The Richard Rodgers Theatre was built by Irwin Chanin in 1925. When it was first opened, it was called Chanin's 46th Street Theatre. Chanin almost immediately leased the theatre to the Shuberts, who eventually bought the building outright in 1931 and rechristened it as simply the 46th Street Theatre. In 1982, it was purchased and renovated by the Nederlander Organization, who in 1990 renamed it the Richard Rodgers Theatre, in memory of composer Richard Rodgers. The building is located at 226 W 46th Street, New York City, New York, between Broadway & 8th Avenue. 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Shubert family of New York City, New York is synonymous with theatre in the United States and the creation of the Broadway district as the pinnacle for theatrical productions. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... An autographed photo of Richard Rodgers Richard Rodgers (June 18, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was one of the great composers of musical theater, best known for his song writing partnerships with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. He wrote more than 900 published songs, and forty Broadway musicals. ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, and the most densely populated major city in North America. ... State nickname: The Empire State Official languages None. ...

Chanin's Seating Plan

The Richard Rodgers Theatre is notable in that it was the first to feature Chanin's 'democratic' seating plan. In most earlier Broadway theatres, patrons seated in the cheaper balcony and mezzanine sections utilized separate entrances from patrons who had purchased the more expensive orchestra section seats. Instead, all patrons entered the new theatre through the same doors, and a series of steps inside the house led to the upper seating areas.

Notable Broadway Premiers

• The Greenwich Village Follies (December 24, 1925)
• Of Thee I Sing (October 10, 1932)
• Anything Goes (September 30, 1935)
• Knickerbocker Holiday (February 13, 1939)
• Finian's Rainbow (January 10, 1947)
• Guys and Dolls (November 24, 1950)
• Damn Yankees (May 5, 1955)
• Donnybrook! (May 18, 1961)
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (October 14, 1961)
• Chicago (June 3, 1975)
• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (June 19, 1978)
• Nine (May 9, 1982)
• Fences (March 26, 1987)
• Steel Pier (April 24, 1997)
• Side Show (October 16, 1997)
• Seussical (November 30, 2000)
• Movin' Out (October 24, 2002)

Of Thee I Sing is a musical with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, to a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. ... Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. ... Knickerbocker Holiday was a Broadway musical written by Kurt Weill (music) and Maxwell Anderson (book and lyrics); it was directed by Joshua Logan. ... Petula Clark in the 1968 Warner Brothers film version Finians Rainbow, with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, opened on Broadway in 1947, with Ella Logan and David Wayne in the lead roles. ... Guys And Dolls is a successful 1950 musical. ... Damn Yankees is a musical comedy, a modern retelling of the Faust legend, set in Washington, D.C., with book by Douglass Wallop and George Abbott and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. ... Donnybrook! is a musical from 1961, with music and lyrics by Johnny Burke and book by Robert E. McEnroe. ... How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was a humorous book by Shepherd Mead. ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a stage and film musical written by Larry F. King based on the Texas Chicken Ranch. ... 9 (nine) is the natural number following 8 and preceding 10. ... This article is about the structure. ... Steel Pier is a musical written by the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb. ... Seussical is a musical based on the books of Dr. Seuss that debuted on Broadway in 2000. ... Movin Out is a hit song written and recorded by Billy Joel. ...

External Links

• The Richard Rodgers at the Internet Broadway Database
• New York City Landmark Guide