Minskoff Theatre
 Minskoff Theatre, showing The Lion King, May 2007 | |
 | |
| Address | 1515 Broadway New York City |
|---|---|
| Owner | Nederlander Organization |
| Capacity | 1621 |
| Production | The Lion King |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1973 |
| Architect | Kahn and Jacobs |
| Website | |
| minskofftheatre.com | |
The Minskoff Theatre is a Broadway theatre, located at 1515 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan. It is now showing the musical The Lion King, based on the Disney animated film of the same name.
The 1,621-seat venue, designed by architects Kahn and Jacobs, is on the third floor of One Astor Plaza, an office tower constructed on the site of the legendary Astor Hotel. Named after Sam Minskoff and Sons, builders and owners of the high-rise building, it opened on March 13, 1973, with a revival of Irene starring Debbie Reynolds. Over the years it has served as host to musicals, dance companies, and concerts.
In 1981, it hosted Miss Universe 1981, won by Irene Saez of Venezuela, as well as the transfer of Joseph Papp's production of The Pirates of Penzance. In 1994, Sunset Boulevard was a hit at the theatre. In 2006, The Lion King transferred to the theatre, where it continues to run, as of 2011.
In September 2007, a new set within the Minskoff space was created for the syndicated news magazine The Insider, which had formerly been based on the second floor of Astor Plaza in MTV's studios and in Los Angeles. The program moved back to Los Angeles fully for the 2008–09 season.
Notable productions
- 1973: Irene starring Debbie Reynolds
- 1974: Tony & Lena Sing; Charles Aznavour on Broadway
- 1975: Bette Midler's Clams on the Half Shell Revue; Hello, Dolly!
- 1976: Chinese Acrobats of Taiwan; Dutch National Ballet; Rockabye Hamlet
- 1977: Merce Cunningham Dance Company; Pippin; Cleo on Broadway
- 1978: King of Hearts
- 1979: Béjart: Ballet of the Twentieth Century; Engelbert on Broadway
- 1980: West Side Story
- 1981: The Pirates of Penzance
- 1983: Dance a Little Closer; Marilyn: An American Fable
- 1984: The Tap Dance Kid
- 1986: Sweet Charity
- 1987: Teddy & Alice
- 1988: Cabaret
- 1989: Black and Blue
- 1992: Metro
- 1994: Sunset Boulevard
- 1998: The Scarlet Pimpernel
- 1999: Saturday Night Fever
- 2002: Dance of the Vampires
- 2004: Fiddler on the Roof
- 2006: The Lion King
Box office record
The Tony Award winning musical The Lion King achieved the box office record for the Minskoff Theatre. The production cleaning $1,993,370 over eight performances, for the week ending January 02, 2011.[1]
Notes
- ^ BWW News Desk (January 3, 2011). "THE LION KING Breaks Minskoff Theatre Record". Broadway World.com. Retrieved 2011-01-23.