Ethel Barrymore Theatre

Interactive map of Ethel Barrymore Theatre
Address	243 West47th Street Manhattan, New York United States
Coordinates	40°45′36″N73°59′10″W / 40.76000°N 73.98611°W /40.76000; -73.98611
Owner	The Shubert Organization
Type	Broadway
Capacity	1,058
Construction
Opened	December 20, 1928 (96 years ago) (1928-12-20)
Years active	1928–present
Architect	Herbert J. Krapp
Website
Official website
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 4, 1987[1]
Reference no.	1313[1]
Designated entity	Facade
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 10, 1987[2]
Reference no.	1314[2]
Designated entity	Auditorium interior

TheEthel Barrymore Theatre is aBroadway theater at 243 West47th Street in theTheater District ofMidtown Manhattan inNew York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1928, it was designed byHerbert J. Krapp in theElizabethan,Mediterranean, andAdam styles for theShubert family. The theater, named in honor of actressEthel Barrymore, has 1,058 seats and is operated bythe Shubert Organization. Both thefacade and the auditorium interior areNew York City landmarks.

The ground-floor facade is made ofrusticated blocks ofterracotta. The theater's main entrance consists of two archways and a doorway shielded by amarquee. The upper stories contain an arched screen made of terracotta, inspired by Roman baths, which is surrounded by white brick. The auditorium contains ornamental plasterwork, a sloped orchestra level, a large balcony, and acoved ceiling with a 36 ft-wide (11 m) dome. The balcony level containsbox seats topped by decorative arches. The theater was also designed with a basement lounge and a now-demolished stage house.

The Shubert brothers developed the Barrymore Theatre after Ethel Barrymore agreed to have the brothers manage her theatrical career. It opened on December 20, 1928, withThe Kingdom of God, and was the last pre-Depression house developed by the Shuberts. Ethel Barrymore only worked with the Shuberts until 1932 and last performed in the theater in 1940. The Barrymore has consistently remained in use as alegitimate theater since its opening, hosting plays and musicals; it is one of the few Broadway theaters to have never been sold or renamed. The theater was refurbished in the 1980s and the 2000s.

The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is on 243 West47th Street, on the north sidewalk betweenEighth Avenue andBroadway, nearTimes Square in theTheater District ofMidtown Manhattan inNew York City, New York, U.S.^[3][4] The squareland lot covers 10,050 sq ft (934 m²), with afrontage of 100 ft (30 m) on 47th Street and a depth of 100 feet.^[4][5][6] The Barrymore shares the block with theSamuel J. Friedman Theatre to the west, theLongacre Theatre to the north, and theMorgan Stanley Building to the east. Other nearby buildings include theEugene O'Neill Theatre andWalter Kerr Theatre to the north;Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan to the northeast;20 Times Square to the east; theHotel Edison andLunt-Fontanne Theatre to the south; and theLena Horne Theatre andParamount Hotel to the southwest.^[4]

The Ethel Barrymore Theatre was designed byHerbert J. Krapp in several styles and was constructed in 1928 for theShubert brothers.^[3][7][8] The theater is named after actressEthel Barrymore (1879–1959), a prominent member of theBarrymore family of actors,^[9] and is operated bythe Shubert Organization.^[10][11][12] The Barrymore has been used continuously as alegitimate house and, unlike most Broadway theaters, has never been sold or renamed since its opening.^[13] The Barrymore was the last theater to be built by the Shubert Organization until 2003.^[14]

Detail of central entrance

One of the arched entrances

Detail of wreath

Thefacade is symmetrically arranged. The ground floor is clad inrusticated blocks ofterracotta, painted in a limestone color, above a granitewater table. At ground level, the auditorium entrance includes two arched openings, each with four aluminum and glass doors. Thevoussoirs of the arches are made of rusticated blocks, while thekeystones at the centers of each arch are shaped likebrackets. Within each arch, the spaces above the doors are infilled with black glazed tiles; originally, these spaces were filled with metal tracery. Between the arched doors is a smaller doorway, which is topped by a large keystone. Above all of these openings is amarquee with the name "Barrymore", which is supported by ornate bronze brackets.^[15] The presence of the large marquee obscures the contrast between the ground floor and upper stories.^[16] The brackets originally supported a smaller bronze-and-glass canopy, which curved upward in front of either arch.^[5][17]

