TheAl Hirschfeld Theatre, originally theMartin Beck Theatre, is aBroadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in theTheater District ofMidtown Manhattan inNew York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1924, it was designed byG. Albert Lansburgh in aMoorish andByzantine style and was constructed for vaudevillianMartin Beck. It has 1,404 seats across two levels and is operated byATG Entertainment. Both thefacade and the interior areNew York City landmarks.

Al Hirschfeld Theatre

Martin Beck Theatre
Showing the musicalMoulin Rouge! in 2019
Address	302 West 45th Street Manhattan, New York United States
Coordinates	40°45′33″N73°59′21″W / 40.7593°N 73.9892°W /40.7593; -73.9892
Public transit	Subway:Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal
Owner	ATG Entertainment
Operator	ATG Entertainment
Type	Broadway
Capacity	1,424
Production	Moulin Rouge!
Construction
Opened	November 11, 1924 (100 years ago) (1924-11-11)
Years active	1924–present
Architect	G. Albert Lansburgh Albert Herter (interior)
Website
www.jujamcyn.com/theatres/al-hirschfeld/
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 4, 1987[1]
Reference no.	1315[1]
Designated entity	Facade
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 4, 1987[2]
Reference no.	1316[2]
Designated entity	Lobby and auditorium interior

Thefacades of the Al Hirschfeld's auditorium and stage house are designed as one unit. There is a double-heightarcade with cast-stone columns at the base of the theater. The eastern section of the arcade contains the auditorium entrance, the center section includes a staircase with emergency exits, and the western section leads to the stage house. Red brick is used for the upper stories of the facade.Albert Herter, a muralist who frequently collaborated with Lansburgh, oversaw much of the interior design. A square ticket lobby is directly inside the main entrance, leading to avaulted inner lobby and an L-shaped mezzanine lounge. The auditorium is decorated with ornamental plasterwork and contains a sloped orchestra level, a mezzanine level, and a curvedsounding board. In addition, there arebox seats at the balcony level, near the front of the auditorium. The auditorium has an octagonal ceiling with a multicolored dome.

Beck had proposed the theater in 1923, and it opened with a production ofMadame Pompadour on November 11, 1924. It was the only theater in New York City to be owned outright without amortgage. The Beck was used by several theatrical groups in its early years, including theTheatre Guild. After Martin Beck's death in 1940, the theater was managed by his wifeLouise Heims Beck. The theater was purchased in 1966 byWilliam L. McKnight ofJujamcyn Theaters, and it hosted several short runs during the 1970s and 1980s. The theater was renamed for Broadway illustratorAl Hirschfeld in 2003. Throughout the years, the theater has staged long-running productions includingThe Teahouse of the August Moon,Dracula,Into the Woods,Guys and Dolls, andKinky Boots.

The Al Hirschfeld Theatre is on 302 West 45th Street, on the south sidewalk betweenNinth andEighth Avenues, in theTheater District andHell's Kitchen neighborhoods ofMidtown Manhattan inNew York City, New York, U.S.^[3][4] Theland lot is rectangular. The lot covers 13,389 square feet (1,243.9 m²), with afrontage of 133.33 ft (40.64 m) on 45th Street and a depth of 100.42 ft (31 m).^[4] The Al Hirschfeld Theatre shares the city block with theFilm Center Building and the off-BroadwayDavenport Theatre to the west. Across Eighth Avenue to the east are theRow NYC Hotel and theMajestic,John Golden, andBernard B. Jacobs theaters. In addition,St. Luke's Lutheran Church, the off-BroadwaySt. Luke's Theatre, andThe Whitby are to the north.^[4]

The Al Hirschfeld is the westernmostBroadway theater in the Theater District^[5][6] and the only one west of Eighth Avenue.^[1][a] When the venue was constructed in 1925, the block to the east already contained eight theaters.^[7][b] The site of the theater itself, at 302 to 314 West 45th Street, was filled by sevenbrownstone townhouses of three stories each. Six of the houses, numbers 302 to 312, had been purchased by Nathan Wilson and then sold by Berkley Builders.^[8][9] The seventh house at number 314 was owned by Nellie Clauss.^[10]

