The Minskoff was designed byKahn and Jacobs, who designed One Astor Plaza. It was one of the first theaters constructed under the Special Theater District amendment of 1967. The theater's main entrances are from a passageway connecting 44th and 45th Streets, in the middle of acity block betweenBroadway to the east andEighth Avenue to the west. There are escalators leading from the ground floor to the lobby, where further escalators lead to the auditorium. One Astor Plaza's eastern section is directly above the theater and has to be supported entirely by the theater's roof.
One Astor Plaza was initially proposed in 1967 without any theaters. The Minskoff Theatre was added during the planning process; in exchange, One Astor Plaza's developers were allowed to erect a taller building with additional floor area. The first major production at the Minskoff,Irene, was followed by a series of short-lived productions in the 1970s. The theater subsequently hosted long runs such asWest Side Story,The Pirates of Penzance,Black and Blue, andSunset Boulevard in the 1980s and 1990s. Though many of the Minskoff's early productions were unprofitable, since 2006 it has housed the musicalThe Lion King, which became the highest-grossing Broadway musical ever in 2014.
The theater is accessed from a covered arcade under the center of One Astor Plaza,[7][8] which connects 44th and 45th Streets.[9][10] The escalators from the arcade lead to the third-floor grand foyer, which has a glass wall overlooking Times Square. Additional escalators lead from here to the seating areas. The grand foyer has bars and coat checks.[11] The glass-walled lobby has also been used for weddings but, according to a 1977 feature in theNew York Daily News, weddings were not allowed during performances of shows.[12]
The Minskoff Theatre has approximately 1,710 seats across two levels:[13] a steeplyraked orchestra level at the third story and a smaller mezzanine above.[14] When the theater opened in 1973, approximately 1,000 seats were placed on the orchestra level, while 640 were placed on the mezzanine.[5] Unlike other Broadway houses, the theater used acontinental seating layout, with no middle aisle.[5][14] Consequently, rows can have up to 52 seats between egresses. The Minskoff was the first fully wheelchair-accessible Broadway theater in New York City.[14]
The ceiling of the auditorium contains crystal-basket light fixtures and is divided in two sections by a lighting grid. The mezzanine level has narrow protrusions on the side walls instead ofbox seats. Theproscenium arch is designed with mesh panels that can be removed. The stage containstraps at several locations, and thefly system above the stage is placed on the upstage wall, rather than on the sides.[5] Unlike older theaters in New York City, the Minskoff and Gershwin theaters were subject to less stringent building codes. For example, the Minskoff was designed without fire curtains, since the city had allowed sprinkler systems to be installed in both theaters.[15]
One Astor Plaza's eastern section is directly above the theater and has to be supported entirely by the theater's roof. The steel was provided byBethlehem Steel; its supervising engineer Thomas Connolly said One Astor Plaza's superstructure "would have been a snap from an engineering point of view", but the theater's presence made "a humdinger of an engineering feat".[16][17] The theater roof consists of aVierendeel truss that rests on twogirders, one weighing 89 short tons (79 long tons; 81 t) and the other weighing 109 short tons (97 long tons; 99 t). These girders were the heaviest in any building at the time, and they had to be delivered in several pieces from the factory, itself an intricate operation.[16] According to Mielziner, the large trusses above the Minskoff's roof provided "a clear example of what expense a builder is willing to go to get that extra rentable space".[3]
Sam Minskoff & Sons had hired Kahn and Jacobs to design One Astor Plaza in 1967,[18][17] having acquired the site the previous year.[19] At the time, city officials were encouraging the westward expansion of office towers in Manhattan. There were few efforts to preserve existing Broadway theaters, since theatrical experts believed the existing theaters (all built before World War II) were functionally obsolete.[17][20] Consequently, the plans for One Astor Plaza initially did not include a theater.[16][17] The Minskoffs had applied forzoning amendments for their new tower, and a member of theNew York City Planning Commission (CPC) notified the Urban Design Group (UDG) about the application. This brought the attention of New York City mayorJohn Lindsay, a fan of Broadway theater. The UDG proposed that One Astor Plaza include a theater, a suggestion that the Minskoffs initially opposed. However, the Minskoffs ultimately relented after appealing to CPC chairmanDonald H. Elliott, then to mayor Lindsay.[17]
In October 1967, the CPC proposed the Special Theater District Zoning Amendment, which gave zoning bonuses to office-building developers who included theaters.[21][22][23] The proposed legislation would directly allow theaters in One Astor Plaza and theUris Building,[24][25] which would be the first completely new Broadway theaters since theMark Hellinger Theatre was completed in 1930.[26][27][b] The CPC approved the theater amendment that November,[6][24][29] and theNew York City Board of Estimate gave final approval to the proposal the next month.[30][31] As planning progressed, members of the Broadway-theatre industry expressed concerns that theatrical experts had not been consulted in the design of One Astor Plaza's theater.[32] In March 1968, the CPC scheduled a public hearing to determine whether the Astor and Uris theater permits should be approved, including a second theater in the Uris Building.[31] Six parties testified in favor;the Shubert Organization, the largest operator of Broadway theaters, was the only dissenting speaker.[33] The CPC approved the theater over the Shuberts' objections,[27][34] as did the Board of Estimate.[35] Albert W. Selden had tentatively agreed to lease the Broadway theater in One Astor Plaza.[28][36]