On either side of the doors are terracotta niches with bronze-framed sign boards. Above the signboards are terracottawreaths, which surround circular panels with the gilded letters "The Barrymore Theatre". Each wreath is topped by a curvedpediment. The western and eastern portions of the facade are recessed slightly and contain recessed openings.^[15] The opening to the east is marked as the stage door.^[10][15] Afrieze, decorated with leaf and wavemoldings, runs above the first floor.^[15] To the east, there was originally a stage house with fire escapes on its facade, but this has since been replaced with the Morgan Stanley Building.^[17]

The upper stories are faced inbonded glazed-white brick.^[15][17][18] The central part of the facade includes a terracotta screen with anAncient Roman-inspired pattern, surrounded by a cord molding. The screen includes a grid of squares, each of which contain central medallions with bars radiating in eight directions. To the left of the screen, the wall contains a sign with the name "Barrymore" and a metal fire escape. A metal sign hangs from the facade to the right. The top of the screen curves upward in a manner resembling aproscenium arch, and a brickparapet rises above the screen. AGreek key frieze and acornice with talon moldings runs above the entire facade.^[15] Contemporary media from the theater's opening cited the top of the facade as being 62 ft (19 m) above the sidewalk, while the screen was 52 ft (16 m) wide.^[6][18]

The auditorium has an orchestra level, one balcony,boxes and astage behind the proscenium arch. The space is designed with plaster decorations in lowrelief.^[19] The auditorium is shaped almost as a square.^[20] According to the Shubert Organization, the auditorium has 1,058 seats;^[12] meanwhile,Playbill cites 1,039 seats^[10] andThe Broadway League cites 1,096 seats.^[11] The physical seats are divided into 582 seats in the orchestra, 196 at the front of the balcony, 256 at the rear of the balcony, and 24 in the boxes.^[12] There were originally 1,100 seats, divided into 570 in the orchestra, 494 in the balcony, and 36 in the boxes.^[20][21]

The seats were designed to be "unusually comfortable",^[20] with steel backs and bottoms. A source from the theater's opening cited the auditorium as having an old-gold and brown color scheme.^[21] The interior uses a combination ofElizabethan,Mediterranean, andAdam-style design motifs.^[17]

The rear of the orchestra contains a promenade.^[22] The rear wall of the promenade contains three doorways, above which is a frieze.^[23] The promenade ceiling is curved and contains Elizabethanstrapwork patterns.^[22] There is awrought iron balustrade between the orchestra promenade and the last row of orchestra seating. Two staircases lead from either end of the promenade to the balcony level; they contain wrought-iron railings with shield and strapwork motifs.^[21][24] The orchestra israked, sloping down toward the stage.^[15][21] The side walls of the orchestra contain awainscoting that is divided into panels.^[19] The walls were originally painted cinnamon and gold.^[21] There are lightingsconces on the walls.^[24]

The balcony level is cantilevered above the orchestra and is divided into front and rear sections by an aisle halfway across its depth.^[22] The crossover aisle connects tosegmentally arched exit doors on both of the side walls.^[19] There are console brackets above the arched exit doors, which support terraces that project slightly from an opening on either wall.^[25] The rest of the balcony's side walls are made of simple plaster and contain wall sconces. The front rail of the balcony contains high-relief strapwork patterns, which have been covered over with light boxes. The underside of the balcony has plasterwork panels with crystal light fixtures suspended from medallions.^[23] The original lighting fixtures, consisting of inverted bowls ofcut glass,^[20][21] have since been replaced.^[24] Air-conditioning vents are placed along some of the panels under the balcony, as well as at the balcony's rear. There is a technical booth behind the balcony's rear wall.^[24]

