New World Stages is a five-theater,

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of

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 List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue.

History

Constructed on the site of the third Madison Square Garden, New World Stages was originally built as a Loews Cineplex Entertainment multiplex cinema at Worldwide Plaza. The Worldwide Cinemas multiplex opened in June 1989 and was originally operated by the

Cineplex Odeon Corporation Cineplex Odeon Corporation was one of North America's largest movie theatre operators and live theatre, with theatres in its home country of Canada and the United States. The Cineplex Odeon brand is still being used by Cineplex Entertainment at ...

. The Loews Cineplex at Worldwide Plaza closed in early 2001 after its operator went bankrupt. The former multiplex temporarily served as office space for accounting firm

Deloitte Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of professio ...

later that year after that firm's offices were destroyed in the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

. Dodger Stage Holding Theatricals leased the complex in 2002 with plans to convert the former six-screen multiplex into five Off-Broadway stages. The movie theater complex reopened as Dodger Stages in 2004 following substantial renovations. The architects were

Beyer Blinder Belle Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP (BBB) is an international architecture firm. It is based in New York City and has an additional office in Washington, DC. The firm's name is derived from the three founding partners: John H. Beyer, Ri ...

, the theatre designers were Sachs Morgan, and the interior designer was Klara Zieglerova. Since that time, the theater complex has housed many commercial theatrical productions, as well as numerous corporate events, readings, and concerts. Dodger Stages was renamed New World Stages on March 16, 2006, concurrent with Stage Entertainment’s assuming sole ownership of the complex. Since November 17, 2014, the venue has been owned and operated by

The Shubert Organization The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by the three Shubert brothers in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters ...

. In addition to new Off-Broadway productions, New World Stages has become a home to shows that were previously on Broadway, including ''

Avenue Q ''Avenue Q'' is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody of ...

'', '' The 39 Steps'', ''

Million Dollar Quartet "Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about the session ...

'', '' Peter and the Starcatcher'', and '' Jersey Boys''. This producing tactic has been utilized to encourage the extension of a show's commercial run. The venue has also become a location for the piggybacking model, whereby multiple shows adjust their playing times and share the same theater, set, and tech personnel to lower the costs of keeping an open-ended Off-Broadway show running. The theatres and lobby are also available for special events, including conferences, readings, workshops and receptions.

Statistics

New World Stages houses five theaters. Stages 1 and 3 have a maximum of 499 seats each, Stages 2 and 4 have a maximum of 350 seats each, and Stage 5 has a maximum of 199 seats. These capacities, greater than 100, fewer than 500, define New World Stages as an Off-Broadway complex. (Theaters with fewer than 100 seats are Off-Off-Broadway; theaters with 500 or more seats that are in the theater district are classified as Broadway level.) The maximum weekly capacity, assuming five shows running concurrently in the five theaters, each for eight performances per week, is 15,176 people. The complete square footage of the underground complex is 61,300 square feet (5,690 m²), and it reaches underground the length of a full city block, from 49th Street to 50th Street.

Show history

The following information is taken from the Internet Off-Broadway Database. New World Stages has been home to a variety of Off-Broadway shows in its brief history, ranging in theme from a water based puppet show to a zombie musical. Current productions are in bold.

Stage 1

499 Seats * '' The Great American Trailer Park Musical'', August 20, 2005 – December 4, 2005 * '' Evil Dead the Musical'', October 2, 2006 – February 17, 2007 * ''Elvis People'', June 6, 2007 – June 23, 2007 * '' Die, Mommie, Die!'', October 9, 2007 – January 13, 2008 * ''

Jackie Mason Jackie Mason (born Yacov Moshe Maza; yi, יעקב משה מזא; June 9, 1928 – July 24, 2021) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. His 1986 one-man show ''The World According to Me!'' won a Special Tony Award, an Outer Critics Ci ...

: The Ultimate Jew'', March 18, 2008 – July 20, 2008 * ''

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to: Films * ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below) Music * ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...

