Palace Theater (interior)
overview
Opened in 1913 for vaudeville, and reopened as a legitimate theater in 1966, the Palace Theater has staged multiple productions involving major LGBT performers and creators, including Sarah Bernhardt, Ethel Waters, Sophie Tucker, Harvey Fierstein, Tommy Tune, Michael Bennett, Joel Grey, and Bob Mackie, among others.
The theater’s historic facade has been demolished.
Program for Sarah Bernhardt at the Palace Theater, 1912. Courtesy of the New-York Historical Society.
Ad for the Palace Theater in 1917 featuring the musical comedy duo of Bert Savoy & Jay Brennan as an "extra attraction." Source: New York Sun, March 25, 1917.
Palace Theater marquee for Sophie Tucker, 1930. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.
Palace Theater marquee for Judy Garland, 1967.
Joel Grey in George M!, 1968. Photo: Friedman-Abeles. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.
Playbill cover for An Evening with Josephine Baker, 1974.
Carol Channing and cast in Lorelei, 1974. Costumes by Bob Mackie and Ray Aghayan. Photo: Martha Swope. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.
Playbill cover for Woman of the Year, 1981.
Gene Barry and George Hearn in La Cage aux Folles, 1983. Photo: Martha Swope. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.
Keith Carradine and dancers in The Will Rogers Follies, 1991. Source Tams-Witmark.
Advertisement for Aida, with music by Elton John, 2000.
History
The Palace Theater opened as an enormous vaudeville venue in 1913. Over the next two decades it featured such LGBT stars as Sarah Bernhardt, Marie Dressler, Florence Mills, Ethel Waters, Sophie Tucker, and female impersonators Julian Eltinge, Karyl Norman (George Francis Peduzzi), and Bert Savoy (performing as a duo with Jay Brennan). In 1932, it was converted into a movie theater. Gay icon Judy Garland appeared here in concert in 1951-52, wearing gowns designed by Irene Sharaff, and directed by Charles Walters; she performed here again in 1956-57 and 1967.
The Palace was restored and reopened in 1966 as a legitimate theater. Huge LGBT-associated hits here have been:
- Sweet Charity (1966-67), with actor Lee Roy Reams
- Applause (1970-72), with costume design by Ray Aghayan, and lighting design by Tharon Musser, and with actor Lee Roy Reams
- Woman of the Year (1981-83), with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb (Best Original Score Tony Award)
- La Cage aux Folles (1983-87) by Harvey Fierstein (Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical Tony Awards), directed by Arthur Laurents (Best Direction of a Musical Tony Award), and with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman (Best Original Score Tony Award)
- The Will Rogers Follies (1991-93), directed and choreographed by Tommy Tune (Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography Tony Awards), and with dancer Jerry Mitchell
- Beauty and the Beast (1994-99), with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and with actor Gary Beach
- Aida (2000-2004), with music by Elton John (Best Original Score Tony Award), and scenic and costume design by Bob Crowley (Best Scenic Design Tony Award)
Other LGBT-associated shows at the Palace have included:
- Henry, Sweet Henry (1967), choreographed by Michael Bennett
- George M! (1968-69) by Michael Stewart and John and Francine Pascal, directed and choreographed by Joe Layton (Best Choreography Award), with costume design by Freddy Wittop, and with actor Joel Grey
- Cyrano (1973), with costume design by Desmond Heeley
- Don Juan in Hell (1973), with actor Agnes Moorehead
- An Evening with Josephine Baker (1973-74), starring Josephine Baker
- Lorelei (1974), with costumes by Bob Mackie and Ray Aghayan, and with actor Lee Roy Reams
- London Assurance (1974-75), with costume design by David Walker and Michael Stennett, and with actor Roger Rees
- Goodtime Charley (1975), with scenic design by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, and with actor Joel Grey
- Toller Cranston’s “The Ice Show” (1977), with costume design by Miles White
- The Grand Tour (1979) by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, and with actor Joel Grey
- Oklahoma! (revival, 1979-80), based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs (1931) by Lynn Riggs
- Minnelli on Minnelli (1999-2000) by and directed by Fred Ebb, with songs from the movies of Vincente Minnelli, and with costume design by Bob Mackie
The theater’s historic façade has been demolished. In 2022, the designated landmark interior was elevated in order to create retail space below it.
Entry by Jay Shockley, project director (August 2019, with multiple additions).
NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.
Building Information
- Architect or Builder: Kirchhoff & Rose
- Year Built: 1912-13
Sources
“The 1st List of: Gay/Lesbian/Bi Industry People, Both in Front and Behind the Camera,” www.imdb.com, May 31, 2013.
Adam Hetrick, “The Work of Broadway’s Gay and Lesbian Artistic Community Goes on Display Nov. 14 When the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation Gallery Presents ‘StageStruck: The Magic of Theatre Design’,” Playbill, November 14, 2007.
Internet Broadway Database.
Palace Theater Interior Designation Report (New York: Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1987).
“Palace Theatre (New York City),” Wikipedia, bit.ly/2YSpmGL.
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