On either side of the proscenium are three boxes, raised about 9 ft (2.7 m) from the orchestra floor,^[5][6][21] which curve toward the side walls.^[22] At orchestra level is a wainscoted wall interrupted by three segmental-arched openings, one beneath each box.^[25] The undersides of the boxes contain moldings and crystal light fixtures similar to those on the balcony.^[23] The box fronts are decorated with three Elizabethan-style plasterwork bands. From bottom to top, the bands depict shields withputti's faces;rosettes; and strapwork around shields.^[25] Immediately behind the boxes are six gold-colored, flutedpilasters with Ioniccapitals.^[21][25] There are half-columns in front of the pilasters that flank the center box. Above the pilasters is anarchitrave with plaster strapwork reliefs, as well as a balustrade containing vase-shapedbalusters. There is alunette above the balustrade; it includes a square shield motif, which is connected bylatticework bands to sphinxes on either side.^[25] The lunette is surrounded by strapwork bands and several concentric semicircular arches.^[17][21][25] The semicircular arches have design motifs such as shells, shields,anthemia, and half-columns.^[25] The arches, combined with the lunette, constitute a sunburst pattern.^[12][17] The boxes and semicircular arches are surrounded by a plaster frame.^[25]

Next to the boxes is a three-centered proscenium arch.^[22] The archway is surrounded by a wide band with strapwork motifs, with narrow bands of leaves on either side. Thespandrels, above the corners of the proscenium arch, contain decorative motifs.^[25] The proscenium measures 24 ft 10 in (7.57 m) high and 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m) wide. The depth of the auditorium to the proscenium is 28 ft 3 in (8.61 m), while the depth to the front of the stage is 31 ft 3 in (9.53 m).^[12] According to sources from the theater's completion, the proscenium opening was 40 ft (12 m) wide, while the arch itself was 34 ft (10 m) high. As arranged, the stage itself measured 28 ft (8.5 m) deep by 81 ft (25 m) wide. The stage gridiron was placed 65 ft (20 m) above the stage.^[5][6][21] There aretraps throughout the entire stage, as well as acounterweight fly system.^[21]

The ceiling rises 49 ft (15 m) from the floor of the orchestra.^[5][6][21] Thecoved ceiling contains a dome at its center, measuring 36 ft (11 m) wide.^[20][22] At the center of the dome is a grilled centerpiece,^[21] which is surrounded by several Elizabethan-style circles, as well as four medallions placed at 90-degree angles.^[24] A glass chandelier hangs from the center of the dome.^[20][24] The rest of the dome is divided into wedge-shaped sections, which are arranged in a circular pattern around the centerpiece.^[21][24] Outside of the dome, the coved ceiling contains latticework panels, surrounded by a strapwork pattern. Where the coved ceiling curves onto the side walls, there is a band with water-leaf motifs.^[24] Originally, this band was colored in green, gold, and gray.^[21]

The theater was built with a general lounge in the basement, which measured 25 by 50 ft (7.6 by 15.2 m). Separate spaces in the lounge were provided for women and men, and there was also a telephone booth.^[5][6] According to contemporary news articles, the basement lounge was decorated with an ivory-colored strapwork ceiling, modeled after English designs. The lounge had antique Elizabethan furniture, a mulberry-and-taupe carpet, and walls with an "old English texture in antique color".^[21][20] When the theater opened,Gilbert Miller lent a bronze bust of Ethel Barrymore, which was designed by A. C. Laddy.^[20] The basement also had a large dressing room for choruses.^[5][6]

On the first floor, Ethel Barrymore had her own modern-style reception and dressing room.^[5][6][21] The second floor had a chorus room and a smaller dressing room. The theater was built with three additional floors, each with four dressing rooms.^[5][6]

Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 andthe Great Depression.^[26] During the 1900s and 1910s, many theaters in Midtown Manhattan were developed by theShubert brothers, one of the major theatrical syndicates of the time.^[27] The Shuberts originated fromSyracuse, New York, and expandeddownstate into New York City in the first decade of the 20th century.^[28][29] The brothers controlled a quarter of all plays and three-quarters of theatrical ticket sales in the U.S. by 1925.^[28][30] The Shuberts continued to build Broadway theaters in the 1920s,^[31][32] with the construction of four theaters on 48th and 49th Streets,^[31][a] as well as theImperial Theatre on 45th Street.^[34]

