Longacre Theatre

The Prom, 2019
Interactive map of Longacre Theatre
Address	220 West 48th Street Manhattan, New York United States
Coordinates	40°45′37″N73°59′09″W / 40.76028°N 73.98583°W /40.76028; -73.98583
Owner	The Shubert Organization
Type	Broadway
Capacity	1,077
Production	Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Construction
Opened	May 1, 1913 (112 years ago) (1913-05-01)
Years active	1913–1942, 1953–present
Architect	Henry Beaumont Herts
Website
shubert.nyc/theatres/longacre/
New York City Landmark
Designated	December 8, 1987[1]
Reference no.	1348[1]
Designated entity	Facade
New York City Landmark
Designated	December 8, 1987[2]
Reference no.	1349[2]
Designated entity	Auditorium interior

TheLongacre Theatre is aBroadway theater at 220 West48th Street in theTheater District ofMidtown Manhattan inNew York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1913, it was designed byHenry B. Herts and is named for Longacre Square, the former name ofTimes Square. The Longacre has 1,077 seats across three levels and is operated byThe Shubert Organization. Both thefacade and the auditorium's interior areNew York City designated landmarks.

The ground-floor facade is made ofrusticated blocks ofterracotta. The theater's main entrance is shielded by amarquee. The upper stories are divided vertically into fivebays, which containniches on either side of three large windows. The auditorium contains ornamental plasterwork, a sloped orchestra level, two balconies, and acoved ceiling. The balcony level containsbox seats topped by flat arches, and theproscenium opening is also a flat arch. In addition, the Longacre contains two lounges, and the top story formerly had offices.

Theatrical personalityHarry Frazee acquired the site in 1911 and developed the Longacre Theatre to accommodate musicals. The Longacre opened on May 1, 1913, with the playAre You a Crook?, but the theater housed severalflops in its early years. Frazee, who co-owned the theater with G. M. Anderson, sold his ownership stake in 1917 to focus on baseball. TheShubert brothers acquired the Longacre in 1924 and operated it for two decades before leasing it as a radio and television studio in 1944. The Shuberts returned the Longacre tolegitimate theatrical use in 1953. The theater gained a reputation for hosting few successful productions in the late 20th century and was nearly converted to a court in the early 1990s. The Longacre was renovated in 2008.

The Longacre Theatre is on 220 West48th Street, on the south sidewalk betweenEighth Avenue andBroadway, nearTimes Square in theTheater District ofMidtown Manhattan inNew York City, New York, U.S.^[3][4] The squareland lot covers 9,990 square feet (928 m²), with afrontage of about 100 feet (30 m) on 48th Street and a depth of 100 feet.^[4] The Longacre shares the block with theSamuel J. Friedman Theatre to the west, theEthel Barrymore Theatre to the south, 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]

Before the Longacre Theatre was developed, the surrounding area generally had a mixture of low-rise residences and industrial buildings.^[5][6] The site of the Longacre Theatre was previously occupied by a row of four residences, each of which was three stories high.^[5] At the time of the theater's construction, the site to the east contained a carriage factory, while the Union Methodist Church was across 48th Street.^[7]

The Longacre Theatre was designed byHenry B. Herts and constructed for baseball personalityHarry Frazee.^[3][8] Herts had designed several Broadway theaters with his partner Hugh Tallant, including theNew Amsterdam Theatre andLyceum Theatre, but the partnership dissolved in the early 1910s. The Longacre was one of the first Broadway theaters that Herts designed alone.^[8]

The mainelevation of thefacade faces north on 48th Street and is arranged symmetrically with classical French details.^[9] Early news articles about the theater described it as having a facade of gray limestone and terracotta,^[10][11][12] with the terracotta pieces being painted in several colors.^[13][14] A contemporaryNew-York Tribune article compared the theater to theWhitehall Palace,^[11] while aNew York Times article said the theater's exterior "gives a cheerful touch of snap and cheer to the old-time structures formerly characteristic of this block".^[13] The west and east elevations contain brick walls with window openings and fire escapes.^[15]

