This article is about the theater at 252 West 45th Street, originally the Theatre Masque. For the theater at 242 West 45th Street, originally the Royale Theatre, seeBernard B. Jacobs Theatre.
John Golden Theatre
Theatre Masque
Address
252 West 45th Street Manhattan, New York United States
The facade is designed in a Spanish style with golden brick,terracotta, and stone. The ground floor, which contains the theater's entrance, is clad inrusticated blocks ofterracotta above a granitewater table. Above are a set of three double-height arches, as well as two terracotta plaques. The facade is topped by aloggia. The auditorium contains Spanish-style detailing, a large balcony, and a rib-arched ceiling. Due to the theater's small size, it lacksbox seats. The balcony,proscenium arch, and exit arches are ornately decorated, with geometric panels and twistingcolonettes.
The Golden,Majestic, andBernard B. Jacobs theaters, along with theLincoln Hotel, were all developed by Chanin and designed by Krapp as part of a theater/hotel complex. The Masque opened on February 24, 1927, and was the second of the three theaters to open. TheShubert family took over the Masque in 1930 but subsequently went intoreceivership, and producerJohn Golden leased the theater in 1936. Golden renamed the theater after himself in 1937, and the Shuberts regained full control in 1945. The Golden has mostly remained in legitimate use since then, except from 1946 to 1948, when it was used as a cinema. Over the years, the Golden has largely been used for productions with small casts, as well asrevues.
The Golden is part of the largest concentration of Broadway theaters on a single block.[5] The adjoining block of 45th Street is also known asGeorge Abbott Way,[6] and foot traffic on the street increases box-office totals for the theaters there.[7] The Majestic, Masque (Golden), and Royale (Bernard B. Jacobs) theaters and the Lincoln Hotel (Row NYC Hotel) had all been developed concurrently.[8] The site of all four buildings had previously occupied by twenty brownstone residences.[9] The site was part of theAstor family estate from 1803[10] to 1922, when it was sold to Henry Claman.[11][12] The plots collectively measured 200 feet (61 m) wide along Eighth Avenue, 240 feet (73 m) along 44th Street, and 250 feet (76 m) along 45th Street.[12][13]
The John Golden Theatre, originally the Theatre Masque, was designed byHerbert J. Krapp in the Spanish style and was constructed from 1926 to 1927 for the Chanin brothers.[3][14][15] The theater is named after producerJohn Golden (1874–1955).[16] It was part of an entertainment complex along with the Lincoln Hotel and the Majestic and Royale theaters, which were also designed by Krapp in a Spanish style.[8][15][17] The Masque was designed to be the smallest theater in that complex, with about 800 seats.[18][19][20] The Chanin Realty and Construction Company constructed all four structures.[10][21] The Golden is operated bythe Shubert Organization.[22][23]
The facade is symmetrically arranged. The ground floor is clad inrusticated blocks ofterracotta above a granitewater table. At ground level, the auditorium entrance includes four pairs of glass and aluminum doors. There is a modern bronze-framed sign board to the left, or east, of the doors. In addition, there are two display boxes on either side of the doors, withvolutes on one of the boxes and stylized lions on the other box on either side. A plaque memorializing the theater's namesake is placed beside the doors. The entrance is topped by amarquee. A terracottacornice and aband course run above the ground floor.[24] The stage door is to the right, or east, of the main facade and is shared with the Majestic and Bernard B. Jacobs theaters.[22]
The upper stories contain gold-colored,bonded Roman brick.[24] The brick facade was designed to relate to the adjacent theaters and hotel.[17] The center of the facade has a set of three arches spanning the second and third stories.[17][24] The arches have moldedDella Robbia foliate decoration, placed on terracottapiers that containCorinthian-stylecapitals. On the second story, there are metal-framedcasement windows with multiple panes, above which is a horizontal rope molding. The arches do not have windows on the third story.[24] A similar, wider arcade exists on the neighboring Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.[17][25]
Arch detail
A sign with the theater's name is placed in front of the center arch. Toward the top of the facade, there are terracotta medallions depicting fictional beasts and foliate decorations. Theparapet of the facade contains a terracottabalustrade. Above the center portion of the facade is aloggia, which in turn is placed on a balustrade and consolebrackets. The loggia has six single columns with decorative capitals, which support a cornice withmodillions, as well as a Spanish-tilehip roof.[24] The Golden's loggia complements a similar one on the stage-house wing of the Bernard B. Jacobs.[25]
