The Fulton Theatre was a

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

located at 210 West 46th Street in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, that was opened in 1911. It was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1955. The theatre was demolished in 1982. Since the former Little Theatre became the current Helen Hayes Theatre, the Fulton Theatre is now sometimes referred to as the First Helen Hayes Theatre.

History

Built by the architects

Herts & Tallant Henry Beaumont Herts (January 23, 1871 – March 27, 1933) was an American architect. Herts was born in New York City, attended Columbia University without graduating, and apprenticed under Bruce Price. He studied architecture in Europe at th ...

for Henry B. Harris and

Jesse Lasky Jesse Louis Lasky (September 13, 1880 – January 13, 1958) was an American pioneer motion picture producer who was a key founder of what was to become Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr. Early life Born in to ...

, it was originally opened on April 27, 1911, under the name Folies-Bergere as a

dinner theatre Dinner theater (sometimes called dinner and a show) is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. "Dinner and a show" can also refer to a restaurant meal in combination with live concert music, where pat ...

with

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

. The building featured three murals and a color scheme by leading American muralist

William de Leftwich Dodge William de Leftwich Dodge (1867–1935) was an American artist best known for his murals, which were commissioned for both public and private buildings. Early life and education Dodge was born at Liberty, Virginia in the Piedmont near Ly ...

. Eighteen-year-old

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

was discovered here by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' at her Broadway debut on September 22, 1911. Closing after that, the theatre reopened on October 20, 1911, as the Fulton Theatre, a conventional playhouse. The theatre was managed by Abraham L. Erlanger from 1921, until his death in 1930. In 1955, the theatre was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in honor of the renowned actress Helen Hayes and re-opened under that name on November 21. In 1982, the theatre was demolished, along with the Morosco,Lawson, Carol (9 June 1982)
Fallen Facade Revives Theater Razing Dispute
''

Bijou Bijou is a French word meaning ''jewel'', often loosely applied to buildings to mean small and elegant. It may also refer to: Buildings * Bijou Palace, also known as the Al-Gawhara Palace, a palace in Cairo, Egypt * Bijou Theatre (Manhattan), two ...

, Gaiety and Astor Theatres, to make way for the Marriott Marquis Hotel, which now houses the Marquis Theatre. Parts of the Helen Hayes Theatre were salvaged before the theatre's demolition and were used to build

the Shakespeare Center The Shakespeare Center was the home of the Riverside Shakespeare Company, an Equity professional theatre company in New York City, established in 1980 and dedicated in 1982, when the company established its center of theatre production and advanc ...

, home of the

Riverside Shakespeare Company The Riverside Shakespeare Company of New York City was founded in 1977 as a professional ( AEA) theatre company on the Upper West Side of New York City, by W. Stuart McDowell and Gloria Skurski. Focusing on Shakespeare plays and other classical ...

on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

, which was dedicated by Hayes and

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created ...

in September 1982.O'Haire, Patricia (September 13, 1982). "Dickens lends the Bard a Hand." '' New York Daily News''. Since Helen Hayes was still living at the time of the demolition of the theatre that bore her name, it was decided to rename the nearby Little Theatre at 240 West 44th Street in her honor.

Performers

Besides Mae West, the Fulton has also had English actor

Robert Morley Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor who enjoyed a lengthy career in both Britain and the United States. He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, of ...

in the title role of the play '' Oscar Wilde'' by Leslie and

Sewell Stokes Francis Martin Sewell Stokes (16 November 1902, London – 2 November 1979, London) was an English novelist, biographer, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and prison visitor. He collaborated on a number of occasions with his brother, Leslie ...

in 1938. The play ran for 247 performances and its success launched Morley's career as a stage actor on both sides of the Atlantic. Audrey Hepburn starred in the

Gilbert Miller } Gilbert Heron Miller (July 3, 1884 – January 3, 1969) was an American theatrical producer. Born in New York City, he was the son of English-born theatrical producer Henry Miller and Bijou Heron, a former child actress. Raised and educated i ...

production of '' Gigi'', which opened at the Fulton on November 24, 1951, and ran for 219 performances.

Selected runs

Notable runs in excess of 100 performances include: * ''The Misleading Lady'' (1913–14) * '' Twin Beds'' (1914–15) * ''

Abie's Irish Rose ''Abie's Irish Rose'' is a popular comedy by Anne Nichols, which premiered in 1922. Initially a Broadway play, it has become familiar through repeated stage productions, films and radio programs. The basic premise involves an Irish Catholic g ...

'' (1922) (moved to ''

Theatre Republic The New Victory Theater is a theater at 209 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, near Times Square. Built in 1900 as the Republic Theatre (also Theatre Republic), it was designed by Albert Westover a ...

