cite web |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=January 4, 2023 |title=Broadway Box Office Surges Along With Holiday Ticket Prices; 'Funny Girl', 'Beetlejuice', 'Six' Among Shows Smashing House Records; 'Lion King' Takes $4.3M |url=https://deadline.com/2023/01/broadway-box-office-new-years-house-records-funny-girl-mj-piano-lesson-1235210443/ |access-date=January 8, 2023 |website=Deadline |archive-date=January 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108203725/https://deadline.com/2023/01/broadway-box-office-new-years-house-records-funny-girl-mj-piano-lesson-1235210443/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Huston |first=Caitlin |date=January 4, 2023 |title='The Lion King' Grosses $4.3M as Broadway Sees Holiday Rebound |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/lion-king-grosses-4-3m-as-broadway-sees-holiday-rebound-1235290473/ |access-date=September 19, 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118073701/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/lion-king-grosses-4-3m-as-broadway-sees-holiday-rebound-1235290473/ |url-status=live }}
See also
{{portal bar|Architecture|New York City|Theatre}}
References
=Notes=
{{notelist}}
=Citations=
{{Reflist}}
=Sources=
- {{cite book|last=Bloom|first=Ken|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DQqOAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA113|title=Routledge Guide to Broadway|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2013|isbn=978-1-135-87117-8}}
- {{cite magazine|last=Cornelius|first=Charles Over|date=Aug 1918|title=The Henry Miller Theatre, New York City|url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1918-08.pdf|journal=Architectural Record|volume=44|issue=2}}
- {{cite book | last=Henderson | first=Mary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BlpWAAAAMAAJ| title=The city and the theatre : the history of New York playhouses : a 250 year journey from Bowling Green to Times Square | publisher=Back Stage Books | publication-place=New York | year=2004 | isbn=978-0-8230-0637-3 | oclc=56059039 | pages=244–245|ref=none}}
- {{cite web|date=December 8, 1987|title=Henry Miller Theater|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1357.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1987}}}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Official website|https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/theatres-and-venues/stephen-sondheim-theatre/}}
- {{IBDB venue|1197}}
- [http://www.newyorkcitytheatre.com/theaters/stephen-sondheim-theatre/theater.php Stephen Sondheim Theatre] in the New York City Theater Guide
{{Broadway theatres}}
{{Times Square}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1918 establishments in New York (state)
Category:2009 establishments in New York (state)
Category:1910s architecture in the United States
Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan
Category:Theater District, Manhattan