At ground level along 48th Street, there is awater table made of granite, above which arerusticated blocks of terracotta. The ground level contains five doorways, separated by sign boards. The three center openings are each approached by a single step; each opening contains a metal-and-glass double door topped by atransom. On either side of the central doors is a recessed doorway containing metal double doors. Afrieze decorated with foliatemoldings, as well as a horizontal band with facets, runs above the first floor. Above all of these openings is a metalmarquee.^[9] The stage door is to the left of the main entrance doors.^[16] According to early photographs, the ground-floor facade was originally composed of colored terracotta tiles, the color of which complemented the upper stories.^[14]

The upper stories are divided into fivebays, separated by flutedpilasters. The lower section of each pilaster contains a floral decoration, anurn, and aniche with a female statue personifying Drama; the statues hold masks and scrolls. The pilasters are topped byCorinthian-stylecapitals.^[9] The three inner bays (directly above the marquee) contain double-height openings, each with a window and a transom bar that is divided horizontally into three sections. The bottoms of each window containsills withbrackets andreeded panels, while the spaces above contain curvedpediments.^[17] A triangular sign is placed over the center window.^[15][18] The outermost two bays contain paneling, as well ascorbels that support empty niches.^[9] Large billboards were originally hung over the outermost bays.^[18]

Niche in one of the outer bays

Window in one of the center bays

Windows in the attic

Near the top of each bay, between the pilasters' capitals, is a frieze panel in each bay. Each panel consists of an oval plaque, which is flanked by circular medallions with scallop and mask motifs. Above this, an entablature wraps across the width of the facade; it contains fluted tiles on either side of an inscription with the words "The Longacre Theatre". The entablature is topped by a cornice withmodillions and lions' heads. Above thecornice is an attic story with two recessed sash windows in each bay. The interiors of the recessed window openings are decorated with medallions and foliate motifs. The attic story's bays are separated by projecting pilasters with urns and foliate decoration. There is anarchitrave and aparapet just below the roof.^[15]

The theater was intended to be fireproof, with stone, brick, steel, terracotta, and reinforced concrete being used in its construction.^[10][11] The auditorium has an orchestra level, two balconies,boxes, and astage behind theproscenium arch. The auditorium's width is slightly greater than its depth, and the space is designed with plaster decorations inrelief.^[19] The Longacre's operatorThe Shubert Organization cites the auditorium as having 1,077 seats;^[20][21] meanwhile,Playbill cites 1,045 seats^[16] andThe Broadway League cites 1,091 seats.^[22] These are divided into 508 in the orchestra, 304 in the first balcony, 249 in the second balcony, and 16 in the boxes.^[20] The 1,077-seat capacity dates to a 2008 renovation, when 18 seats were removed to improve wheelchair accessibility and sight lines.^[21] The orchestra level is wheelchair-accessible via the main doors; the balcony levels are primarily accessed by steps, but there is a smallwheelchair lift.^[20]

The original color scheme consisted of hues of Roman gold, with topaz carpets, wisteria seats, and gold draperies.^[10][23] Though the decorative scheme was described in one source as "extremely simple",^[7][23] the decorative motifs that did exist were highly elaborate, and some motifs were repeated multiple times.^[23] The auditorium's current color scheme, which consists of gold and green hues, dates to 2008.^[21]

The theater's lobby was originally decorated in gray-green colors, with highlights of gold and serpentine marble.^[10][11][12] The dressing rooms behind the stage are completely insulated from the auditorium by a heavy steel wall.^[10][12] In addition, Frazee's offices were placed above the auditorium.^[10][11] In a 2008 renovation, a 1,600-square-foot (150 m²) basement lounge was excavated, and the attic was turned into an upper lounge with a bar and bathrooms.^[21]