'' through 1927) *'' Orange Blossoms'' (1922) *''

He Who Gets Slapped ''He Who Gets Slapped'' ( rus, Тот, кто получает пощёчины, links=no) is a play in four acts by Russian dramatist Leonid Andreyev; completed in August 1915 and first produced in that same year at the Moscow Art Theatre on ...

'' (1922) * ''

Secrets Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

'' (1922–23) * ''Puzzles of 1925'' (1925) * ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolate ...

'' (1925–26) (which led to the 1927 film) * ''The Donovan Affair'' (1926) * '' Dracula'' (Oct 1927-May 1928) * ''

Gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

'' (Aug 1929 - Jan 1930) (152 perf.) * ''New Faces of 1934'' (Mar 1934 - June 1934) * '' Oscar Wilde'' (Oct 1938 - May 1939) (247 perf.) * '' Arsenic and Old Lace'' (Jan 1941 - Sept 1943) (then moved to

Hudson Theatre The Hudson Theatre is a Broadway theater at 139–141 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the Hudson was built ...

) * ''The Searching Wind'' (Apr 1944 - Jan 1945) (318 perf.) * ''

Another Part of the Forest ''Another Part of the Forest'' is a 1946 play by Lillian Hellman, a prequel to her 1939 drama '' The Little Foxes''. Plot synopsis Set in the fictional town of Bowden, Alabama, in June 1880, the plot focuses on the wealthy, ruthless, and innate ...

'' (Nov 1946 - Apr 1947) (182 perf.) * '' Command Decision'' (Oct 1947 - Sept 1948) (409 perf.) * ''Goodbye, Mr. Fancy'' (Feb 1949 - Sept 1949) (started at Morosco Theatre, moved to Martin Beck Theatre) * '' Gigi'' (Nov 1951 - May 1952) (219 perf.) * ''

The Seven Year Itch ''The Seven Year Itch'' is a 1955 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, from a screenplay he co-wrote with George Axelrod from the 1952 three-act play. The film stars Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, who reprised his stage role. ...

'' (Nov 1952 - Aug 1955) (1141 perf.) As Helen Hayes Theatre: * '' Long Day's Journey into Night'' (Nov 1956 - Mar 1958) (390 perf.) * ''

A Touch of the Poet ''A Touch of the Poet'' is a play by Eugene O'Neill completed in 1942 but not performed until 1958, after his death. It and its sequel, ''More Stately Mansions'', were intended to be part of a nine- play cycle entitled ''A Tale of Possessors Sel ...

'' (Oct 1958 - Jun 1959) (284 perf.) * ''

Period of Adjustment ''Period of Adjustment'' is a 1960 play by Tennessee Williams that was adapted in the film version of 1962. Both the stage and film versions are set on Christmas Eve and tell the gentle, light-hearted story of two couples, one newlywed and the ...

'' (Nov 1960 - Mar 1961) (132 perf.) * '' Mary, Mary'' (Mar 1961 - Nov 1964) (then briefly to Morosco Theatre) * ''

Philadelphia, Here I Come! ''Philadelphia, Here I Come!'' is a 1964 play by Irish dramatist Brian Friel. Set in the fictional town of Ballybeg, County Donegal, the play launched Friel onto the international stage. Plot ''Philadelphia, Here I Come!'' centres around Gareth ...

'' (Feb 1966 - Oct 1966) (326 perf.) * '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' (Jan 1968 - Dec 1968) (379 perf.) * ''

Hadrian VII ''Hadrian the Seventh: A Romance'' (sometimes called ''Hadrian VII'') is a 1904 novel by the English novelist Frederick Rolfe, who wrote under the pseudonym "Baron Corvo". Rolfe's best-known work, this novel of extreme wish-fulfilment developed o ...

'' (Jan 1969 - Nov 1969) (359 perf.) * ''

The Crucifer of Blood ''The Crucifer of Blood'' is a play by Paul Giovanni that is adapted from the Arthur Conan Doyle novel ''The Sign of the Four.'' It depicts the character Irene St. Claire hiring the detective Sherlock Holmes to investigate the travails that her ...

'' (Sept 1978 - Apr 1979) (236 perf.) * ''Strider'' (Nov 1979 - May 1980) (214 perf.)

References

External links

Fulton Theatre (later Helen Hayes Theatre) At Internet Broadway Database
{{Authority control Fulton Theatre Helen Hayes Theatre Dinner theatre Demolished theatres in New York City Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan Buildings and structures demolished in 1982 Theater District, Manhattan

History

Performers

Selected runs

See also

References

External links