The original color scheme was red and blue, accented with gray,[26][27] while the seat coverings were colored burnt orange.[27] The interior is laid out in a similar Spanish style to the exterior.[15] The layout was part of an effort byIrwin Chanin, one of the developers, to "democratize" the seating arrangement of the theater. The Golden was designed with a single balcony rather than the typical two, since Chanin had perceived the second balcony to be distant.[28] The Chanin brothers wanted the three theaters' interior designs to be distinct while still adhering to a Spanish motif.[25] Following a 2013 renovation, the theater has had an orange/red and blue/green color scheme, resembling the original.[29]
The auditorium has an orchestra level, one balcony, and astage behind theproscenium arch. The auditorium's width is greater than its depth, and the space is designed with plaster decorations in highrelief.[30] According to the Shubert Organization, the auditorium has 802 seats;[23] meanwhile,Playbill cites 787 seats[22] andThe Broadway League cites 805 seats.[31] The physical seats are divided into 465 seats in the orchestra, 110 at the front of the balcony, and 227 at the rear of the balcony.[23] The Golden does not haveboxes.[23][32] There are restrooms and drinking fountains below the orchestra.[22] An article from 1927 noted that the theater had 800 seats, which were slightly wider than seats in typical Broadway theaters of the time.[27]
The rear of the orchestra contains doors from the ticket lobby, which leads to a promenade behind a modern wall. There are decorativeexit signs above the doorways, which are at the center of the rear wall.[30] The orchestra floor israked, and the eastern wall is curved inward due to the presence of the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre next door.[32] The orchestra and its promenade contain walls with roughstucco blocks.[33] Lightingsconces are mounted onto the wall.[34] Two staircases lead between the orchestra and the balcony.[32] The orchestra level is wheelchair-accessible, but there are no elevators to the balcony.[23] On either side of the front section of the orchestra, there are pointed arches with two pairs of doors. The doors are flanked by twisting columns and contain decorative exit-sign frames above them. There are also shields on the walls, high above the arches.[33] The doorways originally had red velour curtains, which were restored during a 2013 renovation.[29]
The balcony level is divided into front and rear sections by an aisle halfway across its depth, where ornate metal railings surround the staircases.[30] The front section curves forward toward the walls and contains decorative metal balustrades.[32] As at the orchestra level, the walls contain lighting sconces.[34] The walls consist of paneled stucco blocks with low relief Moorish designs. There are arched doorways with exit doors at the front of the balcony. Above the wall is a geometricfrieze, which forms the wall'scornice. Geometric-patterned panels are placed along the front and underside of the balcony. Lights have been installed in front of the balcony.[32]
Next to the arched exits at orchestra level is an elliptical proscenium arch.[32] The archway is flanked by a pair of twisted columns, above which arecolonettes that rise to theimposts of the arch. There is a band with geometric patterns along the arch itself.[33] Thecoved ceiling is composed of arched ribs, which separate the auditorium into sections. The arches are supported oncorbels on each wall, with twisting colonettes beside each corbel, while the ribs themselves have low-reliefcameos, shields, and geometric patterns. A frieze with geometric patterns runs just below the ceiling. At the rear of the auditorium, the ceiling has a flat surface with a technical booth surrounded by grilles.[33] The depth of the auditorium to the proscenium is 24 feet 9 inches (7.54 m), while the depth to the front of the stage is 27 feet 5 inches (8.36 m).[23]
Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 andthe Great Depression.[35] During the 1900s and 1910s, many theaters in Midtown Manhattan were developed by theShubert brothers, one of the major theatrical syndicates of the time.[36] The Chanin brothers developed another grouping of theaters in the mid-1920s.[37][38][39] Though the Chanins largely specialized in real estate rather than theaters, Irwin Chanin had become interested in theater when he was an impoverished student at theCooper Union. He subsequently recalled that he had been "humiliated" by having to use a separate door whenever he bought cheap seats in an upper balcony level.[37][40] By October 1926, the Chanins had decided to construct and operate a theatrical franchise "in New York and half a dozen other large cities in the United States".[25][41] Herbert Krapp had already designed the46th Street,Biltmore, andMansfield theaters for the Chanins in 1925 and 1926.[17][21][42]
The Chanin brothers had acquired the Klaman site in May 1925.[43][44][45] The Chanins planned to build a hotel on Eighth Avenue and three theaters on the side streets.[43][45][39] In March 1926, Krapp filed plans with theNew York City Department of Buildings for the hotel and theaters, which were projected to cost $4.5 million.[13][12] Local news media reported that there would be a large theater on 44th Street and a medium-sized theater and a small theater on 45th Street.[11][12][5][a] The brownstones on the site were razed starting in May,[9] and the site was cleared by the next month.[47] That July, the Chanin brothers received a $7.5 million loan for the four developments from S. W. Straus & Co.[10][48] Irwin Chanin launched a competition the same month, asking the public to suggest names for the three theaters.[49] The names of the three theaters were announced in December 1926.[50][51] The large theater became the Majestic;[50][52] the mid-sized theater, the Royale;[50][53] and the small theater, the Masque.[51][54] The following month, the Chanins gaveA. L. Erlanger exclusive control over bookings at the three new theaters and their five existing houses.[55][56]