In 1927, playwrightZoe Akins told Ethel Barrymore about an offer from the Shubert brothers,^[35] who proposed developing a Broadway theater and naming it in her honor if she agreed to be represented by the Shuberts.^[36] Barrymore agreed,^[36] and the Shuberts hired Krapp to design the theater, construction of which started in late April or early May 1928.^[37] At the time, Barrymore was 48 years old^[b] and a prominent theatrical personality;^[38][16] she had been represented by theFrohman brothers for almost her entire career.^[39] In September 1928,Lee Shubert announced that the theater would open the next month, with Barrymore starring in G. Martinez Sierra's playThe Kingdom of God.^[18] The theater's completion was delayed, promptingThe Kingdom of God to go on a several-week tour.^[39][40]

The Barrymore Theatre ultimately opened on December 20, 1928.^[20][41][42] During the opening, which was attended by many New York City socialites, Ethel Barrymore received seven curtain calls before she was able to give a speech thanking the Shuberts.^[20][43] The Barrymore Theatre received so many items of Barrymore memorabilia that, within a month of the theater's opening, the Shuberts considered creating a library to house these gifts.^[44] Ethel Barrymore appeared at her eponymous theater again in 1929, when she co-starred withLouis Calhern inThe Love Duel,^[42][45] which ran for 88 performances.^[46][47][48] The Barrymore's next several plays did not feature Ethel Barrymore.^[49] These included a transfer ofJohn Drinkwater's comedyBird in Hand in September 1929,^[50] as well asDeath Takes a Holiday that December,^[42][51] the latter of which had a comparatively long run of 181 performances.^[46][52]

In 1930, the theater staged the comedyTopaze^[46][53] and the romanceHis Majesty's Car.^[46][54] Ethel Barrymore's next appearance at the Barrymore was in the short-livedblackface comedyScarlet Sister Mary in November 1930,^[42][55] which saw the Broadway debut of the actress's daughter,Ethel Barrymore Colt.^[56] More successful wasThe Truth Game withIvor Novello andBillie Burke, which opened that December^[57] and had 105 performances.^[46][58] In 1931, the Barrymore hostedMélo withEdna Best andBasil Rathbone,^[59][60][61] followed that November by Ethel Barrymore inThe School for Scandal,^[62][63][64] whose son John Drew Colt made his first Broadway appearance in that show.^[62] The Barrymore's productions in 1932 included a 144-performance run ofWhistling in the Dark,^[65][66] as well as the short-lived comedyHere Today^[65][67][68] and a transfer ofThere's Always Juliet.^[65][69] The same year, Ethel Barrymore stopped performing under the Shuberts' management, prompting the brothers to remove her first name from the marquee.^[70] At the end of 1932,Fred Astaire andClaire Luce starred in the musicalGay Divorce,^[65][71][72] where Astaire performed without his sisterAdele for the first time.^[73]

The theater's plays in 1933 includedDesign for Living withAlfred Lunt,Lynn Fontanne, andNoël Coward,^[74][75][76] as well as the mysteryTen Minute Alibi and the dramaJezebel.^[77] The Barrymore went intoreceivership the same year, and the receiver deeded the theater to the Barrymore Theater Corporation.^[78][79] The Barrymore had sevenflops in 1934.^[77] Coward, Lunt, and Fontanne returned in January 1935 for the playPoint Valaine,^[80] which lasted for only 56 performances.^[81][82] The Barrymore hosted a transfer of the playDistaff Side that March,^[77] andPhilip Merivale andGladys Cooper stagedrevivals of Shakespeare'sMacbeth andOthello that October.^[81][83] The playParnell opened in November 1935 and ran for 98 performances;^[81][84] it was followed by a double bill ofIrwin Shaw'sBury the Dead andPrelude in April 1936,^[81][85] thenEmlyn Williams'sNight Must Fall that September.^[86][87][88]Clare Boothe Luce'sThe Women opened with an all-female cast in December 1936^[77][89] and was a hit, running for 657 performances.^[90][91][92]