The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, was designed byGustave Albert Lansburgh in theByzantine andRomanesque styles.^[11][12] The theater opened in 1924 and was built forMartin Beck (1868–1940),^[13] who originally named the venue for himself.^[3][7][12] The Beck was the only Broadway theater designed in a Byzantine style; most other Broadway theater buildings of the time were designed in aneoclassical style.^[11][14] Furthermore, Lansburgh specialized in designingmovie palaces on theWest Coast of the United States, including Los Angeles'sHill Street Theatre and San Francisco'sGolden Gate Theater.^[7] H. H. Oddie Inc. built the theater, and numerous material suppliers and contractors were involved in the project.^[15] The Al Hirschfeld is operated byJujamcyn Theaters.^[16][17][18]

The Al Hirschfeld's auditorium and stage house share a design for theirfacades, unlike with most other Broadway theaters, where the auditorium and stage house have distinct designs.^[11] The facade of the Al Hirschfeld is much wider than its length. The base of the theater contains a granitewater table^[19] and a double-heightarcade with cast-stone columns. The rest of the facade uses red brick.^{[c][11][20][21]}

The arcade on the lowest two stories contains eleven arches. The second-outermost arch on either end is both taller and wider than the remaining arches. The octagonal columns rest on granite bases and containcapitals with bothMoorish and Byzantine motifs. The tops of each arch contain stone borders.^[19] The presence of the arcade gives the theater's exterior a three-dimensional quality compared to other Broadway theaters' relatively flat facades.^[14]

The three easternmost arches contain the theater's main entrance. The doorway to the lobby is recessed within the second-easternmost arch (at the center of the three arches). It contains two bronze-and-glass double doors, which have bronze grilles with arch motifs. There are sheet-metal ceiling panels with light fixtures directly in front of the doors, as well asengaged columns flanking the doors. To the left (east) of the lobby entrance is a metal service door, a sign board, and a gate to a service alley. To the right (west) is a box office window with a marblesill and ironshutters; a panel above the window is inscribed with the words "Martin Beck Theatre". The box office window is also flanked by two pairs of engaged columns rounded and the other octagonal. Above the three arches is a modernmarquee cantilevered from the arches. On the second floor are recessed brick walls. There are windows flanked by brickjambs and topped byround-arched stone panels. The center window opening is a double window separated by a stonecolonette, while the other window openings are single.^[19]

The five center arches screen a stone fire-escape staircase.^[19][20][22] The underside of the staircase includes arches of varying sizes.^[22] The top of the staircase, to the east, contains two double metal doors from the balcony. Directly beneath the top of the staircase are two double metal doors from the orchestra level, which are topped by stonelintels and metal-and-glass lanterns. The bottom of the staircase, to the west, contains another doorway that is marked as a stage entrance; the words "Erected by Martin Beck 1924" are carved on an adjacent column.^[19]

The three westernmost arches contain recessed brick walls similar to those at the lobby entrance. The second-westernmost arch contains a double metal door at the ground story, while the westernmost (right) arch has a window at the ground story. The second story of the three western arches is similar to the second story above the main entrance, with arched brick windows.^[19]

Above the arcade are additional stories with round-arched openings, each containing a one-over-onesash window.^[23] The facade of the auditorium, to the east, has two stories above the arcade.^[11] The stage house to the west has three stories.^[23] There is acorbel table with Romanesque-style round arches near the top of the facade; additional stories rise above the main roof. The upper stories of the stage house areset back from the main roof. In front of this is a large metal sign board facing east toward Eighth Avenue, which is used to display the name of the present production.^[24]

Beck had intended for the theater's interior to be more lavish than any other in the area.^[12]Albert Herter, a muralist who frequently collaborated with Lansburgh, oversaw much of the interior design.^[25] Herter's decorative scheme was largely in the Moorish and Byzantine styles.^[12][25] According to a contemporary source from the theater's opening, the decorative motifs were intended to depict various mythological scenes.^[21]

