Majestic Theater
Completed 1927
Architect Herbert J Krapp
Krapp designed this Moorish by-way-of-Spain facade for Irwin Chanin back-to-back with the Royale Theater and Theater Masque. The largest of the three theaters, the Majestic was intended as a musical theater and has remained one of Broadway's premier musical houses. The landmarked interior is untypical for Chanin, being neo-Classical instead of the neo-Spanish of which he was so fond. Incorporated in the interior was Chanin's democrat 'stadium plan' seating: instead of hanging over the orchestra, the balcony was pushed back and its rear was cantilevered, unseen, over the lobby area. With this smoother transition the balcony, or now mezzanine, was but a simple few steps up from the orchestra and the same entrances to the auditorium were used by both classes of patrons
The Majestic's premier show was a production of Rufus Le Maire's Affairs, on March 28, 1927. The Chanin's lost their theater empire after Black Monday and control of the Majestic, along with the Royale and Theater Masque, passed to the Shuberts. Throughout its life the theater has always been operated as a legitimate Broadway venue
1928 John Gielgud makes his Broadway debut in The Patriot
1945 You won't walk alone going into the theater to see Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Carousel. Rouben Mamoulian directs and Agnes DeMille choreographs. John Raitt, Jan Clayton and Bambi Linn star. OK!
1949 This is some enchanted evening. Mary Martin, Ezio Pinza, Juanita Hall, Myron McCormick, William Tabbert, and many others, take the stage in the Oscar Hammerstein II-Joshua Logan-Richard Rodgers musical South Pacific. The show is Tony's choice for outstanding musical; Martin is outstanding musical actress; Pinza, outstanding musical actor, McCormack and Hall, outstanding supporting actor and supporting actress; Rodgers wins for outstanding score; Hammerstein and Logan for outstanding libretto; and Logan also wins for outstanding direction. By the way, it plays for 1,925 performances!
1954 David Merrick has his first production on Broadway. It's the S N Behrman-Joshua Logan-Harold Rome musical Fanny. It stars Ezio Pinza, Walter Slezak and Florence Henderson
1956 Ethel Merman and Fernando Lamas are on the trail in Happy Hunting, a Howard Lindsay-Russel Crouse-Matt Dubey musical
1957 Settle in for a long run. Tony awards go to Robert Preston, Barbara Cook and David Burns for their performances in The Music Man. The Meredith Wilson-Franklin Lacy show wins the Tony for outstanding musical
1960 What is the king doing tonight? If he's anything like us he's going to see Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet in the Lerner and Loewe classic Camelot
1963 It's time to throw in a couple of clangers. Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz wrote the score, and Mary Martin gamely kept Jennie going for 82 performances
1964 Do you realize that Angela Lansbury has won 4 Tony awards as best musical actress. Of course, that started in 1967. This time out she stars wit Lee Remick and Harry Guardino in Stephen Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle. They put their lips together for all of 9 shows
1964 Sammy Davis Jr finally gets his big shot on Broadway and makes the most of it. Clifford Odets' Golden Boy was first staged as a straight play in 1937. The Odets-William Gibson-Charles Strouse musical version runs for 569 shows
1972 Jule Styne and Bob Merrill team up to write the score for Sugar, starring Tony Roberts, Robert Morse, Elaine Joyce and Cyril Ritchard
1974 Only in New York City! David Merrick is the producer. Jerry Herman writes the score. Gower Champion is the choreographer. Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters star. The reviews are good. Mack and Mabel flops
1975 Ease on down to the Majestic to see another Tony-winning musical. The Wiz is a Charlie Small musical directed by Geoffrey Holder with George Faison's choreography. Ken Harper produced. The show features Stephanie Mills, Hinton Battle, Ted Ross, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Mabel King. Individual Tonys go to Small, Holder, Faison, Ross and Bridgewater. The American musical isn't dead yet
1977 Liza Minelli and Barry Nelson star in the John Kander-Fred Ebb musical The Act. Liza's performance earns her a Tony for best musical actress
1978 Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee wrote The First Monday in October. Henry Fonda and Jane Alexander are on stage. That's why people love Broadway
1978 Two more reasons are Dorothy Loudon and Vincent Guardino, now starring in the Billy Goldenberg-Alan Bergman-Marilyn Bergman musical Ballroom
1979 Not all ideas are good. John Van Druten's I Remember Mama first came to Broadway in 1944, produced by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It then became a popular radio show. Rodgers now makes a musical version. Liv Ullman stars. The show struggles for 108 performances. Rodgers' Broadway career is over
1988 All we ask of you is that you stop asking. Yes, it's still playing. No, we can't get two on the aisle for tonight's show. Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman and Judy Kaye originate the roles in the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Charles Hart Tony-winning musical The Phantom of the Opera. Harold Prince earns a Tony for his direction; Crawford and Kaye also win
2003 Yep, still playing. Only now you might be able to pick up a pair of ducats at the Times Square TKTS booth
