Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 239 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Opened in 1921, the theater has since been renovated and currently seats approximately 1,000 people.
It is one of the two or three venues from which ticket services charge an additional “restoration” fee to cover ongoing restorations. The other two are the Lyceum Theatre and the Hudson Theatre.
The 1,060-seat Music Box was built by architects Grosvenor Atterbury, Herman Auerbach, and C. Howard Crane in 1910 as the Fulton Theater and designed by Henry Herts who also designed the nearby Times Square Building (now known as One Times Square) at 42nd Street between 7th Avenue and Broadway.
Opened in 1921, the theater has since been renovated and currently seats approximately 1,000 people. It is owned and operated by Shubert Invesment Corporation.
The Music Box Theatre has been a New York City landmark since its opening in 1921 with a performance of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. The original theater was located at 229 West 45th Street near Seventh Avenue, from which it took its name; it was demolished in 1966 to make room for a new office tower. The current structure opened on November 28, 1982 as part of a development that included the Marriott Marquis Hotel next door (now known as simply the Marriott Marquis). The building’s design was conceived by John Cacoulidis of Tappe Redman Architects & Planners, Inc., who also designed Radio City Music Hall and Times Square’s Broadway Plaza at Seventh Avenue between 49th Street & 50th Street (where he also constructed an underground parking garage).
For many years it was known as the Republic Theatre.
The Music Box Theatre, located at 239 West 45th Street in New York City, was known as the Republic Theatre for many years, opening its doors on December 12, 1921. Throughout the following decades it changed names several times:
- In 1930 it became the Republic Theatre.
- In 1950 it was renamed back to The Music Box Theatre.
- In 1966 it once again became known as the Republic Theatre.
Finally in 1989, when a major renovation took place under producer Rocco Landesman and director Roger Berlind (whose first production was the 1987 revival of “Sweet Bird of Youth”), they decided to restore its original name—The Music Box Theatre.
The theatre is one of the two or three venues from which ticket services charge an additional “restoration” fee to cover ongoing restorations.
The restoration fee is a voluntary $2.00 per ticket price increase added to the ticket price (including all fees) by certain ticket services, such as TicketMaster and Telecharge, to help fund ongoing restorations at the Music Box Theatre. This fee is not charged by The Music Box Theatre nor by any of its producers.
Contact Info
- Phone: (212) 239-6200
- Website: https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/
- Address: 239 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way), New York, NY 10036
Conclusion
Overall, the Music Box Theatre is a great place to catch your favorite Broadway shows. With an on-site restaurant and bar, it’s easy to make an evening of it. There’s no need to leave mid-show because there are plenty of places nearby that cater specifically to theatergoers!
