Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Globe Theatre (1910–1957)
Seen in 2019
Interactive map of Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Address	205 West 46th Street Manhattan, New York United States
Coordinates	40°45′33″N73°59′09″W / 40.7592°N 73.9858°W /40.7592; -73.9858
Owner	Stahl Organization andNederlander Organization
Operator	Nederlander Organization
Type	Broadway
Capacity	1,505[a]
Production	Death Becomes Her
Construction
Opened	January 10, 1910 (116 years ago) (1910-01-10)
Closed	1931
Reopened	May 5, 1958
Rebuilt	1957
Years active	1910–1931 1958–present
Architect	Carrère and Hastings
Website
broadwaydirect.com/venue/lunt-fontanne-theatre/
New York City Landmark
Designated	December 8, 1987[1]
Reference no.	1350[1]
Designated entity	Facade

TheLunt-Fontanne Theatre, originally theGlobe Theatre, is aBroadway theater at 205 West 46th Street in theTheater District ofMidtown Manhattan inNew York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1910, the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre was designed byCarrère and Hastings in theBeaux-Arts style forCharles Dillingham. The theater is named after theatrical coupleAlfred Lunt andLynn Fontanne; its original name was inspired by that of theGlobe Theatre, London's Shakespearean playhouse. The current configuration of the interior, dating to 1958, has about 1,505 seats^[a] across two levels and is operated by theNederlander Organization. The facade is aNew York City designated landmark.

The theater's only surviving facade is on 46th Street and was once the carriage entrance. The ground level contains the theater's entrance on the east, as well as exits from the auditorium and stage house. On the upper stories, the facade contains a five-bay-wide central pavilion with arches, flanked by simpler pavilions on either side. Another entrance onBroadway, with an ornate lobby, was demolished in 1958. The auditorium originally contained three levels and box seating prior to its reconfiguration. The tiled roof and the auditorium's ceiling were designed with retractable sections, which are no longer in use.

The Globe Theatre opened on January 10, 1910. Most of the Globe's early shows were revues and musicals, including several productions by Dillingham. The Globe was converted into a movie house operated by the Brandt chain in the 1930s. City Playhouses Inc., a partnership between developersRobert W. Dowling andWilliam Zeckendorf, bought it in 1957. After the firm Roche and Roche completely renovated the interior, the former Globe was renamed and reopened on May 5, 1958. City Playhouses sold the Lunt-Fontanne to producersCy Feuer andErnest H. Martin in 1960, and it was then sold to developerStanley Stahl in 1965. The Nederlanders have operated the theater since 1973.

The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is on 206 West 46th Street, on the north sidewalk betweenEighth Avenue andBroadway, nearTimes Square in theTheater District ofMidtown Manhattan inNew York City, New York, U.S.^[2][3] The rectangularland lot covers 13,957 square feet (1,296.6 m²).^[3] The theater has afrontage of 139 feet (42 m) on 46th Street and a depth of about 100 feet (30 m).^[3][4][5]

The Lunt-Fontanne shares the block with theParamount Hotel (includingSony Hall) andLena Horne Theatre to the west, as well as theHotel Edison to the north. Other nearby buildings include theSamuel J. Friedman Theatre to the northwest; theEthel Barrymore Theatre andMorgan Stanley Building to the north; thePalace Theatre,Embassy Theatre, andI. Miller Building to the east; theNew York Marriott Marquis to the south; and theRichard Rodgers Theatre,Music Box Theatre, andImperial Theatre to the southwest.^[3]

The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre was designed byCarrère and Hastings in theBeaux-Arts style.^[2][6] It was constructed forCharles Dillingham, opening in 1910 as the Globe Theatre.^[2][7][8] The Lunt-Fontanne is the only surviving theater of four that Carrère and Hastings designed,^[9][10] as well as the last theater designed by that firm.^[10]Thompson–Starrett Co. was the main contractor.^[11] TheNederlander Organization operates the theater.^[12]

The primaryelevation of the Lunt-Fontanne's facade is on 46th Street^[13] and was originally the carriage entrance.^[14][15][16] It is symmetrically arranged, though the facade is shorter than its width.^[13] The first story, at ground level, was designed as a raised basement.^[11][17] The facade is divided into a central pavilion with five verticalbays, which is flanked by slightly recessed outer pavilions.^[7][16][18] This arrangement, described as being in a modifiedItalian Renaissance style,^[7][19] was reminiscent of Carrère and Hastings's earlier design for theCentury (New) Theatre onCentral Park West.^[7][20][b] The westernmost portion of the facade contains the stage house, which is faced in brick and is recessed behind the main portion of the facade.^[21]

