Broadway Theatre

1445 Broadway / New York City

James Anthony Bailey, a circus manager and owner (the "Bailey" in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus)
started building the theatre in 1887 on the site of what had been the "Metropolitan Concert Hall" built in 1880.
Bailey pulled out, and the project was completed by Frank Sanger, T.H. French, and E. Zborowski, with seating
for about 1,800 and standing room for 500 more. The American premiere of La Tosca was performed on the
theatre's opening night, March 3, 1888, featuring Fanny Davenport. It was not a great success, due in part
to the Great Blizzard of 1888 hitting New York ten days later, and it closed on April 28.

- New York Tribune / March 4, 1888 (pg.5) -

The first successful run was Little Lord Fauntleroy, with the title role alternately played by Elsie Leslie
and Tommy Russell, which hit 100 showings on March 21, 1889. Lawrence Barrett's final performance was at
the theatre in March 1891, when he became ill during a performance of Richelieu. Edwin Booth's last New York
performance occurred at the theatre that same month. El Capitan, John Philip Sousa's most enduring operetta,
opened here in 1896 before tours, revivals and a successful London run. The highly successful Ben-Hur
debuted in November 1899, the greatest production which the theatre ever hosted. Mrs. Leslie Carter,
who later obtained fame with The Heart of Maryland, made her stage debut at the Broadway Theatre in 1890
in The Ugly Duckling.

- advertisement / October 1888

Starting around 1903, the theatre featured almost all musical productions. In 1913, after the closing of
The American Maid, the theatre was used for vaudeville and motion picture shows. The last performance
was a vaudeville show called Broadway Fever in January 1929, and the theatre was soon after demolished.

- New York Daily News / January 2, 1929 (pg.201) -

- New York Daily News / January 3, 1929 (pg.193) -