'', October 1, 2008 – January 4, 2009 * '' The Toxic Avenger'', March 18, 2009 – January 3, 2010 * '' The 39 Steps'', March 25, 2010 – January 16, 2011 * ''Between Worlds (Entre Mundos)'', March 4, 2011 – April 24, 2011 * ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'', July 14, 2011 – September 9, 2012 * '' Peter and the Starcatcher'', March 18, 2013 – January 12, 2014 * '' Heathers: The Musical'', March 17, 2014 – August 4, 2014 * '' Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe'', January 14, 2015 – March 29, 2015 * ''Tappin' Thru Life'', December 23, 2015 – February 21, 2016 * '' iLuminate'', November 22, 2016 – January 8, 2017 * '' Building the Wall'', May 12, 2017 - June 4, 2017 * '' Jersey Boys'', November 22, 2017 – May 22, 2022 * '' Melissa Etheridge My Window - A Journey Through Life'', October 13, 2022 - October 29, 2022 * '' Fidler Afn Dakh'', November 13, 2022 – January 1, 2023

Stage 2

350 Seats *''Pieces (of Ass)'', December 7, 2004 – March 27, 2005 *''

Drumstruck ''Drumstruck'', billed as the world's first interactive drum theater experience, is an interactive play created by South African entrepreneur Warren Lieberman and Kathy-Jo Ross. The play is based on the corporate team building performance group Dr ...

'', May 12, 2005 – November 12, 2006 *'' Bill W. and Dr. Bob'', February 16, 2007 – June 10, 2007 *''Celia'', August 28, 2007 – May 25, 2008 *''Flamingo Court'', July 17, 2008 – September 28, 2008 *''Rooms – A Rock Romance'', February 27, 2009 – May 10, 2009 *''Gazillion Bubble Show'', September 2009 – Present (moved from Stage 3) *'' Voca People'', February 16, 2012 – September 2, 2012 *'' Jackie Hoffman's A Chanukah Carol'', December 8, 2012 - December 29, 2012 *''Greed: A Musical for Our Times'', March 19, 2014 - April 19, 2014 *''Blank! The Musical'', November 1, 2014 - November 30, 2014 *''Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus LIVE!'', October 22, 2015 – November 29, 2015 *''One Funny Mother'', March 31, 2016 – January 7, 2017 *''

Katsura Sunshine is a Canadian traditional Japanese rakugo comic storyteller, theatre producer, and television personality, currently residing in New York City, United States. He was also known in Toronto for his musical version of Aristophanes' "Clouds". Bio ...

's Rakugo'', September 19, 2019 – Present

Stage 3

499 Seats *''Mandy Patinkin in Concert'', September 20, 2004 – October 28, 2004 *''Modern Orthodox'', November 11, 2004 – May 8, 2005 *''A Mother, A Daughter, and A Gun'', October 14, 2005 – November 27, 2007 *''Burleigh Grime$'', May 23, 2006 – July 16, 2006 *'' Mimi le Duck'', November 6, 2006 – December 3, 2006 *''Gazillion Bubble Show'', January 17, 2007 – September 2009 (moved to Stage 2) *''

'', October 9, 2009 – May 26, 2019 *''

'', June 19, 2019 – March 11, 2020 *''A Sherlock Carol'', November 11, 2021 – January 2, 2022 *'' ¡Americano!'', March 31, 2022 – June 19, 2022 *''A Sherlock Carol'', November 21, 2022 – January 1, 2023

Stage 4

350 Seats *'' The Immigrant'', October 8, 2004 - November 28, 2004 *'' Altar Boyz'', February 15, 2005 – January 10, 2010 *''

Naked Boys Singing ''Naked Boys Singing!'' is a musical revue that features traditional American vaudeville-style music performed by eight actors who sing and dance naked. The campy musical comedy premiered at the Celebration Theatre in West Hollywood, Californi ...

'', October 14, 2005 – January 28, 2012 *''

White's Lies ''White's Lies'' is a play written by Ben Andron. The play began preview showings off-Broadway on April 12, 2010 and officially opened on May 6, 2010. Initial reviews were mixed; the ''New York Times'' called it a "crass, charmless vehicle" that ...

'', April 12, 2010 – June 13, 2010 *''Freckleface Strawberry'', October 1, 2010 – April 24, 2011 *''

Jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...

'', May 11, 2011 - June 12, 2011 *''

'', July 28, 2011 – June 24, 2012 *''Bullet for Adolf'', July 19, 2012 – September 30, 2012 *'' Bare the musical'', November 19, 2012 – February 3, 2013 *'' iLuminate'', June 24, 2013 – January 18, 2015 *'' Clinton: The Musical'', March 25, 2015 – June 21, 2015 *'' Shear Madness'', October 22, 2015 – July 10, 2016 *''Not That Jewish'', October 6, 2016 – April 30, 2017 *''

The Government Inspector ''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pl ...

'', July 5, 2017 - August 20, 2017 * ''A Clockwork Orange'', September 2, 2017 - December 2, 2017 *'' Desperate Measures'', May 30, 2018 – October 28, 2018 *''

The Play That Goes Wrong ''The Play That Goes Wrong'' is a 2012 play by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields of Mischief Theatre Company. It won Best New Comedy at the 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards. As of September 2021, the show has been running since 201 ...

