Folies-Bergere, Helen Hayes Theatre | |
 Helen Hayes (originally Fulton) Theatre, circa 1980 | |
  Fulton Theatre Location in Manhattan Show map of Manhattan Fulton Theatre Location in New York City Show map of New York City | |
| Address | 210 West 46th Street New York City United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°45′31″N73°59′08″W / 40.7587°N 73.9856°W /40.7587; -73.9856 |
| Type | Broadway |
| Construction | |
| Opened | April 27, 1911 |
| Reopened | October 20, 1911 |
| Demolished | 1982 |
| Architect | Herts & Tallant |
TheFulton Theatre was aBroadway theatre located at 210 West 46th Street inManhattan,New York City, that was opened in 1911. It was renamed theHelen Hayes Theatre in 1955. The theatre was demolished in 1982. After the former Little Theatre on 44th Street became thecurrent Helen Hayes Theatre, the Fulton Theatre was sometimes referred to as theFirst Helen Hayes Theatre.
Built by the architectsHerts & Tallant forHenry B. Harris andJesse Lasky, it was originally opened on April 27, 1911, under the nameFolies-Bergere as adinner theatre withvaudeville.[1] The building featured three murals and a color scheme by leading American muralistWilliam de Leftwich Dodge. Eighteen-year-oldMae West was discovered here byThe New York Times at her Broadway debut on September 22, 1911.[2][3] Closing after that,[4] the theatre reopened on October 20, 1911, as the Fulton Theatre, a conventional playhouse.[5] The theatre was managed byAbraham L. Erlanger from 1921, until his death in 1930.
In 1955, the theatre was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in honor of the renowned actressHelen Hayes and re-opened under that name on November 21.
In 1982, the theatre was demolished, along with theMorosco,[6]Bijou,Gaiety andAstor Theatres, to make way for theMarriott Marquis Hotel, which now houses theMarquis Theatre. Parts of the Helen Hayes Theatre were salvaged before the theatre's demolition and were used to buildthe Shakespeare Center, home of theRiverside Shakespeare Company on theUpper West Side, which was dedicated by Hayes andJoseph Papp in September 1982.[7]
Since Helen Hayes was still living at the time of her namesake theater's demolition, the nearbyLittle Theatre at 240 West 44th Street was renamed in her honor in 1983.[8]
Besides Mae West, the Fulton has also had English actorRobert Morley in the title role of the playOscar Wilde byLeslie andSewell Stokes in 1938. The play ran for 247 performances and its success launched Morley's career as a stage actor on both sides of the Atlantic.
Audrey Hepburn starred in theGilbert Miller production ofGigi, which opened at the Fulton on November 24, 1951, and ran for 219 performances.
Notable runs in excess of 100 performances include:
As Helen Hayes Theatre:
. Quote: "A girl named Mae West, hitherto unknown, pleased by her grotesquerie and snappy way of singing and dancing."