The Theatre Masque opened on February 24, 1927, with the playPuppets of Passion.[57][58] The Masque was the second of the three new Chanin theaters to open.[59][b] The opening of the Majestic, Masque, and Royale signified the westward extension of the traditional Broadway theater district, as well as an expansion of the Chanins' theatrical developments.[62][63] Each of the Chanin theaters was intended for a different purpose: the 1,800-seat Majestic for "revues and light operas", the 1,200-seat Royale for "musical comedies", and the 800-seat Masque for "intimate" plays.[19] The Chanin brothers were especially optimistic about the Masque, which was the closest of their theaters to the newEighth Avenue subway line.[64]Brooks Atkinson ofThe New York Times said the "Theatre Masque is pleasing and comfortable",[65] whileBurns Mantle of theNew York Daily News said that he "liked particularly the curtain and the carpet".[66] However, both men dislikedPuppets of Passion,[65][66] whichflopped after twelve performances.[67][68]
The Masque mostly hosted flops in its first two years.[69]Puppets of Passion was followed byThe Comic, which lasted just 15 performances,[70][71] then by a revival of theGilbert and Sullivan operettaPatience, which ran a similarly short 16 performances.[70][72] In August 1927, Robert Milton leased the Masque for several years.[73][74] The rest of 1927 was taken up by three short-running productions:Revelry,The King Can Do No Wrong, andVenus.[70] The Masque fared not much better in 1928, when it hosted eight productions.[75]Relations, a comedy byEdward Clark,[76][77] was the only production in 1928 to run more than 100 performances, thoughScarlet Fox andYoung Love both came close.[75] In July 1929, the Shubert brothers bought the Chanin brothers' half-ownership stakes in the Majestic, Masque, and Royale theaters for a combined $1.8 million.[78][79][80] In exchange, the Shuberts sold a parcel of land on theUpper West Side to the Chanins,[78][80] who bought several adjacent lots and developedthe Century apartment building there.[81] The Masque's first major hit wasRope's End in 1929,[82][83] subsequently adapted into theAlfred Hitchcock filmRope.[84]John Drinkwater'sBird in Hand premiered at the Masque that December, and it relocated within a month, eventually playing 500 performances.[85]
The Shuberts obtained the exclusive rights to operate the Masque in 1930,[25] though the productions of that decade largely flopped.[86] The first production of that year was a transfer ofMartin Flavin's hitBroken Dishes, which had transferred from theRitz Theatre.[87][88] Also in 1930, the Masque presentedFrances Goodrich andAlbert Hackett's playUp Pops the Devil,[89] with 146 performances.[90][91] It was succeeded the next year by theDuBose Heyward dramaBrass Ankle;[90][92] a short run ofThe Venetian;[93][94] andNorman Krasna's comedyLouder, Please.[95][96] The original romanceGoodbye Again, withOsgood Perkins,[89] opened in 1932 and ran for 212 performances.[97][98]Tobacco Road, another eventual hit, premiered at the Masque in 1933 and relocated the next month.[85][99] The Masque's other successes of the mid-1930s includedPost Road in 1934,[95][100]Laburnum Grove in 1935,[97][101] andRusset Mantle in 1936, all of which had over 100 performances.[97][102]
The Broadway theater industry declined during theGreat Depression,[7] and the Majestic, Masque, and Royale were auctioned in November 1936 to satisfy a $2 million mortgage against the theaters.[103] A representative of the Shubert family bought the rights to operate the theaters for $700,000,[104] but theBankers Securities Corporation retained a half interest.[105]The Holmeses of Baker Street, which opened in December 1936,[106] was the last show to be produced at the Masque before the theater changed names.[107] At the end of the month, producerJohn Golden leased the Masque,[108][109] with plans to renovate the theater and rename it after himself.[109] The name "John Golden Theatre" had previously been applied to the neighboring Royale in 1934,[110][c] but Golden had lost the right to operate the Royale in the 1936 auction.[103] The Theatre Masque became the John Golden Theatre on January 26, 1937,[112] and the flopAnd Now Goodbye became the first production in the newly renamed theater the next week.[107][113]
The Golden continued to host flops after its renaming.[114] One especially short run wasCurtain Call in 1937, which had four performances before closing.[85][115] The Golden's next hit wasPaul Vincent Carroll'sShadow and Substance,[116] which opened in 1938 and ran for 206 performances.[117][118] Another play by Carroll,The White Steed, was moderately successful after relocating to the Golden in 1939.[117][119] A major hit opened in 1941 with the premiere ofAngel Street,[120] which ran nearly 1,300 performances over the next three years.[121][122]Angel Street became the Golden's longest-running production, despite initial expectations of failure: only three days' worth of playbills were ordered for the initial run.[123] It was followed in 1944 byRose Franken's comedySoldier's Wife,[124] which had a successful run of 255 performances.[121][125]