The first story contains a granitewater table, blocks ofrusticated stone, and doorways in each bay. The recessed doorways are originally designed as archways, which are partially concealed by themarquee.^[7][13] The westernmost door is the stage door.^[13][12] The easternmost two sets of doors lead into the ticket lobby, and the other doors contain auxiliary exits from the auditorium. Each of the lobby and auditorium doors contain paneled-wood doors with bronze handles, and the openings are also flanked by display boxes. The marquee above the doorways was added after the theater opened; it contains a band with foliate decorations, above which acanthus leaves rise vertically. The first story is topped by a frieze containing foliate decorations and flowers. Above the five central doorways arearchivolts with sculpted heads, as well asmodillion blocks with alternating somber and snarling faces.^[13] The arches and faces served to identify the building's theatrical use.^[17]

Arched window in one of the five center bays

Outer pavilion

On the upper stories, the five central bays form a pavilion with double-height arches.^[18] A terrace projects slightly from the second floor, above the first story's modillions, with abalustrade made ofwrought iron.^[13] This terrace was originally connected to the auditorium's first balcony level.^[15][16] There arepilasters between each arch, topped bycapitals in the Ionic style. Each of the archways contains a multi-paneled window, with a brokenpediment and aspandrel bar dividing the second and third floor.^[13] Above the centers of the arches are terracotta cartouches. The spandrels at the arches' corners contain semi-nude or nude female figures, holding theatrical masks that depict comedy and tragedy.^[18] The fourth floor of the center bays has square openings withsash windows, which are surrounded by eared frames and flanked by carvings ofcaryatids.^[13] The caryatids are topped by depictions of bows and helmets in the center three arches, as well as musical instruments in the outer two arches. A wave molding also runs above the fourth floor.^[22]

The outer bays are faced instucco. These have double-height windows at the second and third floors, with molded window frames and projectinglintels above. There is a circular window at the fourth story above each double-height window. Simple sash windows are placed on the side of the western pavilion, which projects from the stage house. Afrieze with panels, as well as acourse withdentils, runs above the outer pavilions. Above that is a cornice, which runs the whole width of the facade. The central pavilion has a deeply projectingparapet, below which arebrackets and a decorative band of heads, cartouches, and panels. The theater's tiled roof is above the parapet.^[21]

The Globe Theatre was built with an entrance on 1555 Broadway,^[c] between 46th and 47th Streets.^[23][24] The Broadway elevation was described in theNew York Dramatic Mirror as the main entrance,^[15][25] though other sources stated that the Broadway entrance was secondary to that on 46th Street.^[14][16] The Broadway elevation was four stories high^[26] and measured 24 feet (7.3 m) wide.^[27] It had been adapted from a brownstone residence and contained signs in front of it.^[24] The facade was flanked by Ionic pilasters and contained interspersed stone panels.^[15][16][28] The second floor was decorated with "elaborately ornamented" archedcasement windows.^[29] There were also masks, garlands, cherubs, pediments, and a cornice on the facade.^[26] The entrance led to the box-office vestibule and a corridor to the auditorium.^[7]

The Broadway entrance is no longer extant.^[28] It was cut off from the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in 1957 when the theater was renovated. While the Broadway elevation physically existed for half a century afterward, it did not serve as an entrance, and tall signs were built in front of the four-story facade. In 2006, the old Broadway entrance was demolished, along with a neighboring Howard Johnson's restaurant at 1551 Broadway.^[26] The Broadway entrance was replaced with anAmerican Eagle Outfitters store.^[30]

The Globe Theatre's original interiors included ornamental plaster from Crane & Mahoney, metal lath from Arthur Greenfield Inc., and limestone from Farnum Cheshire.^[31] The structural frame was made of steel and concrete.^[32] The theater had an Italian Renaissance design with a color palette of gold, blue, and ivory white, as well as "rose du Barry" curtains.^[15][33] At ground level, the promenade from Broadway was decorated in gold and rose.^[32] The entire 46th Street frontage functioned as a large exit corridor.^[11] The entrance vestibule from 46th Street was designed as a promenade with a similar color scheme to the rest of the theater.^[9][34] The promenade from 46th Street measured 88 feet (27 m) long and 27 feet (8.2 m) wide.^[35] A foyer at the second story (originally the first balcony level) led to the terrace on the 46th Street frontage of that story.^[9][34] Dillingham's offices were housed on the upper stories, above the auditorium.^[28][36]