The rear of the orchestra contains a promenade. The rear wall of the promenade and the side walls of the orchestra contain plasterwork paneling, as well as doorways with eared frames. The promenade ceiling has molded ribs.^[24] Staircases with wrought-iron railings lead from the promenade to the balcony levels.^[19] The orchestra israked, sloping down toward anorchestra pit in front of the stage.^[25] The front walls of the auditorium curve inward toward the proscenium opening.^[25] The ground floor formerly had three boxes near the proscenium.^[23]

Promenades also exist behind both balcony levels. The balcony walls have similar plasterwork paneling and eared doorway frames to the orchestra level. An entablature runs atop the front portion of the second balcony's walls; it wraps above the boxes on both sides of the auditorium, as well as above the proscenium arch.^[24] There are light fixtures and air conditioning vents underneath both balcony levels, as well as a technical booth behind the second balcony's rear wall.^[26] The balcony fronts were originally decorated with plasterworkswags andfleurettes.^[18] The ornamentation on the undersides and front railings of both balconies was removed at some point after the theater's opening,^[24] then restored in 2008.^[21] The balconies are shallow and placed at a low height, a deliberate design choice that brought these seats closer to the stage.^[23]

On either side of the proscenium is one curved box at the first balcony level. The boxes are housed within flat-arched openings.^[15] As with the balconies, the boxes' fronts were originally decorated with plasterworkswags andfleurettes,^[18] but the original ornamentation on the boxes' undersides and front railings was removed after the theater's opening.^[24] The boxes' ornamentation was also restored in 2008.^[21] Above each box is an entablature with foliate motifs and a cornice with dentils. AnAdam-style band surrounds each box's arch. In addition, there is an oval medallion depicting a helmet and shield, which interrupts the Adam-style band.^[24]

Next to the boxes is a flat proscenium arch.^[25] The inner edge of the archway contains a molded band of shells. A wider band with foliate andlatticework motifs also surrounds the archway.^[24] News sources from 1913 describe the band being made of gold and "breccia violet marble".^[10][12] Above the center of the arch is a cartouche, which is decorated with foliate motifs; the cartouche overlaps both the wide band and the entablature above it. The entablature is decorated with helmets and symbols of laurel bands, spears, and shields.^[24] The proscenium measures 34 feet 10 inches (10.62 m) high and 35 feet 0 inches (10.67 m) wide. The depth of the auditorium to the proscenium is 29 feet 7 inches (9.02 m), while the depth to the front of the stage is 32 feet 3 inches (9.83 m).^[20] The stage measures 70 feet (21 m) wide and either 36 feet (11 m)^[11][12] or 46 feet (14 m) deep.^[10]

The ceiling is slightlycoved at its edges, though the rest of the ceiling is flat.^[25] A coved, molded band separates the ceiling into front and rear sections. A wide panel containing cartouches, foliate decoration, and latticework is placed at the front of the ceiling.^[24] Two chandeliers hang from either side of this panel.^[26] The rear section of the ceiling is semicircular and is surrounded by a band with foliate decorations.^[24]

Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and theGreat Depression.^[27] Manhattan's theater district had begun to shift fromUnion Square andMadison Square during the first decade of the 20th century.^[28][29] From 1901 to 1920, forty-three theaters were built around Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, including the Longacre Theatre.^[30]Harry Frazee was a theatrical personality (and later a baseball executive) fromPeoria, Illinois, who entered the industry as a 16-year-old theater usher in 1896. Frazee subsequently moved toChicago, operating theaters and producing several shows.^[31][32]