The square ticket lobby is directly inside the main entrance. It has stone walls and agroin-vaulted ceiling withGuastavino tiles.^[26] The walls on both sides containsegmental arches, and the western arches contain ticket windows. There are wrought-iron lamps on the west and east walls. The two double doors on the north wall lead from the street, while two glass-and-bronze double doors on the south wall connect to the inner lobby.^[27]

The inner lobby is double-height and rectangular in plan, with a staircase to the mezzanine at the southeast end.^[27] It was originally decorated in cream-colored plaster.^[21] The northern wall (leading from the ticket lobby) is decorated with a molded panel. Above that is a large arch, which encompasses three smaller arched openings with geometric glass panes.^[28] The inner lobby containspiers on the west and east walls, with attached wrought-iron lightingsconces.^[21][29] These piers support three round arches on each side; a mezzanine-level lounge is behind the western arches.^[26] At ground level, the western wall containsmodillions and pilasters, topped by capitals containing stylized-leaf andvolute motifs.^[29] There are also leaded-glass double doors in the two outermost arches, which lead to the auditorium.^[30] At mezzanine level, both walls contain paneled railings with molded bands of dentils andbosses.^[29] Three circular ceiling domes rise from the wall arches.^[22][26] One contemporary source described the domes as depicting "figures in mediaeval costumes against a gold ground".^[21]

The mezzanine lounge is L-shaped. The short arm of the "L" is the staircase landing on the south, while the long arm runs above the western wall of the inner lobby.^[28] The piers on the lounge's eastern wall correspond to the piers on the inner lobby's western wall.^[30] The capitals of the piers contain stylized-leaf motifs, supporting the ceiling, which in turn is divided into half and full groin vaults. Wrought-iron sconces are installed on the piers. The southern end of the lounge contains a seating area, with a niche enclosing a marble water fountain. On the northern end, a staircase with a wrought-iron railing and ceiling lantern descends directly into the orchestra seating. The western wall includes doors that lead to the auditorium.^[28] The lounge is directly below the top row of mezzanine seating and is at the same level as the bottom mezzanine row. This removes the need for ticket-holders to climb to the top of the mezzanine seating before descending to their seat.^[22]

The auditorium has an orchestra level, a mezzanine-level balcony,boxes, and astage behind the proscenium arch. The space is designed with plaster decorations in lowrelief.^[31]Playbill cites the theater as having 1,302 seats,^[16] whileThe Broadway League cites 1,404 seats.^[17] Originally, the theater seated 1,200 patrons, or 600 on either level.^[21] The original color scheme was red, blue, and orange, with some golden highlights. Byzantine motifs were used extensively in the design, and three murals decorated the side and rear walls. The seats were upholstered in a rose-red color, with blue highlights, while the auditorium was surrounded by blue draperies.^[22]

The orchestra level is wheelchair-accessible via the main doors.^[18] The rear or western end of the orchestra contains a promenade.^[32] Originally, the promenade had stained glass, bronze, marble, tapestries, and other objects from Martin Beck's collection.^[33] The orchestra level israked, sloping down toward anorchestra pit in front of the stage.^[32] Near the front of the auditorium, stairs with wrought-iron railings lead up to the boxes.^[34] The side walls have exit doors, and the rear wall contains doorways from the inner lobby. In addition, wrought-iron lighting sconces are placed on the orchestra walls.^[35]

The mezzanine level can only be accessed by steps.^[18] The mezzanine and boxes share a front railing, which is decorated with geometric patterns in plasterwork.^[32] The side walls have wrought-iron lighting sconces. There are metal railings around the staircases to the orchestra and the passageways to the mezzanine lounge.^[35] Originally, the side walls also had tapestries.^[11][35] A technical booth is at the rear of the balcony, while light boxes are mounted onto the front rail. Moldings and bands divide the mezzanine's underside into paneled sections. Five of these panels contain circular wrought-iron grills with light fixtures.^[34]