The Shubert brothers bought the Majestic, John Golden (Masque), and Royale theaters from the Bankers Securities Corporation in 1945, giving the family full ownership of these theaters.[105] During the mid-1940s, the Golden presented numerous mediocre plays,[126] includingThe Rich Full Life andDunnigan's Daughter in 1945, as well asJanuary Thaw andI Like It Here in 1946.[121] In July 1946, the Golden was leased for five years to the Super Cinema Corporation. The lessee planned to show Italian films there,[127][128] but the Golden instead showed the British filmHenry V for nearly a year.[129] The theater was used as a cinema until February 1948, whenMaurice Chevalier opened a solo show there.[130][131] The Golden then hosted several short-run shows with live performers.[132] The cinema's lease did not expire until 1950.[133] That year, the Golden hosted a moderate hit,The Velvet Glove withGrace George andWalter Hampden,[134][135] as well as the flopLet's Make an Opera, which had five performances.[133][136] Other works during the early 1950s includedThe Green Bay Tree;[137][138]To Dorothy, A Son;[139] andThe Fourposter.[140]
TheNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started considering protecting the John Golden Theatre as an official city landmark in 1982,[211] with discussions continuing over the next several years.[212] The LPC designated both the facade and the interior as landmarks on November 17, 1987.[213] This was part of the LPC's wide-ranging effort in 1987 to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters.[214] TheNew York City Board of Estimate ratified the designations in March 1988.[215] The Shuberts, theNederlanders, andJujamcyn collectively sued the LPC in June 1988 to overturn the landmark designations of 22 theaters, including the Golden, on the merit that the designations severely limited the extent to which the theaters could be modified.[216] The lawsuit was escalated to theNew York Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States, but these designations were ultimately upheld in 1992.[217]
In 1990,Michael Feinstein performed at the Golden with his showConcert: Piano and Voice.[199][218] This was followed byFalsettos (1992), which had 487 performances,[219][220] and by the dramaMixed Emotions (1993) withKatherine Helmond, which had 55 performances.[221][222] The comedianJackie Mason subsequently starred at the Golden inPolitically Incorrect, which opened in 1994 and ran for over 340 performances.[223][224] It was followed the next year byMaster Class,[225][226] which ran for about 600 performances through 1997.[227][228] Also successful was a limited engagement ofThe Chairs in 1998,[221][229] as well as a transfer of the off-Broadway productionSide Man later that year,[230][231] which then ran until 1999.[232] Mason returned at the end of 1999 forMuch Ado About Everything.[233][234]
The first hit of the 2000s wasStones in His Pockets in 2001,[235] which ran for 198 performances.[236] This was followed byThe Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? in 2002,[237][238] as well asVincent in Brixton in 2003.[239][240] As part of a settlement with theUnited States Department of Justice in 2003, the Shuberts agreed to improve disabled access at their 16 landmarked Broadway theaters, including the Golden.[241][242] The musicalAvenue Q, transferred from off-Broadway, opened at the Golden on July 31, 2003,[243][244] and became a major hit, recovering its production cost within a year.[245] By the timeAvenue Q transferred back off-Broadway in 2009,[246] it had become the Golden's longest-running production with over 2,500 performances.[247] Subsequently, the Golden hostedOleanna in late 2009;Red andDriving Miss Daisy in 2010;The Normal Heart andSeminar in 2011; andAnarchist in 2012.[22][31] The Shuberts hired Francesca Russo to renovate the John Golden Theatre in 2013. Russo's company removed many later modifications, and they also restored the original appearance using historical pictures, as well as details inspired by structures such as theTaj Mahal.[29]
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.[22][31]
^Billboard magazine reported that the large and medium theaters would be on 44th Street, while the small theater would be on 45th Street.[46]
^The Royale opened on January 11, 1927,[7] and the Majestic opened on March 28.[60] The Chanin project was completed in January 1928 with the opening of the Lincoln Hotel.[61]
^The "John Golden Theatre" name had first been given to a theater on 58th Street, which opened in 1926.[111]
^Hangmen only had previews in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Playbill classifies the 2020 and 2022 productions separately,[324] while the Broadway League originally considered these to be the same production.[323]
^ab"Razing Block Front on Eighth Avenue: Former Homes of Beverly Chew and Judge Leventritt in Housewreckers' Hands".The New York Times. May 18, 1926. p. 43.ISSN0362-4331.ProQuest103877709.