The auditorium was designed in a fan shape; according to contemporary publications, that shape allowed both optimal acoustics and sightlines.^[11][37] The fan shape also allowed the audience to be closer to the performers than in other theaters, creating a more intimate house.^[38] The auditorium had an orchestra level, two balconies,boxes, and a stage behind theproscenium arch.^[9][11][39] There were 1,416 seats in total; the orchestra alone had 15 rows of seats.^[9] The seats could be individually cooled by ice or heated by hot air from vents underneath. At the rear of the second balcony level, three holes could provide spotlight illumination.^[32] There were twelve boxes, arranged in two tiers on both sides of the auditorium. The boxes were at the front of the theater and stepped down toward the proscenium; they were separated by Corinthian columns.^[11][39] Rose-colored curtains were also hung above the upper tier of boxes.^[33][38]

The auditorium had acoved ceiling when it was built.^[38] The original design included a retractable ceiling, as well as a movable roof 20 feet (6.1 m) above.^[40] According to contemporary sources, the ceiling had a retractable oval panel, which would be moved "when weather permits" to allow starlight and keep the auditorium cooler in summer.^[11][37] The historian William Morrison could not find a reference to the ceiling ever opening; he said that retracting the roof would have been difficult because of debris buildup.^[40] The proscenium arch was surrounded by a molded frame on all sides in a way that suggested "a rich frame to a picture".^[11][39] The large stage was capable of accommodating all the necessary theatrical equipment.^[11][41]

The backstage areas had "modern and convenient dressing rooms",^[41] including showers for the actors.^[11] An elevator connected the stage to a six-story dressing room wing in the rear.^[32] The theater had provisions for fireproofing,^[41] such as modern standpipe and sprinkler equipment, automatic alarms, and watchmen's systems.^[31]

When the theater was renovated in 1958, most of the old Globe's interiors were removed and redecorated in an 18th-century style.^[38][42] According toRobert Dowling, who helped redevelop the theater, the promenade was redecorated in arococo style with "exotic" wall decorations.^[35] The mezzanine contained a lounge with paneled mirrors, as well as murals depicting opera houses in Europe.^[38] Blue rococo floor coverings were installed throughout the theater, with a layer of thick foam underneath.^[43]

In the auditorium, the two levels of balconies were removed, and a single balcony level with 700 seats was installed. The orchestra level was arranged with 800 seats.^[35][44] In both levels, the first few rows were upholstered in rococo blue silk above rubber foam cushions, with additional cushions for short guests. Tickets to the front-row seats were higher than those for the remaining seats, which were salvaged from the old Globe's interiors.^[43] Modern estimates of the seating capacity vary:Playbill cites a capacity of 1,470 seats,^[12] whilethe Broadway League cites 1,519 seats.^[45] Broadway Direct—the website of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre's owner, the Nederlander Organization—gives a capacity of 1,505 seats.^[46]

After the renovation, the proscenium measured 49 feet (15 m) across, while the stage was 34 feet (10 m) deep. A new curtain with a sunburst design was installed, and a mural with depictions of theatrical muses was painted on the ceiling.^[35] The ceiling mural, painted byEdward Melcarth,^[47] was decorated with clouds, which hid ventilation openings.^[43] The retractable ceiling was also removed with the renovation.^[40] The rear (west) wall was moved about 30 feet (9.1 m) west, and the remaining walls were retained.^[48]

Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 andthe Great Depression.^[49] Manhattan's theater district had begun to shift fromUnion Square andMadison Square during the first decade of the 20th century.^[50][51] From 1901 to 1920, forty-three theaters were built around Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, including the Globe Theatre.^[52] The Globe was developed by Charles Dillingham,^[8] who first was a theatrical critic and then an associate of impresarioDaniel Frohman in the late 1890s. Dillingham began to produce more of his own plays in the first decade of the 20th century, upon Frohman's urging.^[53][54]