On either side of the proscenium is a box at the mezzanine level,^[28] which contains a shallow S-curve that appears to spiral downward.^[11][22] At the orchestra level, decorated groups of columns support the bottoms of the boxes, which are paneled. The fronts of the boxes are ornamented with geometric patterns in plasterwork. There are also large clustered columns at the centers of each box, which support afan vault. Within either box, between the proscenium and the clustered columns is an opening with four marble pilasters, topped by Byzantine and Moorish capitals, which support three arches. Above these triple arches are half-domes, which support thesounding board. Between either box and the mezzanine seats is another opening, formed by the clustered columns on one side and the auditorium wall on the opposite side.^[32]

Next to the boxes is the proscenium with an elliptically arched opening.^[28] On either side of the proscenium are half-columns containing geometric designs, which support fourconcentric arches.^[22][32] Each column on either sides is made of stone upon a marble base and is carved in a different Byzantine motif from the other columns.^[22] Albert Herter also designed the theater's original curtain, which was hung across the proscenium opening.^[21][33] The curtain was originally decorated in the same red, orange, blue, and gold color scheme as the rest of the auditorium.^[22] The stage, covering 2,914 square feet (270.7 m²), was Broadway's largest stage before the construction of theVivian Beaumont Theater in the 1960s.^[36]

A perforated-plaster sounding board curves onto the ceiling above the boxes, in front of the proscenium arch.^[31] The ceiling itself is decorated with moldings, which divide the surface into recessed panels. The main section of the ceiling is an octagonal canopy.^[22][32] The center of the ceiling contains a large, circular wooden dome, which hangs from the octagonal ceiling panel viacanvas strips.^[11][32] The dome and the canvas strips are both decorated in a red, yellow, and green color scheme with geometric designs.^[32] A painted glass chandelier is suspended from the dome's center.^[21][35]

Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 andthe Great Depression.^[37] Manhattan's theater district had begun to shift fromUnion Square andMadison Square during the first decade of the 20th century.^[38][39] Most of the theaters built in the 1900s and 1910s were built on side streets nearBroadway, but the Broadway-theater district expanded westward toEighth Avenue and eastward toSixth Avenue after World War II.^[40] Martin Beck was a vaudevillian who operated theOrpheum Circuit, which in the early 20th century was the dominant vaudeville circuit on theWest Coast of the United States. In the early 1910s, he expanded to theEast Coast and developed thePalace Theatre in New York City, which he soon lost to his rivalEdward Albee.^[41][42] Although Beck was supplanted as the leader of the Orpheum Circuit in 1923, he wished to continue doing business in the city, and he planned a theater forlegitimate shows.^[13][43]

In July 1923, Martin Beck acquired six dwellings at 302 to 312 West 45th Street, with the intent of building a legitimate theater there.^[9][44] That September, Beck enlarged his site by buying a townhouse at 314 West 45th Street.^[10][45] The same month, Oddie and Falk were awarded the construction contract for the theater, which was to cost $1 million. The venue was to have a 1,160-seat capacity and a stage measuring 40 by 90 ft (12 by 27 m).^[46] The existing buildings on the site were being razed by November 1923.^[47][48] Beck's 45th Street theater, along with another one planned on 52nd Street, were part of an effort to shift the Theater District westward.^[49] Beck initially planned to open his namesake theater with a production ofImre Madách'sThe Tragedy of Man, but he instead decided to book the operettaMadame Pompadour after seeing it in London and several other European cities. SinceCharles Dillingham had the rights to presentMadame Pompadour in the United States, Beck convinced Dillingham to jointly produce the operetta at the new theater.^[50]

According to Martin Beck's wifeLouise, the Beck was the only theater in New York City that, at its completion, was owned outright without amortgage.^[51] The theater opened on November 11, 1924, withMadame Pompadour,^[52][53][54] which ultimately ran for 80 performances.^[55][56] This was followed in 1925 by a more popular show, a musical adaptation of the playCaptain Jinks byClyde Fitch,^[55][57] starringJ. Harold Murray andJoe E. Brown for 167 performances.^[58][59]A. H. Woods subsequently leased the theater for his production of theJohn Colton playThe Shanghai Gesture,^[60][61] starringFlorence Reed, which opened at the Beck in 1926^[55][62] and ran for 210 performances.^[58][63] The next year, the Beck hostedJames Gleason's comedyThe Shannons of Broadway, featuring Gleason and his wifeLucile,^[55][64] which had 288 performances.^[65][66]

