Selwyn Theatre
Selwyn Theatre / 229 West 42nd Street / New York City, NY
In 1918, Edgar and Arch Selwyn opened the Selwyn Theatre on the already crowded Forty-Second Street. The Selwyn was an Italian Renaissance style theater designed by George Keister ,
an architect who specialized in theater work. The theatre was decorated in gold and blue with large murals adorning the walls. It seated 1,000 people and contained two levels of box seats.
On October 2, the Selwyn Theatre held its grand opening with Information, Please, starring Jane Cowl. This show was a flop and only had 46 performances. Jane Cowl return in the
Selwyn's next production, The Crowded Hour. This show tripled the run of Cowl's first performance, but it was not until 1919, that the Selwyn had its first hit with the musical Buddies.
The biggest hit ever staged at the Selwyn was The Royal Family, in 1925. The subject of the play was the on- and off- stage feud between the Drews and Barrymores. The show ran for 345 performances.
When the depression hit, Selwyn Theatre suffered like the rest. No show lasted for more than a week, and like the others, this theatre because a movie house. After 16 years of showing only movies,
the theatre implemented an unusual policy that demanded legitimate theatre to be staged before the movie. The first of these shows was a condensed version of Sarte's The Respectful Prostitute.
The concept of showing a play before the feature film lasted only for a short time. The Selwyn returned to being a double-feature movie house. Through the early 1990's, the Selwyn continued to be
operated as a movie theatre, and the stage, lighting, and rigging systems remained intact. In March 1997, the Wooster Theatre Group presented Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape for a limited run.
- 1918 -
The Selwyn Theatre was fully restored in 2000 by the Roundabout Theatre Company and renamed the American Airlines Theatre. 