The Dillingham Theatre Company bought a 30.6-by-83.4-foot (9.3 by 25.4 m) plot at 1555 Broadway and a 139-by-100-foot (42 by 30 m) assemblage at 203–217 West 46th Street^[4][5] in November 1907. Dillingham hired Carrère and Hastings to design a theater along Broadway and 46th Street.^[55][56] The Dillingham Theatre Company took title to the land in January 1908,^[4][5] and plans for the theater were filed that March.^[57] Dillingham originally wanted to call his new theater the Gaiety, butGeorge M. Cohan andSam H. Harris were also planninga theater with the same name across 46th Street.^[5] In March 1909, Thompson-Starrett was hired as the main contractor.^[58][59] The same month, Dillington announced he would name his theater in honor of theGlobe Theatre, theShakespearean playhouse in London.^[60][61] That October, Carrère and Hastings filed plans to renovate the existing brownstone at 1555 Broadway, adapting it as the Globe's entrance.^[29]

The theater opened on January 10, 1910, with the musicalThe Old Town featuringDave Montgomery andFred Stone.^[62][63] The year of its opening, the Globe also hostedThe Echo,^[64][65] which featured the now-popular songSkidamarink,^[64] as well as a four-week limited engagement from French actressSarah Bernhardt.^[66][67] The theater's early offerings were mostly revues and musicals because Dillingham largely produced musicals.^[36]The Slim Princess withElsie Janis, which premiered in 1911, was the next musical by Dillingham to be staged at the Globe,^[62][68] and Bernhardt returned for another limited engagement the same year.^[67][69] Janis, Montgomery, and Stone returned in 1912 forThe Lady of the Slipper,^[62][70] which was a hit with 232 performances.^[71][72] Montgomery and Stone also starred inChin-Chin, which opened in 1914^[73] and had 295 performances at the Globe.^[62][74] Dillingham also staged the musicalStop! Look! Listen! at the Globe in 1915,^[75][76] with aragtime score composed byIrving Berlin.^[62]

The first straight play at the Globe premiered in 1916, withJ. Hartley Manners'sThe Harp of Life.^[23] The play featured Manners's wifeLaurette Taylor along with young British actressLynn Fontanne (a later namesake of the theater).^[77][78] Fred Stone returned the next year inJack O' Lantern, following the death of Stone's partner Montgomery.^[79][80]The Canary, featuringJulia Sanderson andJoseph Cawthorn, premiered in 1918;^[81][82] the Globe also hosted a limited run of that year'sZiegfeld Follies.^[83][84] The decade ended withShe's a Good Fellow withJoseph Santley and theDuncan Sisters in 1919,^[85][86] the run of which was truncated by the1919 Actors' Equity Association strike.^[85][87] Dillingham had produced all of the theater's musicals and plays during the 1910s,^[42] whileJerome Kern andAnne Caldwell collaborated on many of the musical scores.^[67]

Dillingham had originally leased the theater from the Dillingham Theatre Company, operated by the Gould family. In April 1920, he bought the theater outright for $1.25 million, with plans to remodel the property for his offices.^[88][89][90] That July, W. T. Smith filed plans for a seven-story office wing at 1555 Broadway.^[91] Elaboraterevues at the Globe, which were staged starting in the late 1910s, continued into the 1920s.^[67] These included the 1920 edition ofGeorge White's Scandals,^[92][93] the Globe's first show that did not have Dillingham as a writer.^[42] It was followed the same year by another Dillingham play,Tip Top with Stone and the Duncan Sisters,^[92][94] running 241 performances.^[95][96] The 1921 edition of theZiegfeld Follies was staged at the Globe,^[97][98] and Kern and Caldwell's productionGood Morning, Dearie opened the same year.^[92][99] Further editions ofGeorge White's Scandals premiered in 1922^[97][100] and 1923.^[97][101] The former edition's score inspired the operaPorgy and Bess, while the latter saw little success.^[102]

Dillingham leased the theater toOliver Morosco in January 1923 for the production ofLady Butterfly at the then-exorbitant price of $6,000 a week.^[103] Fred Stone and his daughterDorothy performed later that year in the musicalStepping Stones,^[104][105] another Dillingham production.^[67] This was followed in 1924 by comedianEd Wynn'sThe Grab Bag,^[104][106] which ran 184 performances.^[107][108] A major hit came to the Globe in 1925 with the opening ofNo, No, Nanette,^[109][110] where featured performerLouise Groody became the first musical-comedy performer to earn over $1 million.^[42]Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. was slated to run theZiegfeld Follies at the Globe the following year, but he was not allowed to use the name due to a disagreement with his partnersKlaw and Erlanger.^[111] As a result, in 1926, he hostedNo Foolin' (subsequentlyZiegfeld's American Revue) at the Globe.^[104][112] The same year, Dillingham producedCriss Cross with Fred and Dorothy Stone,^[104][113] andOh, Please! featuredBeatrice Lillie.^[111][114] Fred Stone also planned to return to the Globe in 1928, appearing inThree Cheers with Dorothy, but he was replaced at the last minute withWill Rogers;^[115][116] the play ran through early 1929.^[117][118]