Mayor Lindsay attended thegroundbreaking ceremony for One Astor Plaza on October 10, 1968.[37][38] The inclusion of the Broadway theater, and the complex engineering involved in the project, delayed the building's construction. Although Minskoff & Sons president Jerome Minskoff had agreed to the theater as "our way of paying the city back", he said this had increased costs by up to 30 percent, from $55 to $70 million.[16][39] Furthermore, Selden insisted that a modern technical system be installed in the new theater, which would add $400,000 to the cost.[40] By 1971, though the theater was almost complete, it was still not officially named.[41] The next August, the theater's first production was announced: a revival of the comedyIrene.[42][43] The developers informed Broadway producers that any production in the theater would need $21,000 a week to break even.[44]
Theatrical historianKen Bloom described most of the Minskoff's earliest productions as "a series of concerts, ballets, and flop musicals".[45] The theater hosted several previews ofIrene in early 1973 prior to the venue's official opening.[46] The Minskoff officially opened with that musical on March 13, 1973.[47][48] Within five months, several dancers reported being injured when they fell on the stage, andActors' Equity threatened to prohibit its dancers from performing there,[49] prompting the theater's operators to make improvements to the stage.[50]Irene lost money despite its popularity with audiences,[51][52] and it ultimately closed in September 1974 with 605 performances.[46][52] It was followed by two concerts in late 1974:[53]Charles Aznavour in a solo concert,[54][55] as well asTony Bennett andLena Horne performing together.[56][57]
Henry Fonda's solo showClarence Darrow arrived in March 1975,[58][59] followed byBette Midler'sClams on the Half Shell Revue that April[60][61] andPearl Bailey andBilly Daniels's production ofHello, Dolly! in November.[62][63] The Minskoff hosted the rock musicalRockabye Hamlet, which flopped with seven performances in February 1976.[64][65] TheDutch National Ballet made its United States debut at the Minskoff in November 1976,[66][67] and the Chinese Acrobats of Taiwan performed the same month.[68][69] TheMerce Cunningham Dance Company had a brief engagement in January 1977,[70][71] and the Minskoff hosted the final performances of the long-running musicalPippin, which transferred from theImperial, later that year.[72][73] Further live appearances includedCleo Laine's concertCleoon Broadway in October 1977;[74][75] the laser-light showStar Wars Concert Live in December 1977;[53][76] and the Murray Louis Dance Company withRudolf Nureyev in April 1978.[77][78]
Two short-lived musicals appeared at the Minskoff in 1978:[53]Peter Udell andGary Geld'sAngel, with five performances,[79][80] andJacob Brackman andPeter Link'sKing of Hearts, with 48 performances.[81][82] That December, the theater hosted a short run of the ice-skating showIce Dancing.[83][84]Béjart Ballet performed at the Minskoff for three weeks in March 1979,[85][86] and the musicalGot Tu Go Disco ran for eight performances that June.[87][88] The Minskoff staged further live performances in late 1979,[83] including appearances fromShirley Bassey in September,[89][90]Engelbert in November,[91][92] and the Chinese Acrobats & Magicians of Taiwan in December.[93][94] At the time, because no hits had opened at the Minskoff Theatre afterIrene closed, the Minskoff family was negotiating to have the Nederlander Organization take over the theater.[95] Ultimately, in November 1979, Jerome Minskoff andJames M. Nederlander agreed to jointly operate the theater.[96]
The Minskoff's first production of the 21st century wasThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which opened in April 2001[163][164] and failed after 21 performances.[165][166] The empty theater was used for a tribute to the late composerLee Strasberg in February 2002.[167] The Minskoff did not have another production until December 2002, when the musicalDance of the Vampires opened.[168][169] The show lost its entire $12 million investment, making it one of the most expensive flops in Broadway history,[170] and closed after 56 performances.[170][171] The Minskoff again stood empty until February 2004, when the musicalFiddler on the Roof was revived;[172][173] it ran for 781 performances.[174] By then, some figures in the theatrical industry had begun to believe that the Minskoff was an unlucky theater, as it had rarely hosted a profitable show. Several of the longer-lasting shows, such asIrene andSunset Boulevard, had closed at a loss.[175]
As part of a settlement with theUnited States Department of Justice in 2014, the Nederlanders agreed to improve disabled access at their nine Broadway theaters, including the Minskoff.[188][189] Subsequently, the Nederlanders added restroom stalls in 2017; the renovation took place whenThe Lion King was running.[190]The Lion King achieved the box office record for a show at the Minskoff Theatre, grossing $3,696,977 over twelve performances for the week ending January 2, 2019.[191] The theaterclosed on March 12, 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[192] It reopened on September 14, 2021, with performances ofThe Lion King.[193][194] The pandemic had also forced the cancellation of two Jimmy Awards ceremonies at the theater: the 2020 edition, which was scrapped entirely, and the 2021 edition, which was hosted online.[195]
^abThis capacity is approximate and may vary depending on the show.
^The Hellinger was initially a movie theater and did not become a Broadway venue until 1949. TheLunt-Fontanne Theatre andPalace Theatre were converted from movies to Broadway theaters afterward, but both theater buildings are physically older than the Hellinger.[26] The last venue to be built as a Broadway theater, operating continuously in that capacity, was theEthel Barrymore Theatre, completed in 1928.[28]
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