Fulton Theatre

Fulton Theatre
Folies-Bergere, Helen Hayes Theatre

Helen Hayes (originally Fulton) Theatre, circa 1980
Fulton Theatre
Location in Manhattan
Address 210 West 46th Street
New York City
United States
Coordinates 40°45′31″N 73°59′08″W / 40.7587°N 73.9856°W / 40.7587; -73.9856Coordinates: 40°45′31″N 73°59′08″W / 40.7587°N 73.9856°W / 40.7587; -73.9856
Type Broadway
Construction
Opened April 27, 1911
Reopened October 20, 1911
Demolished 1982
Architect Herts & Tallant

The Fulton Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 210 West 46th Street in New York that was opened in 1911. It was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1955. The theatre was demolished in 1982. Since a new Helen Hayes Theatre now exists in Manhattan, the Fulton Theatre is now sometimes referred to as the First Helen Hayes Theatre.

History

Built by the architects Herts & Tallant for Henry B. Harris and Jesse Lasky, it was originally opened on April 27, 1911, under the name Folies-Bergere as a dinner theatre with vaudeville.[1] The building featured three murals and a color scheme by leading American muralist William de Leftwich Dodge. Eighteen-year-old Mae West was discovered here by The New York Times at her Broadway debut on September 22, 1911.[2][3] Closing after that,[4] the theatre reopened on October 20, 1911, as the Fulton Theatre.[5] The theatre was managed by Abraham L. Erlanger from 1921, until his death in 1930.

In 1955, the theatre was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in honor of the renowned actress Helen Hayes and re-opened under that name on November 21.

In 1982, the theatre was demolished, along with the Morosco,[6] Bijou, Gaiety and Astor Theatres, to make way for the Marriott Marquis Hotel, which now houses the Marquis Theatre. Parts of the Helen Hayes Theatre were salvaged before the theatre's demolition and were used to build the Shakespeare Center, home of the Riverside Shakespeare Company on the Upper West Side, which was dedicated by Miss Hayes and Joseph Papp in September 1982.[7]

Since Helen Hayes was still living at the time of the demolition of the theatre that bore her name, it was decided to rename the nearby Little Theatre at 240 West 44th Street in her honor.

Performers

Besides having had Mae West (see above), the Fulton also had English actor Robert Morley in the title role of the play Oscar Wilde by Leslie and Sewell Stokes in 1938. The play ran for 247 performances and its success launched Morley's career as a stage actor on both sides of the Atlantic.

Audrey Hepburn starred in the Gilbert Miller production of Gigi, which opened at the Fulton on November 24, 1951, and ran for 219 performances.

Selected runs

Notable runs in excess of 100 performances include:

As Helen Hayes Theatre:

See also

References

  1. ↑ ""Folies Bergere Full of Novelties", The New York Times. April 28, 1911
  2. ↑ Maurice Leonard in Mae West Empress of Sex ISBN 0-00-637471-9 pp. 33-34 Times quote: "A girl named Mae West, hitherto unknown, pleased by her grotesquerie and snappy way of singing and dancing."
  3. ↑ "New Skit Shown at Folies Bergere", The New York Times. Sept. 23, 1911
  4. ↑ "Folies Bergere to End Brief Career", The New York Times, Sept. 28, 1911
  5. ↑ "Mr. Edeson in Play by Gelett Burgess", The New York Times. Oct. 31, 1911
  6. ↑ Lawson, Carol (9 June 1982). FALLEN FACADE REVIVES THEATER RAZING DISPUTE, The New York Times
  7. ↑ Patricia O'Haire. "Dickens lends the Bard a Hand." The New York Daily News. Sep. 13, 1982.
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