By 1930, the Globe Theatre was leased toRadio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) as a movie house,^[119][120] at least until a new RKO theater was finished on the site of the oldColumbia Theatre.^[121] That year, the Dillingham Theater Company obtained a $200,000 second mortgage on the theater.^[122] Upon the expiry of RKO's lease in July 1931,^[121] the Globe returned to legitimate use.^[123][124] The playThe Cat and the Fiddle, which opened later that year,^[125][126] was the last legitimate production at the Globe before the theater became a cinema for 25 years.^[127] Due to the Globe's financial troubles,The Cat and the Fiddle was moved toGeorge M. Cohan's Theatre in May 1932.^[128][129] At the time, the second mortgage holder, Spear Securities, sought to foreclose on the theater.^[129] Dillingham's friends, including Fred Stone, attempted to recover the theater on his behalf.^[130]

Dillingham ultimately went into bankruptcy in 1933 with debts of over $7 million.^[131][132] A major factor in the bankruptcy was theGreat Depression, during which many Broadway theaters were impacted by declining attendance.^[40] Spear Securities acquired the theater at a foreclosure auction in October 1932 for $1.125 million.^[133][134] Brandt Theatres subsequently began to lease the Globe for films.^[135][136] By the next year, the theater was owned by the Globe Land Corporation, and theNew York Public Library held a $1.1 million first mortgage on the theater.^[137] Under Brandt's management, the Globe largely showed reruns, which drew complaints from the operator of the rivalRoxy Theatre.^[138][139]

In February 1936, Harry Brandt of Brandt Theatres announced that he had purchased the Globe for $1.15 million, subject to existing mortgages.^[136][140] He then announced that he would renovate the Globe to serve as headquarters for his company.^[141] Brandt announced in 1938 that the Globe would begin to offer five-act vaudeville, followed by one film.^[142] The Globe hosted numerous premieres of films, includingThe Road Back in 1937^[143] andThe Roosevelt Story in 1947.^[144] Among the other films screened at the theater wereSouls at Sea (1937),^[145]One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942),^[146]Eagle Squadron (1942),^[147]Somewhere in France (1943),^[148]Make Mine Music (1946),^[149]The Macomber Affair (1947),^[150]Anna (1951),^[151]Destination Gobi (1953),^[152]Three Hours to Kill (1954),^[153] andOn the Threshold of Space (1956).^[154] In 1951, Al Beckman and Johnny Pransky considered acquiring the Globe for their vaudeville circuit.^[155]

By 1955,Roger L. Stevens,Robert Whitehead, andRobert W. Dowling were negotiating to acquire the Globe Theatre for legitimate use.^[156] Stevens and Dowling reneged after conducting a study, which found they would have to spend $400,000 to renovate the theater and that the venue would only be able to fit about 1,300 people.^[157] The next June, Stevens partnered withWilliam Zeckendorf in another bid to acquire the theater, withCy Feuer andErnest Martin as the producers.^[158] Despite some delays in September 1956,^[159][160] Stevens, Whitehead, Dowling, and Zeckendorf ultimately acquired the theater in 1957 under the City Playhouses name.^[161] Stevens and Whitehead were affiliated with Producers Theatre, while Dowling was affiliated with the City Investing Company, both of which had a 40 percent ownership stake. Zeckendorf's companyWebb and Knapp owned the remaining 20 percent of the theater.^[162]

The firm of Roche and Roche renovated the interior extensively, replacing the two balcony levels with a single balcony, as well as closing and sealing the Broadway entrance.^[35][42] In addition, the original decorations were largely eliminated and replaced with 18th-century design details.^[42][43] The renovated theater had a plexiglass marquee on 46th Street with scalloped decorations,^[48][163] under which was a black-and-white sidewalk.^[35] When the theater was purchased, it was supposed to reopen in January 1958. The premiere attraction was planned to be the musicalZuleika,^[164] which was then swapped with Shakespeare'sMuch Ado About Nothing.^[165][166] In February 1958, the Globe was renamed in honor of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, who planned to retire after the inaugural show at the theater.^[44][167]