In late 1911, the lots at 220 to 228 West 48th Street were sold to Frazee and George W. Lederer.^[33][34] The site would be redeveloped with a theater known as the Longacre, after Times Square's former name. Several architects had already proposed designs for the theater.^[34] By January 1912, Henry B. Herts had been selected as the architect,^[7][35] and he filed plans for the theater that month with theNew York City Department of Buildings.^[36] Frazee planned to house his own musicals at the Longacre.^[14][37] Construction started in May 1912 at an estimated cost of $150,000.^[14] By August 1912, the theater was reportedly near completion and scheduled to open that October.^[38][39] The opening was then delayed to November,^[40] and the scaffolding in front of the theater was disassembled by October.^[41] The theater's completion stalled due to "strikes and contractors' difficulties",^[42] including the bankruptcy of a contractor.^[43]Philip Bartholomae made an unsuccessful offer of $400,000 for the theater in December 1912,^[44] and work resumed shortly afterward.^[43] The delays nearly doubled the cost to $275,000.^[14]

The Longacre opened on May 1, 1913, withAre You a Crook?, afarce about criminals^[45][46] that closed after 12 performances.^[47][48] It was one of nine theaters to open in Times Square during the 1912–1913 theatrical season.^[49] The musicalAdele, which opened in August 1913, was much more successful.^[47][50] The Longacre hosted severalflops afterward.^[51] In April 1914, the theater went into foreclosure to satisfy an outstanding mortgage of $70,000,^[14][52] though the foreclosure proceeding was subsequently withdrawn.^[53][54] The same year, the Longacre hosted the melodramaA Pair of Sixes,^[55] which lasted 188 performances,^[56][57] and the farceKick In withJohn Barrymore,^[58] which had 207 total performances.^[56][59] During 1915, the Longacre's productions includedInside the Lines withLewis Stone,^[60][61]A Full House withMay Vokes,^[60][62] andThe Great Lover withLeo Ditrichstein.^[47][63]

In April 1916, Frazee and G. M. Anderson bought the Longacre Theatre; previously, they had leased it from Pincus and Goldstone.^[64] The Longacre's next hit wasNothing but the Truth, which opened in 1916^[65] and starredWilliam Collier Sr. for 332 performances.^[60][66] In November 1916, during the run ofNothing but the Truth, Frazee sold his interest in the Longacre to Anderson,L. Lawrence Weber, andF. Ray Comstock.^[67][68] Frazee wished to focus on managing theBoston Red Sox, which he had just acquired.^[67] The Longacre then hosted two popular shows in the late 1910s.^[47]Guy Bolton,Jerome Kern, andP. G. Wodehouse provided music for the intimate musicalLeave It to Jane in 1917,^[69][70] while Bolton andGeorge Middleton collaborated onAdam and Eva in 1919.^[71][72]

The Longacre hostedPitter Patter withWilliam T. Kent in 1920^[73][74] andThe Champion withGrant Mitchell the next year.^[73][75]Ethel Barrymore then leased the theater in June 1922,^[76][77] appearing in three plays there:Rose Bernd,Romeo and Juliet, andThe Laughing Lady.^[51] Another hit in 1923 wasLittle Jessie James, with music byHarry Archer andHarlan Thompson,^[47][78] which ran for 385 performances.^[79][80] TheShubert brothers acquired the Longacre in May 1924 for $600,000.^[81][82]William B. Friedlander andCon Conrad wrote the music for two of the Longacre's next works:Moonlight^[83][84][85] andMercenary Mary.^[83][86][87] Also in 1925,George S. Kaufman producedThe Butter and Egg Man,^[88][89][90] the only play Kaufman wrote without collaborating.^[37] The Longacre then stagedAn American Tragedy in 1926,^[88][91] featuringMorgan Farley andMiriam Hopkins for 216 performances,^[92][93] and the comedyThe Command to Love the next year, which ran for 236 performances.^[92][94]