ThePlaywrights' Company next presented the musicalKnickerbocker Holiday withWalter Huston in 1938.^[74][93][94] The next year, the Barrymore hostedNo Time for Comedy withKatharine Cornell,Laurence Olivier, andMargalo Gillmore for 185 performances,^[95][96] andKey Largo withPaul Muni,Uta Hagen, andJosé Ferrer for 105 performances.^[97][98] In 1940, Ethel Barrymore appeared in the short-lived playAn International Incident,^[97][99] her last appearance at her namesake theater.^[100] The musicalPal Joey, featuringGene Kelly andVivienne Segal with a score byRodgers and Hart, opened later that year^[101][102] and ran for 270 performances before transferring to another theater.^{[97][103][104]} The next hit wasBest Foot Forward withRosemary Lane in 1941,^[105] which had 326 performances.^{[97][106][107]}Walter Kerr andLeo Brady'sCount Me In had a short run in 1942,^[108][109] butAnton Chekhov'sThe Three Sisters withKatharine Cornell was more successful, with 123 performances.^[108][110] Another success was the war dramaTomorrow the World in 1943,^[111][112] which had 499 performances.^[113]

Revivals predominated at the theater in the mid-1940s.^[114] These includedThe Barretts of Wimpole Street^{[111][115][116]} andPygmalion in 1945,^[117][118] as well asThe Duchess of Malfi^{[111][119][120]} andCyrano de Bergerac in 1946.^[121][122] In 1947,Gian Carlo Menotti presented a double bill of the musical playsThe Telephone andThe Medium at the theater,^[121][123] which ran for 212 performances.^[124][125] Later that year, the Barrymore presentedTennessee Williams'sA Streetcar Named Desire, originally featuringMarlon Brando,Kim Hunter,Karl Malden, andJessica Tandy.^[126][127] The play, one of several thatIrene Mayer Selznick produced at the theater, ran for 855 performances over the next two years.^[121][128]

Menotti hosted another show at the Barrymore in 1950: the operaThe Consul withPatricia Neway andMarie Powers.^{[121][129][130]} Later that year, the Barrymore hostedBell, Book and Candle with husband-and-wife teamRex Harrison andLilli Palmer,^[131][132] which ran for 233 performances.^[133][134] Another married couple starred in another hit in 1951:The Fourposter with Jessica Tandy andHume Cronyn,^[131][135] who stayed for 632 performances.^[136][137] This was followed in 1953 by a transfer ofMisalliance.^{[138][139][140]} The same year, the Barrymore stagedTea and Sympathy withDeborah Kerr,Leif Erickson, andJohn Kerr,^[131][141] which had 712 total performances.^[138][142] Shows in 1955 includedThe Desperate Hours;^{[143][144][145]} a personal appearance byMarcel Marceau;^[138][146] and the dramaThe Chalk Garden.^{[143][147][148]}Leonard Sillman's revueNew Faces of 1956 ran for 220 performances,^[138][149] featuringMaggie Smith in her Broadway debut, as well as female impersonatorT. C. Jones.^[150]Ketti Frings's adaptation ofLook Homeward, Angel premiered in 1957^[131][151] and ran 530 performances.^[138][152]

A Raisin in the Sun opened in March 1959,^[131][153] staying for seven months and running 530 total performances.^[154][155] When Ethel Barrymore died in June of that year, the theater's lights were dimmed in its namesake's honor.^[9][43] Another comedy,A Majority of One withGertrude Berg andCedric Hardwicke, moved to the Barrymore later that year^[150] and ran through June 1960.^[156][157] The Barrymore's productions of the early 1960s includedCritic's Choice withHenry Fonda andMildred Natwick in 1960;^{[154][158][159]}The Complaisant Lover withMichael Redgrave,Richard Johnson, andGoogie Withers in 1961;^{[160][161][162]} andA Gift of Time with Fonda andOlivia de Havilland in 1962.^[154][163] Later in the decade, the theater hostedThe Amen Corner in 1965,^{[154][164][165]} followed the next year byWait Until Dark^{[166][167][168]} and a limited engagement byLes Ballets Africains.^{[166][169][170]} This was followed in 1967 byPeter Shaffer's twin production ofBlack Comedy andWhite Lies.^[171][172] The Barrymore's last hit of the 1960s was a revival ofThe Front Page in 1969.^{[173][174][175]}