The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre opened on May 5, 1958, withFriedrich Dürrenmatt'sThe Visit, starring Lunt and Fontanne.^{[48][168][169]} Dowling, Stevens, and Whitehead had been threatened with a fine if they had not openedVisit by May 5.^[170] This production was the last one to feature Lunt and Fontanne on Broadway.^[161] Later that year, Zeckendorf's companyWebb and Knapp sold the former entrance building at 1555 Broadway to the Rubinstein-Klein Realty Corporation.^[27][171] The revival ofMuch Ado About Nothing, withJohn Gielgud andMargaret Leighton, opened in 1959.^[172][173] It was followed the same year by theRodgers and Hammerstein musicalThe Sound of Music,^[169][174] which had 1,443 performances during the next three years, including some at theMark Hellinger Theatre.^[172][175]

In 1960, City Playhouses leased the theater to producersCy Feuer andErnest H. Martin for $2 million.^[162][176] The musicalLittle Me withSid Caesar opened in 1962;^[177][178] in spite of critical acclaim, the musical's run ended early due toa newspaper strike.^[161] The following year,Martha Graham and her dance company performed at the Globe.^[179][180]Richard Burton appeared in a revival ofHamlet in 1964,^[169][181] the longest run of the play on Broadway;^[42][182] it was followed by several short musical runs.^[42] Feuer and Martin obtained total control of the Lunt-Fontanne the same year, when they bought the remaining ownership stake from the Kratter Corporation for $1 million.^[183][184] The partners sold the Lunt-Fontanne to developer Stanley Stahl in 1965.^[185] That year, the theater stagedSkyscraper withJulie Harris's first musical appearance,^[186][187] followed in 1966 byWalking Happy withNorman Wisdom.^[188][189]

Shows of the late 1960s includedMarlene Dietrich's Broadway debut in 1967,^[190][191] followed the same year byHow Now, Dow Jones.^[192][193] Another revival ofHamlet was staged at the Lunt-Fontanne in 1969, this time withNicol Williamson.^[194][195] The theater then underwent a renovation and was leased for one year by Lester Osterman.^[196][197] Afterward,Hal Linden andKeene Curtis starred in the musicalThe Rothschilds.^[198][199] The Nederlander Organization started operating the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in 1973.^[45] For much of that decade, the Lunt-Fontanne staged many revivals.^[192] Among them wereA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1972,^[200][201]The Pajama Game in 1973,^[202][203]Hello, Dolly! in 1978,^[204][205] andPeter Pan in 1979.^[206][207] The theater also hosted original productions during the 1970s, such asRex in 1976.^[208][209]

In 1981, Duke Ellington's revueSophisticated Ladies opened at the Lunt-Fontanne,^[210][211] running for 767 performances.^[212][213] This was followed by two revivals staged in 1983 byZev Buffman:^[213]Private Lives^[214][215] andThe Corn Is Green.^[216][217] In addition,Peggy Lee made her Broadway premiere the same year in a limited solo engagement.^[218][219] This was followed by a revival ofThe Wiz in 1984,^[220][221] andJerry Weintraub purchased a stake in the operation of the Lunt-Fontanne the same year.^[222][223] A revival ofThe Iceman Cometh followed in 1985.^[224][225] The originalsUptown... It's Hot!^[226][227] andSmile were staged in 1986,^[228][229] as well as a transfer ofThe Gospel at Colonus in 1988.^[230][231] In addition to these, the Lunt-Fontanne hosted special appearances,^[232] including illusionistDoug Henning (1984);^[233]Grateful Dead vocalistJerry Garcia (1987);^[234] rock bandJoan Jett and the Blackhearts (1989);^[235][236] and singerFreddie Jackson (1989).^[237] Stahl andJames M. Nederlander considered leasing out the Lunt-Fontanne as a movie theater in 1989, citing a downturn in theatrical bookings;^[238]The Threepenny Opera opened later that year.^[239][240] The theater also hosted the43rd Tony Awards in 1989,^[241] followed the next year by the44th Tony Awards.^[242]

TheNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started to consider protecting the Lunt-Fontanne as a landmark in 1982,^[243] with discussions continuing over the next several years.^[244] The LPC designated the Lunt-Fontanne's facade as a landmark on December 8, 1987, but the modified interior was denied landmark status.^[245][246] This was part of the commission's wide-ranging effort in 1987 to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters.^[247] TheNew York City Board of Estimate ratified the designations in March 1988.^[248] The Nederlanders, theShuberts, andJujamcyn collectively sued the LPC in June 1988 to overturn the landmark designations of 22 theaters, including the Lunt-Fontanne, on the merit that the designations severely limited the extent to which the theaters could be modified.^[249] The lawsuit was escalated to theNew York Supreme Court and theSupreme Court of the United States, but these designations were ultimately upheld in 1992.^[250]

A second revival ofPeter Pan, featuringCathy Rigby, was staged at the Lunt-Fontanne in 1990,^[251][252] as was a concert byHarry Connick Jr.^[232][253] A 1991 transfer ofOh, Kay! closed during previews;^[254][255] The comedyCatskills on Broadway opened later the same year and ran for 13 months;^[256] multiple box-office employees were suspended after stealing ticket revenue from the show.^[257] Several flops were then staged at the Lunt-Fontanne,^[258] including the musicalAin't Broadway Grand in 1993,^[259][260] as well asThe Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public^[261][262] andComedy Tonight in 1994.^[263][264]Carol Channing, who had previously performed at the Lunt-Fontanne during the 1978 revival ofHello, Dolly!,^[265][266] returned for another revival in 1995, which ran 118 performances.^[267][268] TheRoyal Shakespeare Company producedA Midsummer Night's Dream in 1996,^[269][270] and theSovremennik Theatre had eight Russian-language performances of two productions later that year.^[265][271]

The musicalTitanic opened in 1997^[272][273] and was a hit, earning enough money to fund renovations of the theater.^[40] In addition, the theater's owners sold someair rights to the developers of the neighboring Planet Hollywood Hotel in 1998.^[274] AfterTitanic's run ended in March 1999,^[275][276] the theater was closed for much of the year while Sachs Morgan Studio renovated it, changing the lighting and paint scheme.^[277] The Planet Hollywood Hotel was being built during the same time, requiring contractors on that hotel to carefully monitor the Lunt-Fontanne for damage.^[278]Beauty and the Beast opened at the Lunt-Fontanne in late 1999, transferring from thePalace Theatre with a downsized cast,^[279] and ran until 2007.^[280][281] The Lunt-Fontanne was again renovated,^[282] and the bar area was demolished and rebuilt to accommodate a new building to the east.^[283] The Lunt-Fontanne reopened later that year with preview performances ofThe Little Mermaid, which officially opened in 2008 and ran until 2009.^[284][285]

The Lunt-Fontanne generally hosted shorter musicals and appearances in the 2010s.^[12][45] These includedThe Addams Family in 2010 and 2011;^[286][287]Ghost the Musical^[288][289] andA Christmas Story: The Musical in 2012;^[290][291]Motown: The Musical from 2013 to 2015;^[292][293] andFinding Neverland in 2015.^[294][295] As part of a settlement with theUnited States Department of Justice in 2014, the Nederlanders agreed to improve disabled access at their nine Broadway theaters, including the Lunt-Fontanne.^[296][297] The theater hosted a limited engagement byFrankie Valli & the Four Seasons^[298] andKristin Chenoweth's soloMy Love Letter to Broadway in 2016;^[299][300] the musicalCharlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2017;^[301][302] andSummer: The Donna Summer Musical in 2018.^[303][304] Numerous performers had limited engagements at the Lunt-Fontanne in 2019^[12][45] before the opening ofTina that November.^[305][306]Tina set the theater's box-office record in December 2019, grossing $1,834,339 across eight performances.^[307]

The theaterclosed on March 12, 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,^[308] reopening on October 8, 2021, with performances ofTina,^[309] which ran until August 2022.^[310][311] A revival ofSweeney Todd starringJosh Groban andAnnaleigh Ashford opened at the theater in early 2023^[312][313] and concluded its run in May 2024.^[314][315]Death Becomes Her opened at the theater in November 2024.^[316]

Productions are listed by the year of their first performance. This list only includes Broadway shows; it does not include films screened at the theater. No theatrical productions were hosted between 1936 and 1958.^[12][45]

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