The Longacre's offerings in the late 1920s includedJarnegan withRichard andJoan Bennett,^[95][96]Hawk Island withClark Gable,^[95][97] andA Primer for Lovers withAlison Skipworth.^[98][99] In general, the Longacre did not hold any long runs in 1930 or 1931.^[98] The shows during this time includedThe Matriarch in 1930 withConstance Collier andJessica Tandy,^[100][101] as well asNikki in 1931 withFay Wray.^[100][102] The next hit came in 1932, whenBlessed Event opened withRoger Pryor.^[103][104] The Longacre then stagedNine Pine Street,^[105][106] andWednesday's Child.^[105][107] The Longacre hosted many flops during the Great Depression, sometimes with a several-month gap between productions.^[108] In March 1935, theGroup Theatre premieredClifford Odets'sTill the Day I Die andWaiting for Lefty,^[103][109] which starred Odets,Elia Kazan, andLee J. Cobb for 135 performances.^[110][111] That December, the Group Theatre stagedParadise Lost, another Odets play, at the Longacre.^{[103][112][113]}

TheWorks Progress Administration (WPA)'sFederal Theatre Project had planned to rent the Longacre in 1936, but the WPA rescinded its plan due to protests from stagehand unions.^[114] Artef, aYiddish theatre group, was also negotiating for the Longacre.^[115] The Longacre's productions during this time included aHedda Gabler revival withAlla Nazimova,^{[116][117][118]} followed byThe Lady Has a Heart withElissa Landi.^[119][120] The Longacre hostedPaul Osborn'sOn Borrowed Time in 1938,^[121][122] which ran for 321 performances.^[119][123] Another Osborn play,Morning's at Seven in 1939,^[124] had a 44-performance run at the Longacre^[119][125] (though its 1980 Broadway revival was far more successful).^[121] In the early 1940s, the Longacre was generally filled by productions with less than 100 performances.^[126] The major exception to this wasThree's a Family, which opened in 1943^[127][128] and ran for 497 performances.^[129][130]

By April 1944, the Shuberts were planning to relocateThree Is a Family so the Longacre could be leased to theMutual Broadcasting System (MBS) for use as a broadcast studio.^[131] The next month, MBS signed a five-year lease.^[132][133] A year after moving into the theater, MBS added some offices on the Longacre's top story to alleviate crowding at its other buildings.^[134] The Longacre also served as the home of AM radio stationWOR, which used the theater for shows likeBroadway Talks Back,^[110] as well asThe American Forum of the Air starting in 1947.^[135] The Longacre was the only MBS studio that allowed audiences, but WOR (which was operated by MBS) did not allow audiences at its broadcasts.^[136] Because the theater was being used as a studio, the Shuberts refused to comply with a 1948 ordinance that would have required any theater showing legitimate plays to give 2 percent of profits to the city government.^[137] By 1949, as a result of a shortage of studios in New York City, MBS rivalCBS had started broadcastingThis is Broadway from the Longacre.^[138]

Ultimately, the Longacre was used as a radio and television studio for nine and a half years.^[127] The Broadway theatre industry had improved by mid-1953, when a shortage of available theaters prompted the Shuberts to return the Longacre to legitimate productions.^[139] The first production at the newly reopened Longacre wasDorothy Parker andArnaud d'Usseau'sLadies of the Corridor, which opened in October 1953.^[140][141]Ladies of the Corridor was not a success,^[142] and neither wasJean Anouilh'sMademoiselle Colombe in 1954.^[143][144] More successful wasLillian Hellman's version of Anouilh'sThe Lark,^[145] which opened in 1955^[146] and featuredJulie Harris,Boris Karloff, andChristopher Plummer.^[127][147] This was followed in 1957 byFair Game, which featuredSam Levene andEllen Burstyn.^[148][149] Another hit at the Longacre wasSamuel Taylor's 1958 comedyThe Pleasure of His Company, which featuredCornelia Otis Skinner,Walter Abel,Dolores Hart,George Peppard,Cyril Ritchard, andCharlie Ruggles.^[127][150]

