Apollo Theatre (42nd Street)
New Apollo Theatre, Academy Theatre, Bryant Theatre | |
Lyric Theatre | |
| Construction | |
|---|---|
| Opened | November 17, 1920[2] |
| Demolished | 1996 |
| Years active | 1920–1990 |
| Architect | Eugene De Rosa |
The Apollo Theatre was a
Lyric Theatre
.
History
The Apollo was built in 1920 by the
Selwyn Brothers in tandem with the Times Square Theatre, and both share a unified facade on West 42nd Street. Designed by Eugene De Rosa, the theaters had entrances on 42nd Street, but the Apollo's auditorium was actually on 43rd Street.[3]
The theater sat 1,200.
The Apollo was initially a
Gershwin 1927 musical Strike Up the Band and several editions of George White's Scandals, featuring W. C. Fields, Bert Lahr and Ed Wynn. As with many other legitimate playhouses of the 1920s, movies were also screened; in 1922, for example, Silver Wings, Around the World With Burton Holmes, and two D. W. Griffith films, Orphans of the Storm and One Exciting Night, had engagements.[4]
In 1934 the Apollo became 42nd Street's third stock
X-rated
films.
In 1978 the Apollo was refurbished and renamed the New Apollo. Starting in 1979 it housed productions of New 42nd Street organization.[5] It was demolished in 1996.
Some of the theatre's architectural features, including the
Lyric Theatre
.
The exterior of the theatre is featured in HBO's series The Deuce.
References
Notes
- ^ "Academy Theatre". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ "'Jimmie' Opens the Apollo", The New York Times (November 18, 1920).
- ^ Building age and national builder, vol. 47, issues 7–12 (1925), p. 82.
- ^ "The Screen", The New York Times (January 4, 1922) (review of Orphans of the Storm); "The Screen", The New York Times (April 25, 1922) (review of Around the World with Burton Holmes); "The Screen", The New York Times (May 18, 1922) (review of Silver Wings); "The Screen", The New York Times (October 24, 1922) (review of One Exciting Night).
- ^ Marks, Peter. "Turning Two Historic Theaters Into One Big One", The New York Times (January 17, 1996)
Bibliography
- ISBN 1-56898-116-3
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Apollo Theatre (42nd Street).
- Cinema Treasures website. Brief history and many photographs.
- Internet Broadway Database website. Listing of legitimate productions.
- Museum of the City of New York. Photographs and artwork. Photograph of the Apollo's 43rd Street side, mislabeled as the Times Square Theatre (which never had a 43rd Street side), same source. At right, the vertical sign of the Selwyn Theatre, adjacent to the Apollo, can be seen.
- New 42nd St. website Archived 2014-03-19 at the Wayback Machine. "Our Projects & Theaters" page.
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