In 1928, theTheatre Guild took over the Beck.^[67][68] The Guild's first production at the theater wasWings Over Europe,^[69] which opened at the end of the same year.^[70][71] Next, the Guild stagedDynamo byEugene O'Neill, starringGlenn Anders andClaudette Colbert,^[69][72] which ran for 66 performances in early 1929.^[73][74] Later that year, the theater hosted the Czech comedyThe Camel Through the Needle's Eye,^[75][76] as well as the Russian playRed Rust.^[77][78] The latter was the Theatre Guild Acting Company (later theGroup Theatre)'s first production.^[79] In 1930, the Theatre Guild presentedGeorge Bernard Shaw'sThe Apple Cart,^[80][81]Philip Barry'sHotel Universe,^[82][83] andSergei Tretyakov'sRoar China! at the Beck.^[84][85] The Theatre Guild hostedMaxwell Anderson's playElizabeth the Queen to the Beck in early 1931, starringAlfred Lunt andLynn Fontanne.^[86][87] The Group Theatre had its first production that September^[88] with the opening ofPaul Green'sThe House of Connelly.^[89][90][91] Lunt and Fontanne returned to the theater in the Guild'sReunion in Vienna later that year.^[92][93][94]

TheAbbey Irish Theatre Players performed at the Martin Beck Theatre for the 1932–1933 season,^[95] their first New York City appearance since 1911.^[96] Their productions includedThe Far-off Hills,The New Gossoon,Juno and the Paycock, andPlayboy of the Western World.^[97] The Abbey Theatre departed in January 1933,^[98] and the Beck hosted the playThe Lake, featuring film starKatharine Hepburn, the same year.^[89][99]Sidney Howard's docudramaYellow Jack was presented next in 1934.^{[100][101][102]} TheD'Oyly Carte Opera Company commenced a season ofGilbert and Sullivan works at the Beck in September 1934,^[103][104] performing 11 operettas^[105] and running for 15 weeks.^[106] Next was a revival of Shakespeare'sRomeo and Juliet in late 1934, featuringBasil Rathbone andKatharine Cornell.^{[100][107][108]} Cornell andBurgess Meredith starred in two plays in 1935:The Barretts of Wimpole Street, also featuringBrian Aherne andBrenda Forbes,^{[109][110][111]} andFlowers of the Forest, also featuringMargalo Gillmore.^{[109][112][113]} Later in 1935, Anderson'sWinterset opened at the Beck, featuring Meredith,Margo, andEduardo Ciannelli.^{[109][114][115]}

Cornell's husbandGuthrie McClintic had directed several of the mid-1930s plays at the Martin Beck Theatre, includingRomeo and Juliet andWinterset.^[105] Also among these were Shaw's playSaint Joan, which opened in 1936 and featured Cornell,Maurice Evans, andTyrone Power Jr.^{[109][116][117]} The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company returned in August 1936 to perform another set of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas,^[118][119] running through to the end of the year.^[120] Another Anderson play,High Tor, opened in 1937^[121][122] and starred Meredith,Peggy Ashcroft, andHume Cronyn for 171 performances.^{[123][124][125]} Also in 1937, the Beck hosted the playBarchester Towers withIna Claire,^{[109][126][127]} for which some of the orchestra seating was temporarily removed and walled off.^[128] In 1938, the theater hostedVictoria Regina, featuringHelen Hayes,^[121][129] for 87 performances.^[123][130] The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company hosted yet another season of Gilbert and Sullivan shows early the next year.^[131][132] Hayes returned later in 1939, performing in the dramaLadies and Gentlemen^[121][133] for 105 performances.^[134][135]