Eugène Ionesco'sRhinoceros opened at the Longacre in 1961 and featuredZero Mostel.^{[127][151][152]} A transfer ofOssie Davis'sPurlie Victorious followed at the end of the same year.^[149][153] The Longacre also hostedHenry Denker'sA Case of Libel in 1963, withSidney Blackmer,Larry Gates, andVan Heflin,^[127][154] followed in 1964 byLorraine Hansberry'sThe Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window withGabriel Dell andRita Moreno.^{[127][155][156]} In 1966, the theater hosted a short run ofTennessee Williams'sSlapstick Tragedy^[157] (composed ofThe Mutilated andThe Gnadiges Fraulein),^[158][159]Hal Holbrook's solo showMark Twain Tonight!,^[149][160] and a solo appearance byGilbert Bécaud.^[161][162] Holbrook,Teresa Wright, andLillian Gish starred inRobert Anderson's playNever Sang for My Father at the Longacre in 1968.^[127][163] TheNational Theatre of the Deaf also performed at the Longacre for a limited engagement in 1969.^[149][164]

William Goldman's 1969 bookThe Season: A Candid Look at Broadway had specifically cited the Longacre as a flop theater.^[165] Goldman wrote that the Longacre was not near many other theaters, especially as compared with venues on45th Street, and claimed that the Longacre hosted weak shows because its owners "could only get dreck to play there".^[166] According to theatrical historian Louis Botto, this reinforced "the notion that no hits open there", creating a cycle of flops in the early 1970s.^[165] Some productions during this time, such asKeep Off the Grass (1972), limited the audience to 499 because a 500-seat house would require negotiations with Broadway theatrical unions.^[167] The Longacre finally saw a hit in 1975 with the opening ofThe Ritz,^[168][169] which featured Moreno,Jerry Stiller, andJack Weston for 400 performances.^[170]Julie Harris starred in the soloThe Belle of Amherst in 1976.^{[171][172][173]} This was followed by revivals ofNo Man's Land,^{[174][175][176]}The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel,^{[171][177][178]} andJesus Christ Superstar.^[110][179] At some point during the 1970s, the interior was painted over in a cream color.^[21]

In 1978, theFats Waller revueAin't Misbehavin' opened at the Longacre,^[168][180] ultimately seeing 1,604 performances over three theaters.^[181][182] The Longacre's next hit wasChildren of a Lesser God withPhyllis Frelich andJohn Rubinstein, which opened in 1980^[183][184] and had 887 performances.^[182][185] The Longacre often remained dark for several consecutive months during the 1980s,^[186] and a 1987New York Times article reported that the theater had been empty for 201 of the past 208 weeks.^[187] Shows during the decade includedPassion,^[188][189]Play Memory,^[182][190]Harrigan 'N Hart,^[191][192]A Day in the Death of Joe Egg,^[193][194]Precious Sons,^[195][196]The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,^[197][195]Don't Get God Started,^[195][198] andHizzoner!.^[195][199] A video for the songThe Rum Tum Tugger, from the musicalCats, was also shot at the Longacre during one of its dark periods in 1984.^[200] During the late 1980s, the Shuberts renovated the Longacre as part of a restoration program for their Broadway theaters.^[201]

TheNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started considering protecting the Longacre as a landmark in 1982,^[202] with discussions continuing over the next several years.^[203] The LPC designated the Longacre's facade and interior as a landmark on December 8, 1987.^[204][205] This was part of the LPC's wide-ranging effort in 1987 to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters.^[206] TheNew York City Board of Estimate ratified the designations in March 1988.^[207] The Shuberts, theNederlanders, andJujamcyn collectively sued the LPC in June 1988 to overturn the landmark designations of 22 theaters, including the Longacre, on the merit that the designations severely limited the extent to which the theaters could be modified.^[208] The lawsuit was escalated to theNew York Supreme Court and theSupreme Court of the United States, but these designations were ultimately upheld in 1992.^[209]