The Barrymore hosted several hits in the 1970s, several of which wonTony Awards and other accolades.^[176] In 1970,Conduct Unbecoming opened at the Barrymore, featuringMichael Barrington andJeremy Clyde.^{[177][178][179]} The next year,Alec McCowen appeared inThe Philanthropist,^{[177][180][181]} as well asMelvin Van Peebles's musicalAin't Supposed to Die a Natural Death.^[177][182] The New Phoenix Repertory Company premiered at the Barrymore in late 1973, with three works:^[177]The Visit,^[183][184]Chemin de Fer,^[185][186] andHoliday.^[187][188] This was followed in 1974 byNoël Coward in Two Keys with Tandy, Cronyn, andAnne Baxter,^[177][189] a double bill of Coward's playsA Song at Twilight andCome Into the Garden, Maud.^[190] The Barrymore hosted the playTravesties withJohn Wood in 1975,^{[191][192][193]} as well asAmerican Buffalo withRobert Duvall^{[191][194][195]} andI Love My Wife in 1977.^{[196][197][198]} The Barrymore's last hit of the decade was the 1979 playRomantic Comedy, featuringMia Farrow andAnthony Perkins.^{[191][199][200]} During the run ofRomantic Comedy, the Barrymore Theatre became one of the first theaters to distribute electronic headsets to help hard-of-hearing visitors.^[201] The theater also hosted a party in December 1979 to celebrate what would have been Ethel Barrymore's birthday.^[202]

The Barrymore continued to host hits in the early 1980s.^[176] These includedLunch Hour, which opened in 1980 withGilda Radner andSam Waterston,^{[191][203][204]} followed in 1981 byThe West Side Waltz withKatharine Hepburn andDorothy Loudon.^{[191][205][206]} Hume Cronyn returned to the Barrymore in 1982, making his playwriting debut withFoxfire,^[207] in which he costarred with Jessica Tandy andKeith Carradine.^{[208][209][210]} This was followed at the end of 1983 byBaby,^[211][212] which ran for 241 performances.^[208][213] The next year,David Rabe'sHurlyburly transferred from off-Broadway^[211][214] and ran for 343 performances.^[215][216] The Barrymore's productions in 1986 included the solo showLillian withZoe Caldwell,^[217][218] as well asSocial Security, the latter of which ran for 385 performances through 1987.^[219][220] TheAugust Wilson musicalJoe Turner's Come and Gone opened at the Barrymore in 1988.^{[221][222][223]} The following year, the Barrymore hostedMetamorphosis withMikhail Baryshnikov,^[222][224] as well as a 12-performance run ofDavid Hare'sThe Secret Rapture.^[225][226] During the late 1980s, the Shuberts renovated the Barrymore as part of a restoration program for their Broadway theaters,^[227] and the Shuberts also sold the Barrymore'sair rights for development.^[228]

TheNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started to consider protecting the Barrymore as a landmark in 1982,^[229] with discussions continuing over the next several years.^[230] The LPC designated the Barrymore's facade as a landmark on November 4, 1987,^[231][232] followed by the interior on November 10.^{[231][233][234][c]} This was part of the commission's wide-ranging effort in 1987 to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters.^[235] TheNew York City Board of Estimate ratified the designations in March 1988.^[236] The Shuberts, theNederlanders, andJujamcyn collectively sued the LPC in June 1988 to overturn the landmark designations of 22 theaters, including the Barrymore, on the merit that the designations severely limited the extent to which the theaters could be modified.^[237] The lawsuit was escalated to theNew York Supreme Court and theSupreme Court of the United States, but these designations were ultimately upheld in 1992.^[238]

In 1990, the playLettice and Lovage opened at the Barrymore, featuringMargaret Tyzack andMaggie Smith from theWest End version of the play.^{[239][240][241]} The next year, theLincoln Center Theater broughtMule Bone, a never-performed play written in 1930 byLangston Hughes andZora Neale Hurston;^[242][243] it ran at the Barrymore for 67 performances.^[244][245] A limited revival ofA Streetcar Named Desire, featuringAlec Baldwin andJessica Lange, opened in 1992.^[246][247] Afterward, the off-Broadway hitThe Sisters Rosensweig moved to the Barrymore in 1993,^[248] with 556 Broadway performances.^[242][249] The playIndiscretions opened in 1995^[250] and had 220 performances;^{[251][252][253]} it was followed the next year by a 306-performance revival ofOscar Wilde'sAn Ideal Husband.^[254][255]Cy Coleman'soff-off-Broadway musicalThe Life transferred to the Barrymore in 1997^[256][257] and saw 465 performances.^[258][259] The Barrymore next hosted a revival of the Greek tragedyElectra in 1998,^{[260][261][262]} then the West End hitAmy's View^{[263][261][264]} and the musicalPutting It Together in 1999.^{[265][266][267]}