The playLady in Waiting, adapted fromMargery Sharp's novel of the same name, ran at the Beck for 87 performances in 1940.^[134][136] Martin Beck died later the same year, and Louise Beck and Louis A. Lotito took over the theater.^[137]Lillian Hellman'sA Watch on the Rhine opened in 1941^[138][139] and ran for 378 performances.^[140][141] Lunt and Fontanne returned to the theater the next year with the opening ofS. N. Behrman's playThe Pirate,^[138][142] which had 176 performances.^[140][143] Members of theUnited States Army then presented five plays in August 1943,^[144][145] andRichard Rodgers andHerbert Fields's musicalA Connecticut Yankee opened that November.^[146][147] The next year, Berhman'sJacobowsky and the Colonel opened at the Beck,^[148][149] running for 417 performances.^[140][150] The Beck hosted the playFoolish Notion withTallulah Bankhead andDonald Cook in 1945,^[140][151] followed the same year byLeonard Bernstein,Betty Comden, andAdolph Green's popular musicalOn the Town,^[148] the latter of which ran for six months.^[152][153]

Harold Arlen andJohnny Mercer's musicalSt. Louis Woman was presented at the Beck in 1946,^[154][155] and O'Neill'sThe Iceman Cometh was staged that year.^[154][156] This was followed the next year by the musicalBarefoot Boy with Cheek, featuringNancy Walker,^{[157][158][159]} and a revival ofAntony and Cleopatra, featuring Katharine Cornell.^{[154][160][161]} Revivals of Shaw's playYou Never Can Tell^{[158][162][163]} andJerome Kern'sSally were presented at the Beck in 1948,^{[158][164][165]} followed byThat Lady in 1949 with Cornell.^[154][166] Next, the Beck hostedThe Wisteria Trees with Helen Hayes,^[154][167] as well as a translation ofJean Anouilh'sRing Round the Moon, in 1950.^{[158][168][169]} The following year,Tennessee Williams'sThe Rose Tattoo starredEli Wallach andMaureen Stapleton,^{[154][170][171]} Maxwell Anderson'sBarefoot in Athens had a short run in 1951,^[172][173] as didTruman Capote'sThe Grass Harp in 1952.^[172][174] This was followed in 1953 byArthur Miller'sThe Crucible.^[175][176]

TheJohn Patrick comedyThe Teahouse of the August Moon, starringDavid Wayne, opened in October 1953^[177][178] and ultimately ran for 1,027 performances over two and a half years.^[179][180] The Beck then hosted a revival of Shaw'sMajor Barbara in 1956,^{[181][182][183]} as well as a musical version ofCandide.^{[181][184][185]} Tennessee Williams'sOrpheus Descending opened in 1957, featuring Maureen Stapleton andCliff Robertson,^[181][186] but it only ran for 68 performances.^[179][187] By contrast, theNorman Krasna comedyWho Was That Lady I Saw You With? had 208 performances in 1958,^[188][189] while Williams'sSweet Bird of Youth lasted for 375 performances in 1959.^[188][190] Other appearances at the Beck in the late 1950s included performances from Israel'sInbal Dance Theater in 1958^[191] andLes Ballets Africains in 1959.^[192][193] Louis Lotito's group City Playhouses Inc. took a ten-year lease on the theater in August 1958.^[194]

Charles Strouse andLee Adams's first collaboration,^[195] the musicalBye Bye Birdie featuringDick Van Dyke andChita Rivera, opened at the Beck in April 1960^[196] and stayed for 607 performances.^[188][197] Afterward, the theater hostedJerry Herman's musicalMilk and Honey, which opened in 1961^[198][199] and stayed for a year and a half.^[200] In 1963, the theater stagedMother Courage and Her Children withAnne Bancroft,Barbara Harris, andGene Wilder;^[201][202] a transfer ofStrange Interlude;^[203] andEdward Albee's version ofThe Ballad of the Sad Café withColleen Dewhurst andMichael Dunn.^{[204][205][206]} The playThe Physicists withJessica Tandy andHume Cronyn,^{[204][207][208]} as well as the musicalI Had a Ball withRichard Kiley andBuddy Hackett, both opened at the Beck in 1964.^{[204][209][210]} This was followed the next year by theRoyal Shakespeare Company's production ofMarat/Sade.^{[211][212][213]}

Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing presidentWilliam L. McKnight, who headed Jujamcyn Theaters and already operated theSt. James Theatre, offered Louise Beck $1.5 million for the Martin Beck Theatre in December 1965. McKnight also offered to buy out Lotito's lease on the theater, which was to expire in three years.^[214] The sale was finalized in February 1966, with McKnight paying $1.35 million to Louise Beck and $150,000 to Lotito. McKnight would not receive theproperty title until the next month, afterMarat/Sade was set to close.^[215] Under Jujamcyn's operation, the Beck hosted the Albee playA Delicate Balance, featuring Tandy, Cronyn,Rosemary Murphy, andMarian Seldes, in 1966.^{[216][217][218]} The next year, the theater staged a production of Comden, Green, andJule Styne's musicalHallelujah, Baby!.^{[216][219][220]} In 1968, the off-Broadway musicalMan of La Mancha relocated to the Beck,^[221][222] staying for three years.^[223][224]

Many of the Beck's productions in the 1970s were short-lived.^[225] In 1971, the Beck hosted Albee'sAll Over with Tandy, Dewhurst,Betty Field, andGeorge Voskovec,^[226][227] as well as the musicalThe Grass Harp, based on Capote's play two decades earlier.^[228][229] Two productions during the decadehad just one performance:Ring Around the Bathtub on April 29, 1972, andNo Hard Feelings on April 8, 1973.^[17][230] The British playHabeas Corpus was presented at the Beck in late 1975,^[226][231] running for 95 performances.^[232][233] In 1976, McKnight transferred the Beck and Jujamcyn's other venues to his daughter Virginia and her husbandJames H. Binger.^[234] Finally, the theater had a hit in 1977 with the opening of the playDracula, featuringFrank Langella,^[225][235] which ran for 925 performances.^[236][237]

In 1981, the Beck hosted the Lillian Hellman playThe Little Foxes, featuringElizabeth Taylor,^{[238][239][240]} and theRobert Brush andMartin Charnin musicalThe First.^{[238][241][242]} This was followed in 1982 by theMichael Stewart playCome Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean withCher,^{[238][243][244]} as well asA Little Family Business withAngela Lansbury.^[238][245] The Royal Shakespeare Company returned in 1983 withAll's Well That Ends Well,^{[238][246][247]} and the musicalThe Rink withLiza Minnelli andChita Rivera was staged at the Beck in 1984,^[238][248] running for 204 performances.^[249][250] On the other hand,Requiem for a Heavyweight managed just three performances in March 1985,^[251][252] and the following month's revival of the musicalTake Me Along closed on its opening night.^[253][254] The next hit at the Beck wasInto the Woods, with music byStephen Sondheim andJames Lapine, which opened in 1987^[255][256] and had 765 performances.^[257][258] Another popular production at the theater wasGrand Hotel, which premiered in late 1989^[259][260] and stayed two years before transferring to another theater.^[261][262]

TheNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started considering protecting the Beck as an official city landmark in 1982,^[263] with discussions continuing over the next several years.^[264] The LPC designated both the facade and the interior as landmarks on November 4, 1987.^[265][266] This was part of the LPC's wide-ranging effort in 1987 to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters.^[267] TheNew York City Board of Estimate ratified the designations in March 1988.^[268] Jujamcyn, theNederlanders, and theShuberts collectively sued the LPC in June 1988 to overturn the landmark designations of 22 theaters, including the Beck, on the merit that the designations severely limited the extent to which the theaters could be modified.^[269] The lawsuit was escalated to theNew York Supreme Court and theSupreme Court of the United States, but these designations were ultimately upheld in 1992.^[270]