The Longacre hosted the musicalTruly Blessed, a showcase ofMahalia Jackson's music, for a month in 1990.^[210] No other shows had been staged when, in November 1991, the city and state government officials proposed setting up a community courtroom in the theater to processmisdemeanor summonses.^{[211][212][213]} The Shubert Organization was to donate the space for three years.^[211] Theatrical personalities heavily opposed the plan, not only because it would require extensive renovations, but also because another Broadway house (theMark Hellinger Theatre) had been converted to non-theatrical use.^[214] Another site for the court was eventually identified,^[215][a] and the Longacre returned to legitimate use with a short run ofTango Pasion in April 1993.^[216]Frank D. Gilroy'sAny Given Day also had a short run of 32 performances the same year.^[195][217] A revival ofMedea withDiana Rigg was hosted in 1994,^[195][218] followed by a short run ofPhillip Hayes Dean'sPaul Robeson withAvery Brooks in 1995.^[219][220]

Horton Foote'sThe Young Man from Atlanta opened at the Longacre in 1997,^[221][222] followed byDavid Henry Hwang'sGolden Child the next year.^[223][224] The Longacre then hostedThe Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm in April 1999^[225][226] andJohn Pielmeier'sVoices in the Dark that August.^[227][228] In 2001, the Longacre hosted two brief runs:^[22][229]Judgment at Nuremberg^[230][231] andA Thousand Clowns.^[232][233] The musicalOne Mo' Time ran for only three weeks in 2002,^[234][235] whileRussell Simmons Def Poetry Jam opened later that year and ran six months.^[236][237] 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 Longacre.^[238][239] The Longacre then had two major flops:The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (2003), which closed after one performance,^[229][240] andPrymate (2004), which lasted five performances.^[229][241] A revival ofWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opened in 2005,^[242][243] followed by a transfer of the off-Broadway hitWell in 2006.^[244][245] The Longacre had no productions for about a year^[229] untilTalk Radio opened in March 2007.^[246][247]

AfterTalk Radio ended, the Longacre was closed for a $12 million renovation byKostow Greenwood Architects. The marquee was replaced and the climate control system was refurbished. The interior spaces were extensively rebuilt with new seats and lounges, as well as restored decorations, including an approximation of the original color scheme. Original decorative elements, removed in previous renovations, were restored to the balcony and boxes.^[21] The theater reopened in May 2008 with the farceBoeing Boeing,^[248] which ran until the following January;^[249][250]Boeing Boeing's 279-performance run was the longest of any production at the Longacre in almost three decades.^[229] The next hit wasBurn the Floor, which opened in August 2009^[251][252] and ran for five months.^[253]

Productions in the early 2010s includedLa Cage aux Folles in 2010,Chinglish in 2011,Magic/Bird andThe Performers in 2012,First Date the Musical in 2013,Of Mice and Men andYou Can't Take It with You in 2014, andAllegiance in 2015.^[16][22] The Longacre was supposed to host the musicalNerds in 2016, but the production never even held previews.^[254] Instead, the theater hostedA Bronx Tale in 2016,The Prom in 2018, andThe Lightning Thief in 2019.^[16][22]A Bronx Tale achieved the box office record for the theater, grossing $1,293,125.32 over nine performances for the week ending January 1, 2017.^[255] During the run ofThe Prom, in 2019, Broadway's first known onstage wedding happened at the Longacre between two women.^[256]

The theater temporarilyclosed on March 12, 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[257] It reopened on November 2, 2021, with previews ofDiana,^[258] which ran seven weeks.^[259] A limited revival of the playMacbeth opened in April 2022,^[260][261] followed by the playLeopoldstadt in October 2022.^[262][263] The Broadway transfer of the musicalLempicka, based on the life ofTamara de Lempicka, opened at the theater in April 2024.^[264] This was followed in November 2024 by the musicalSwept Away,^[265]which ran for a month.^[266] The musicalDead Outlaw opened at the Longacre in April 2025,^[267] followed byTwo Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) that November.^[268]

Productions are listed by the year of their first performance. This list only includes Broadway shows; it does not include programs broadcast from there.^[16][22]

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