TheDonmar Warehouse's production ofThe Real Thing^{[13][268][269]} and theManhattan Theatre Club's version ofThe Tale of the Allergist's Wife were both performed at the Barrymore in 2000.^[270][271] The 777-performance run ofThe Tale of the Allergist's Wife^[272][273] was followed by shorter runs ofImaginary Friends in 2002,Salome in 2003, andSly Fox in 2004.^[272][11] 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 Barrymore.^[274][275] The Barrymore Theatre was then renovated for $9 million in 2004.^[276] Next came a revival of Tennessee Williams'sThe Glass Menagerie in 2005 and the short-lived musicalRing of Fire in 2006.^[272][11] Later in 2006, a revival ofStephen Sondheim'sCompany opened at the Barrymore, running for 247 performances.^[277][278] The bandDuran Duran, performing its albumRed Carpet Massacre in November 2007,^[279][280] was forced to relocate due to the2007 Broadway stagehand strike.^[272][281] The Barrymore's exterior was renovated as part of a two-year project that was completed in 2008.^[282]

The Barrymore hosted threeDavid Mamet plays in the late 2000s:November andSpeed-the-Plow in 2008, as well asRace in 2009.^[272][11]Eugène Ionesco'sExit the King was also performed at the Barrymore in 2009.^[283][284] The 2010 playElling had nine performances before it flopped.^[285][286] This was followed in 2011 by the playArcadia,^[287] as well as a special appearance,An Evening withPatti LuPone andMandy Patinkin.^[288][289] The Barrymore hostedDeath of a Salesman andChaplin in 2012;Macbeth andBetrayal in 2013; andA Raisin in the Sun in 2014. With the exception of the musicalChaplin, these productions were all revivals of plays.^[11] Next, the playThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time opened in late 2014 and ran for nearly two years.^[290][291] WhenThe Curious Incident closed, the food show presenterAlton Brown had a limited appearance at the Barrymore in November 2016.^[292][293]

In 2017, the Barrymore hosted the playsThe Present andSix Degrees of Separation.^[10][11] At the end of the same year, the Barrymore staged the musicalThe Band's Visit, which ran through early 2019.^[294][295] The playThe Inheritance opened in November 2019^[296][297] and was a few days short of its scheduled closing^[298][299] when the Barrymore temporarilyclosed on March 12, 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[300] The theater reopened on September 4, 2021, with a limited revival ofWaitress,^[301] which closed at the end of the year.^[302] The musicalParadise Square ran for three months from April to July 2022,^[303][304] followed by the first Broadway revival of the playThe Piano Lesson, which opened at the theater in October 2022^[305] and ran for three months.^[306] A transfer of the West End playPeter Pan Goes Wrong opened at the Barrymore in April 2023, running for three months.^[307][308] This was followed in August 2023 by a limited run ofAntonio Díaz's magic showEl Mago Pop,^[309][310] then in October 2023 byBarry Manilow andBruce Sussman's musicalHarmony.^[311][312] The playPatriots opened at the Barrymore in April 2024^[313][314] and was followed in October by a limited run ofOur Town.^[315][316] A revival ofOthello then opened at the Barrymore in March 2025.^[317]

Productions are listed by the year of their first performance.^[10][11]

Waitress achieved the box office record for the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. It grossed $197,878 in ticket sales on September 3, 2021, breaking the previous single-performance house record at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre set by the production ofBetrayal ($184,476).^[379] This record was broken in August 2023 byEl Mago Pop which grossed $2.717 million in one week of ticket sales.^[380] In March 2025,Othello garnered $2,818,297 in ticket sales over eight performances, breaking the all-time box office record for any Broadway theater;^[381][382] this was in part due to high average ticket prices.^[383]

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