Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2009 - 76

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reviews
and operated these theatres were no less colorful than their stars.
Over the years many became prominent 42nd Street figures,
among them Marcus lowe, William Morris, Henry b. Harris,
H.H. Frazee, Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., and Edgar and Archibald
Selwyn. In 1894 the Theatrical Syndicate was formed by Klaw
and Erlanger to regularize theatre production into a commercial product with shows certified by the New York critics. These
were then sold to managers across the country, and "the
road" was born. by 1900 the Shubert brothers had entered
the scene, rivaling the Syndicate with equally rapacious tactics. How New York productions were sent out across America
and how tightly this "product" was controlled by a few people
on a single city street is a startling reminder of the power of
monopoly. but despite hearty success, several of these entrepreneurs died in poverty.
The authors' list of talent who appeared on 42nd Street is
also daunting. For instance, stars as prominent as Weber and
Fields, Eddie Cantor, Gertrude lawrence, bea lillie, Anita loos,
Mae West, Noel Coward, W.C. Fields, Ethel Merman, Ray bolger,
Rudy vallee, bert lahr, Kate Smith, Sarah bernhardt, Ed Wynn,
bill, "bojangles" Robinson, all three barrymores-Ethel, John
and lionel-Sophie Tucker, the Marx brothers, and Fred and

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theatre

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2009

Adele Astair, suggest the wide range of talents that enticed eager
audiences. It is hard to appreciate how formidable their influence on theatre audiences was, especially as it continued into
movies through a series of "backstage" dramas and musicals.
Interior design for these twelve different places is described in detail, while historic photographs suggest the opulence of their various rooms. Although all were proscenium
theatres, the arrangement of boxes and balconies, enclosure
geometries, and decorative detail show surprising variety. The
intimacy of these rooms, designed before the fan shaped plans
of movie palaces changed theatre architecture's basic auditorium configuration, is obvious. All brought audiences and performers together with uncommon intimacy and high style.
The book shows how productions changed from comedies
to dramas, comic operas or operettas. built as they were before
air conditioning, it was unusual for shows to last more than a
season, but they could move from theatre to theatre, depending upon their success and the capacity of each playhouse. The
fast paced atmosphere of productions in the 1920s not only
generated the need for new theatres, it produced a competitive
marketplace of unparalleled richness.

Each building a story
Each building contains a remarkable story. A positive example is
The Theatre Republic, now The New victory, built in 1900. Successful reconstruction of this building to house performances
for young audiences was led by Cora Cahan, president of The
New 42nd Street, Inc, since 1990. Its commitment to creation
of a not-for-profit institution led to the disney Corporation's
glorious restoration of The New Amsterdam across the street,
and the street's reconstruction followed disney's lead. The New
victory represents a rich chronology of diverse activities, both
in its auditorium and up on the roof where Oscar Hammerstein kept a miniature farm with "a real cow, a milkmaid and
vegetables growing in neat rows." In 1902 david belasco renovated the theatre, expanded the stage, installed improved stage
lighting, and changed the decoration. The resulting auditorium
played host to his play The Girl of the Golden West, the inspiration for Puccini's opera. A.H. Woods then leased the place in
1914 to successfully present "a series of bedroom farces and
melodramas."
In 1922 Anne Nichols produced her play Abie's Irish
Rose, a comedy that lasted for five years, making Nichols a
millionaire. Oliver bailey followed with a 367-performance
run of dorothy and dubose Heyward's Porgy, the Theater
Guild's production which had opened at the Guild Theatre
in October 1927. That play was subsequently transformed by
George and Ira Gershwin into Porgy and Bess. Then the Minsky brothers took over in 1931 and instituted a two-showsa-day policy (tickets, $1.00 and $1.50) No other New York

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