After the closure ofGrand Hotel in early 1992, the musicalGuys and Dolls was revived that year,^[259][271] running until 1995.^[272] Following this,Laurie Metcalf starred inMy Thing of Love, which ran at the Beck for 13 performances in May 1995.^[273][274] That October,Ken Ludwig'sMoon Over Buffalo opened at the Beck withCarol Burnett andPhilip Bosco;^[275][276] it lasted for 308 performances.^[277] The Beck was renovated in 1996,^[278][279] a project that involved extending the mezzanine level forward by three rows.^[279] MagicianDavid Copperfield performed in the showDreams & Nightmares that year.^[280][281] Afterward, a revival of the musicalAnnie opened in March 1997,^[282][283] running for 238 performances.^[284] TheRodgers and Hammerstein musicalThe Sound of Music, featuringRebecca Luker andRichard Chamberlain, was revived at the Beck in 1998^[285] for 533 performances.^[286] The musicalKiss Me, Kate was revived at the Beck in late 1999,^[287][288] running through the end of 2001^[289] after nearly closing due to theSeptember 11 attacks.^[290][291] This was followed in 2002 by the musicalSweet Smell of Success, which had 108 performances,^[292][293] as well as a revival ofMan of La Mancha.^[292][294]

In late 2002, Jujamcyn announced that the Martin Beck Theatre would be renamed after illustratorAl Hirschfeld the following June, celebrating what would be his 100th birthday. This would make Hirschfeld the first visual artist with a Broadway theater named for him.^[278][295] Jujamcyn PresidentRocco Landesman described the renaming as "an important event for the history and heritage of Broadway".^[278][296] Hirschfeld died in January 2003, months before he would have turned 100,^[297] though he knew the theater would be renamed for him.^[298] A celebration and tribute to Hirschfeld were held on June 23, 2003,^[298][299] featuring performers drawn by Hirschfeld during his career.^[300][301] The Al Hirschfeld Theatre was renovated afterMan of La Mancha closed.^[296] The theater constructed a new marquee with an illuminated version of Hirschfeld'sSelf-Portrait as an Inkwell.^[300] Red neon initially represented the "ink" on the marquee, but blue neon was later substituted;Playbill said the red neon gave the "macabre" impression that the figure on the marquee was using ink from its own head.^[291] The mezzanine lounge received 22 reproductions of Hirschfeld drawings, which depict plays and actors that appeared at the theater.^[278]

The Al Hirschfeld reopened on November 23, 2003, with a revival of the musicalWonderful Town;^[291][302] it ran for 497 performances.^[303] After Binger died in 2004,^[304] Landesman bought the Al Hirschfeld and Jujamcyn's four other theaters in 2005, along with theair rights above them.^[305]Jordan Roth joined Jujamcyn as a resident producer the same year.^[306] The musicalSweet Charity opened at the Al Hirschfeld in May 2005 after nearly being canceled,^[291][307] staying for 297 performances.^[308] In 2006, some of the air rights above the Al Hirschfeld were sold to two developers as part of a specialzoning provision.^[309][d] The musicalThe Wedding Singer opened in 2006^[291][310] and ran for 285 performances,^[311] followed in 2007 byCurtains for 511 performances.^[312][313] A musical version ofA Tale of Two Cities had a short run in 2008,^[314][315] while the musicalHair opened the next year with 519 performances.^[316][317] In 2009, Roth acquired a 50 percent stake in Jujamcyn and assumed full operation of the firm when Landesman joined the National Endowments of the Arts.^[318][319]

Elf the Musical opened at the Al Hirschfeld in late 2010 for a limited run,^[320][321] followed in 2011 by a revival ofHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.^[322][323] Next, the playFela! had a limited revival at the Al Hirschfeld in July 2012,^[324][325] andElf the Musical was revived again that November.^[326][327] The musicalKinky Boots opened at the theater in April 2013,^[328][329] ultimately running for 2,507 performances over six years.^[330][331] The next show to occupy the Al Hirschfeld was the musicalMoulin Rouge!, which opened in 2019.^[332][333]Moulin Rouge! achieved the box office record for the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, grossing $2,716,892 over nine performances for the week ending December 29, 2019.^[334] The theaterclosed on March 12, 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[335] It reopened on September 24, 2021, withMoulin Rouge! returning.^[336] Jujamcyn andAmbassador Theatre Group (ATG) agreed to merge in early 2023; the combined company would operate seven Broadway theaters, including the Al Hirschfeld.^[337][338] In July 2023, Jordan Roth sold a 93 percent stake in Jujamcyn's five theaters, including the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, to ATG andProvidence Equity.^[339][340]

Productions are listed by the year of their first performance.^[16][17]

• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
• List of Broadway theaters