Biltmore Theater
263 W 47th Street
between Broadway & 8th Avenue
Completed 1925-26 Architect
Herbert J Krapp
Renovated 2003 Architect Polshek
Partnership
Built by Irwin Chanin during the
heyday of Times Square theater construction in the '20s—the
Chanins alone built six theaters in three years—the Biltmore has
been dark since being hit by an arson fire in late 1987, shortly
after the interior was landmarked. The unseen interior is laid out
in a horseshoe shape and architect Krapp used his usual 'Adamesque'
plaster and paint stylings for ornamentation
The Biltmore opened on December 7,
1925 with a production of Easy Come Easy Go. It remained a
legitimate Broadway venue for all but 10 years of its active life,
in the '50s and early '60s, when it was used as a CBS studio. In
what appears to be an unusual move, the Nederlander's, with
partner Stewart Lane, purchased the Biltmore in 1993. Restoring a
supposedly fire-ravaged interior under Landmark Preservation
Commission guidelines would seem to be a daunting and expensive
task
Throughout 1999, controversy raged
when developer Joseph Moinian tried to purchase the theater from
the Nederlander Organization. Mr Moinian planned to refurbish the
theater and open it with a one hour 'Best of Broadway' revue. The
Nederlanders cancelled the sales contract, saying that the
theater's landmark designation required it to operate as a
legitimate Broadway house if reopened. After a judge ruled in the
Nederlander's favor in late '99, the Organization announced a
renovation project. No details are settled
Well, they got something settled.
The Biltmore is due to reopen in the Fall of 2003 as the new home
of the Manhattan Theatre Club
1936 Eddie Albert and Jose Ferrer appear
in Brother Rat. George Abbott directs this comedy through
575 performances
1940 George S Kaufman directs My Sister
Ellen, the Joseph Fields-Jerome Chodorov comedy that stars
Shirley Booth, Morris Carnovsky and Jo Ann Sayers
1943 Richard Widmark plays opposite Joan
Caulfield in the huge comedy hit Kiss and Tell, by F Hugh
Herbert
1947 Ruth and Augustus Goetz authored The
Heiress, featuring Wendy Hiller and Basil Rathbone
1961 Take Her She's Mine says Art
Carney. And take the Tony
Elizabeth Ashley did in this comedy co-authored by Phoebe and
Henry Ephron
1963 Elizabeth Ashley is back, this time
opposite Robert Redford in the first of 1,532 performances of Neil
Simon's Barefoot in the Park. Mike Nichols makes his
Broadway directing debut with this comedy that also features
Mildred Natwick
1968 Do you remember that Diane Keaton and
Melba Moore were two of the cast that "Let the Sun
Shine?" The Galt MacDermot-Gerome Ragni-James Rado musical Hair
shone 1,750 times
1978 This is theater: Rex Harrison,
Claudette Colbert and George Rose appearing in The Kingfisher
1987 The Mitchell Parrish revue Stardust
is the last show to play the Biltmore, closing May 17th
2003 The Biltmore is to come back as a
legitimate venue under the auspices of the Manhattan
Theatre Club
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