Al Hirschfeld Theater (originally Martin Beck Theater)

History

When this venue was known as the Martin Beck Theater, there were many LGBT-associated productions that were big hits:

• On the Town (1945-46, opened at the Adelphi Theater), with music by Leonard Bernstein, choreography by Jerome Robbins, production design by Oliver Smith, and with actor Cris Alexander
• The Voice of the Turtle (1947; opened at the Morosco Theater) by John Van Druten
• Bye Bye Birdie (1960) by Michael Stewart (Best Musical Tony Award), with costume design by Miles White, and with actors Paul Lynde and Charles Nelson Reilly
• Milk and Honey (1961-63) by Don Appell, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, and costume design by Miles White
• Oliver (1965), with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart (Best Composer and Lyricist Tony Award)
• Man of La Mancha (1965-68), with choreography by Jack Cole
• Into the Woods (1987-89), with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (Best Original Score Tony Award), and scenic design by Tony Straiges
• Grand Hotel (1989-92), with music and lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright, directed and choreographed by Tommy Tune (Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography Tony Awards), and with actor Michael Jeter (Best Featured Actor in a Musical Tony Award)
• Guys and Dolls (revival, 1992-95), with costume design by William Ivey Long, and with actor Nathan Lane
• Kiss Me, Kate (revival, 1999-2001), with music and lyrics by Cole Porter (Best Revival of a Musical Tony Award), and costume design by Martin Pakledinaz (Best Costume Design Tony Award)

Other productions by LGBT creators and with LGBT performers at the Martin Beck included:

• The Shanghai Gesture (1926), by John Colton
• A la Carte (1927) by George Kelly
• Porgy (revival, 1929), with actors Georgette Harvey and Edna Thomas
• Dynamo (1929), with actor Claudette Colbert
• The Camel Through the Needle’s Eye (1929), with actor George Freedley
• Reunion in Vienna (1931-32), with actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
• The Lake (1933-34), with actor Katharine Hepburn
• Romeo and Juliet (revival, 1934-35 and 1935-36), staged by Guthrie McClintic, and with actors Katharine Cornell, Maurice Evans, Ralph Richardson, and Tyrone Power
• The Barretts of Wimpole Street (revival, 1935), staged by Guthrie McClintic, and with actor Katharine Cornell
• Flowers of the Forest (1935) by John Van Druten, and with actor Katharine Cornell
• Saint Joan (revival, 1936), staged by Guthrie McClintic, and with actors Katharine Cornell, Maurice Evans, and Tyrone Power
• Cabin in the Sky (1940-41), with lyrics by John Latouche, and with actor Ethel Waters
• The Moon is Down (1942), with actor William Eythe
• The Pirate (1942-43), staged by Alfred Lunt and John C. Wilson, with costume design by Miles White, and with actors Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
• The Corn Is Green (1943) by Emlyn Williams
• A Connecticut Yankee (1943-44), with lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and directed by John C. Wilson
• Foolish Notion (1945), with actor Tallulah Bankhead
• St. Louis Woman (1946) by Arna Bontemps and Countee Cullen, and with choreography by Charles Walters
• Antony and Cleopatra (revival, 1947-48), staged by Guthrie McClintic, and with actors Katharine Cornell (Best Actress in a Play Tony Award) and Charles Nolte
• That Lady (1949-50), staged by Guthrie McClintic, and with actor Katharine Cornell
• Ring Round the Moon (1950-51), with actor Denholm Elliott
• The Rose Tattoo (1951; Best Play Tony Award) by Tennessee Williams, and with actor Sal Mineo
• The Climate of Eden (1952), with actor Ray Stricklyn
• The Grass Harp (1952) by Truman Capote, with scenic and costume design by Cecil Beaton
• Major Barbara (revival, 1956), with actor Charles Laughton
• Candide (1956-57), with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by John Latouche and others, scenic design by Oliver Smith, and costume design by Irene Sharaff
• Orpheus Descending (1957) by Tennessee Williams
• Who Was That Lady I Saw You With? (1958), with scenic design by Rouben Ter-Arutunian
• Say, Darling (1958-59, opened at the ANTA Playhouse), with scenic design by Oliver Smith
• Sweet Bird of Youth (1959-60) by Tennessee Williams
• The Happiest Girl in the World (1961), with actor Cyril Ritchard
• Mother Courage and Her Children (1963), staged by Jerome Robbins, with lighting design by Tharon Musser
• Strange Interlude (1963; opened at the Hudson Theater) was the first revival of Eugene O’Neill’s 1928 play, which had included an early closeted gay male character
• The Ballad of the Sad Café (1963-64) by Edward Albee, based on a novella by Carson McCullers
• A Delicate Balance (1966-67; Pulitzer Prize for Drama) by Edward Albee, with scenic design by William Ritman, and lighting design by Tharon Musser
• Hallelujah, Baby! (1967-68) by Arthur Laurents (Best Musical Tony Award), with costume design by Irene Sharaff, and lighting design by Tharon Musser
• All Over (1971) by Edward Albee, with scenic and costume design by Rouben Ter-Arutunian
• Habeas Corpus (1975-76) by Alan Bennett
• Happy End (1977), adapted by Michael Feingold
• The Little Foxes (revival, 1981), with costume design by Florence Klotz
• Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982), with actor Sandy Dennis
• The Rink (1984) by Terrence McNally, directed by A.J. Antoon, and with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb
• Moon Over Buffalo (1995-96), with costume design by Bob Mackie
• Annie (revival, 1997), with actor Nell Carter

Entry by Jay Shockley, project director (June 2019, with multiple additions).

NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.