^abc"$7,500,000 Lent For Tall Hotel And Theaters: Complete Financial Arrangements for 27-Story Hostelry and 3 Other Buildings on Rear of Astor Block".New York Herald Tribune. July 9, 1926. p. 29.ProQuest1112611419.
^ab"$10,000,000 Development For 8th Avenue: Chanin Syndicate Accepts This Figure as Cost of 20-Story Hotel and Three Theaters It Will Build".The New York Herald, New York Tribune. March 21, 1926. p. B1.ProQuest1112750800.
^ab"$10,000,000 Project For Eighth Ave. Block: Hotel and 3 Theaters Planned for Plot Between 44th and 45th Streets".The New York Herald, New York Tribune. May 15, 1925. p. 28.ProQuest1112960129.
^"Tenement Properties Find Ready Buyers: Multi-family Houses in Columbus Avenue Sold—Monroe Street Investment".The New York Times. May 15, 1925. p. 33.ISSN0362-4331.ProQuest103582068.
^ab"Realty News: Midtown Loft Buildings Change Hands: Brown Sells Fifth Avenue And 12th Street Structure".Women's Wear. Vol. 30, no. 114. May 15, 1925. p. 42.ProQuest1676948661.
^"Three Chanin Theaters".The Billboard. Vol. 38, no. 11. March 13, 1926. p. 9.ProQuest1031779733.
^"New Hotel Financed by $7,500,000 Loan S. W. Straus & Co. Underwrite the Lincoln Being Erected on 8th Av. By the Chanins".The New York Times. July 9, 1926. p. 33.ISSN0362-4331.ProQuest103722880.
^"Chanin Offers Prizes For New Theater Names".The Billboard. Vol. 38, no. 31. July 31, 1926. p. 6.ProQuest1031799153.
^abc"Musical Comedy: New Chanin Houses Named and Booked".The Billboard. Vol. 38, no. 51. December 18, 1926. p. 26.ProQuest1031822618.
^ab"News of Theaters".New York Herald Tribune. December 17, 1926. p. 27.ProQuest1112676426.
^"Erlanger Regains Theatrical Power By Booking Pact: Old Oflice Adds to Interests Through Arrangement to Handle Contracts for New Chanin Chain of Houses".New York Herald Tribune. January 21, 1927. p. 15.ProQuest1113621126.
^Hammond, Percy (February 25, 1927). "The Theaters: Nevertheless, the New Theater Masque Is One of the Finest of the N. Y. Playhouses Rose Hobart".New York Herald Tribune. p. 14.ProQuest1113519123.
^Allen, Kelcey (February 25, 1927). "Amusements: Chanin's Open New Beautiful Theatre Link".Women's Wear Daily. Vol. 34, no. 46. pp. 6, 52.ProQuest1653979953.
^"Roxy's Theater Builder Started In Brooklyn Eight Years Ago: In 1919 Chanins Were Having Trouble Financing 1st Venture, Two Small Houses Near Coney Island; Have Erected 147 Buildings Since, 25 Theaters".New York Herald Tribune. March 6, 1927. p. C2.ProQuest1113524946.
^ab"Shuberts Buy Chanin Shares In 3 Theaters: Majestic, Royale and Masque Interests Turned Over in Part Payment for Century".New York Herald Tribune. July 3, 1929. p. 12.ProQuest1111508622.
^"Theater Deal Announced".The Christian Science Monitor. July 5, 1929. p. 3.ProQuest512644360.
^ab"$700,000 Upset Price for Three Theatres: Masque, Majestic and Golden in 44th and 45th Sts. To Be Offered on Nov. 23".The New York Times. November 15, 1936. p. RE1.ISSN0362-4331.ProQuest101694244.
^ab"Shuberts Gain Ownership of Three Theaters: Philadelphia Concern Sell Half Interest in West 44th, 45th St. Property".New York Herald Tribune. May 26, 1945. p. 20.ProQuest1324025031.
^"News of the Theaters: Five New Shows Due Next Week; Golden's and Now Goodbye' Opens Tuesday".New York Herald Tribune. January 27, 1937. p. 15.ProQuest1240512050.
.jpg)
