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Helen Hayes Theatre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Helen Hayes Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 240 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan.
Designed by the architect firm of Ingalls & Hoffman and built by Winthrop Ames, it opened as the Little Theatre (so named due to its seating capacity of only 300) on March 12, 1912 with the John Galsworthy play The Pigeon. In the 1920s, Herbert J. Krapp redesigned it to increase seating capacity to 590 and improve the acoustics.
In 1931, the building was sold to the New York Times and converted into a conference hall renamed New York Times Hall. It was reconverted into a legitimate theatre in 1959, once again as the Little Theatre. During this time, ABCTelevision broadcast the daytime hit "Who Do You Trust" with Johnny Carson from the theatre. It was briefly renamed the Winthrop Ames Theatre in 1964. From 1965 through 1983 it was again the Little Theatre. During the first half of that period, Westinghouse Broadcasting taped the popular, syndicated Merv Griffin Show at the theatre. It was one of the first TV talk shows to be shown only in syndication.
The theatre was finally renamed in 1983 when the renowned actress's existing namesake theatre located on West 46th Street was demolished, along with the Morosco Theatre and the Bijou Theatre, in order to construct the Marriott Marquis Hotel. Hayes, known as the "First Lady of the American Theater," was still living at the time, and because of the unusual and embarrassing nature of her having outlived her monument, it was decided to rechristen the Little Theatre in her honor.
When not being used as a theatrical venue, the building has been leased to CBS Radio, ABC Television, and the Westinghouse Corporation.
- 1964: The Subject Was Roses
- 1977: A Party with Betty Comden & Adolph Green; Gemini
- 1982: Torch Song Trilogy
- 1986: Mummenschanz: The New Show
- 1988: Romance/Romance
- 1989: Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Dress Casual
- 1990: Prelude to a Kiss
- 1993: Shakespeare For My Father
- 1997: The Last Night of Ballyhoo
- 1999: Epic Proportions
- 2000: Dirty Blonde
- 2001: By Jeeves
- 2002: Say Goodnight, Gracie
- 2003: Golda's Balcony
- 2005: Jackie Mason: Freshly Squeezed
- 2006: Kiki & Herb: Alive on Broadway
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