Liberty Theater
overview
Opened in 1904, the Liberty Theater staged multiple productions involving major LGBT performers and creators, including Julian Eltinge, Clyde Fitch, Oscar Wilde, Cole Porter, W. Somerset Maugham, Lynn Fontanne, and Laurette Taylor, among others.
From 1933 to the mid-1980s, the venue served as a movie theater and, in 2000, the building became part of the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum and was later part of the Ripley’s Odditorium museum.
Ad for The Girl Who Has Everything by Clyde Fitch, 1906-07. Source: Ebay.
(l) Sheet music for The Fascinating Widow, 1911. (r) Julian Eltinge in The Fascinating Widow, 1911. Both courtesy of the Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.
Julian Eltinge in The Fascinating Widow, 1911. Photo by White Studio. Courtesy of the Billy Rose Theater Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Cast members of The Wooing of Eve, 1917. (l) Lynn Fontanne, 1924. Photo by Nicholas Muray. Source: Vanity Fair. (r) Laurette Taylor, c. 1922. Source: IMDB.com.
Sheet music for Hitchy-Koo, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, 1919. Source: Amazon.
Cast of Caesar's Wife, by W. Somerset Maugham. Source: Theatre Magazine, January 1920.
(l) Sheet music for The Half Moon, 1920. Source: Ebay. (r) Edna May Oliver, n.d., cast member of The Half Moon, 1920. Source: Pinterest.
The Magic Ring, with scenic design by Adrian, 1923. Photo by White Studio. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.
(l) Playbill for Twinkle Twinkle, 1926. Source: Playbill. (r) Ona Munson, n.d., cast member of Twinkle Twinkle, 1926. Source: RadioSpirits.
(l) Poster for Lady Do, 1927. Source: Alamy. (r) Karyl Norman, star of Lady Do, 1927. Source: queermusicheritage.com.
Playbill for Blackberries of 1932. Source: WorthPoint.
Cast members of Blackberries of 1932. (l) Georgette Harvey and Musa Williams, c. 1930s. Source: taggingthepast, Instagram. (r) Jackie Mabley, n.d. Source: Biography.com.
Liberty Theater, 1904. Source: Internet Broadway Database.
Tax photo of the Liberty Theater, c. 1939. Courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives.
West 41st Street facade of the Liberty Theater. Source: Google Maps.
History
The Liberty Theater opened in 1904. Productions here by LGBT creators and with LGBT performers included:
- The Girl Who Has Everything (1906-07) by and staged by Clyde Fitch
- The Fascinating Widow (1911), with female impersonator Julian Eltinge in one of his most famous shows
- Lady Windermere’s Fan (revival, 1914) by Oscar Wilde (opened at the Hudson Theater)
- Hitchy-Koo (1917), with costume design by Robert Locher and others (opened at the Cohan and Harris Theater)
- The Wooing of Eve (1917), with actors Lynn Fontanne and Laurette Taylor
- Hitchy-Koo (1919), with music and lyrics by Cole Porter
- Caesar’s Wife (1918-20) by W. Somerset Maugham
- The Half Moon (1920), with actor Edna May Oliver
- The Magic Ring (1923), with scenic design by Adrian
- Twinkle, Twinkle (1926-27), with actor Ona Munson
- Lady Do (1927), with female impersonator Karyl Norman (George Francis Peduzzi), and with costume design by Norman and Ellis Porter
- Blackberries of 1932 (1932), with Black performers Georgette Harvey, Musa Williams, and Jackie Mabley
In 1933, the Liberty was converted to a movie theater, which it remained until the mid-1980s. In the 1990s, a Hilton Hotel was erected above the theater. In 2000, the building became part of the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum and was later part of the Ripley’s Odditorium museum. Part of the main entrance on West 42nd Street is visible, as is the auditorium façade on West 41st Street, and part of the auditorium is intact.
Entry by Jay Shockley, project director (December 2022).
NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.
Building Information
- Architect or Builder: Herts & Tallant
- Year Built: 1904
Sources
Internet Broadway Database.
“Liberty Theatre,” Wikipedia (accessed December 8, 2022), bit.ly/3FLsgSf.
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