Gershwin Theatre
The Gershwin Theatre, originally the Uris Theatre, is located at 222 West 51st Street, on the second floor of the Paramount Plaza office building, near Times Square in New York City. It opened in 1972 and is operated by the Nederlander Organization. The Gershwin is Broadway's largest theater, with about 1,933 seats on two levels. Over the years, it has hosted musicals, dance companies and concerts. It is named after brothers George and Ira Gershwin, who wrote several Broadway musicals.
The 48-story Paramount Plaza, at 1633 Broadway, formerly the Uris Building, was constructed from 1967 to 1971. It houses two theaters: The Gershwin and the 650-seat Circle in the Square Theatre in the basement.
The Uris Theatre was designed by Ralph Alswang. The theater's main entrances are from a midblock passageway that runs between 50th and 51st Streets. The American Theater Hall of Fame, which contains inscriptions of the names of over 500 notable theatrical personalities, is placed within the lobby and rotundas. The Gershwin's orchestra level, which has about 1,300 seats, is more than double the size of the mezzanine level, which has about 600 seats.
The Uris opened on November 28, 1972. A 30-year lease was taken on it by Gerald Oestreicher, and the opening production was the rock musical Via Galactica. Among superstars who made appearances here were Bing Crosby, Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn and Frank Sinatra.
The theater was renamed the Gershwin during the 37th Tony Awards in 1983, the first of six Tony Awards ceremonies to be hosted here. Since 2003, the Gershwin has been home to the musical Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman.
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Gershwin Theatre auditorium 222 West 51st Street (photo Jusdee Dee, 2022).
Gershwin Theatre at 222 West 51st Street (photo John W, 2022).
Musical Wicked performance on Gershwin Theatre in 2024 (photo Jiyeon Portnoy).
Gershwin Theatre