'', February 11, 2019 – Present

Stage 5

199 Seats *''Symphonie Fantastique'': August 31, 2004 – January 2, 2005 *''

The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) ''The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)'' is a musical by Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell. It is structured into five acts, each of which is a short musical parodying (and paying homage to) the style of an American or British musical theatre ...

'', February 2, 2005 – November 13, 2005 *'' Christine Jorgensen Reveals'', December 29, 2005 – January 18, 2006 *''Sidd: A New Musical'', February 23, 2006 – March 26, 2006 *''How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes'', November 4, 2006 – December 31, 2006 *''Sealed for Freshness'', February 15, 2007 – April 29, 2007 *'' My First Time'', July 12, 2007 – January 22, 2010 *''The All-American Sport of Bi-Partisan Bashing'', August 6, 2007 – October 14, 2007 *'' Make Me a Song'', October 30, 2007 – December 30, 2007 *'' Pinkalicious, the Musical'', January 12, 2008 – September 21, 2008 *'' Tim Minchin'', March 5, 2008 – April 12, 2008 *''The Castle'', March 30, 2008 – May 23, 2009 *''East 14th'', June 26, 2008 – September 6, 2008 *''What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling'', November 1, 2008 – December 28, 2008 *''Flamingo Court'', April 18, 2009 – July 19, 2009 *''For Lovers Only (Love Songs...Nothing But Love Songs'', April 24, 2009 – August 3, 2009 *''Love Child'', October 23, 2009 – January 3, 2010 *''

The Temperamentals ''The Temperamentals'' is a 2009 play by Jon Marans. It chronicles the founding of the Mattachine Society, the first sustained LGBT rights organization in the United States, and the love affair of two of its founding members, Harry Hay ( Thomas ...

'', February 18, 2010 – May 30, 2010 *'' John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean'', March 17, 2010 – September 4, 2011 *''Devil Boys from Beyond'', November 3, 2010 – December 4, 2010 *''La Barberia'', February 3, 2011 – June 12, 2011 *''Freud's Last Session'', October 7, 2011 – July 22, 2012 *''

In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel ''In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel'' is a one-act play in two scenes, written in 1968–69 by Tennessee Williams. Williams, Tennessee. ''Plays 1957–1980''. Mel Gussow and Kenneth Holditch, eds. New York: Library of America, 2000, p. 976. ISBN 1-8830 ...

'', October 13, 2012 – October 28, 2012 *''

Forever Dusty ''Forever Dusty'' is a stage musical based on the life of British pop star Dusty Springfield. The musical numbers are all songs performed by Springfield during her career. The book of the musical was written by Kirsten Holly Smith, who also play ...

'', November 11, 2012 – April 7, 2013 *''

The Two-Character Play ''The Two Character Play'' (also known as '' Out Cry'' in one of its alternate versions) is an American play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in London at the Hampstead Theatre in December 1967. Williams himself had great affection for the pl ...

'', June 13, 2013 – September 29, 2013 *'' Murder for Two'', November 6, 2013 – June 29, 2014 *''

Stalking the Bogeyman Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...

'', September 12, 2014 – November 9, 2014 *''Churchill'', February 6, 2015 – July 12, 2015 *''Would You Still Love Me If...'', October 10, 2015 – October 26, 2015 *''Mad Libs Live!'', November 1, 2015 – January 3, 2016 *''Real Men: The Musical'', November 12, 2015 – December 12, 2015 *'' The Woodsman'', January 27, 2016 – May 29, 2016 *''A Class Act'', July 9, 2016 – August 28, 2016 *''Verso'', September 19, 2016 – November 27, 2016 *''Church & State'', March 3, 2017 – June 4, 2017 *'' Puffs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic'', July 8, 2017 – August 18, 2019 *''MsTRIAL'', November 14, 2019 – February 2, 2020 *''Drift'', February 29, 2020 – March 11, 2020 *''The Alchemist'', November 7, 2021 – December 15, 2021 *''Little Girl Blue'', March 5, 2022 – May 29, 2022 *''

Without You (book) ''Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent'' is a 2006 memoir by a musical theater actor, Anthony Rapp. Later it was turned into a staged musical adaptation by the same name. Memoir The book recalls events of the life of Anthony ...

'', January 14, 2023 – Present

The Green Room

The Green Room is a bar and lounge area located downstairs at New World Stages. Drinks bought from The Green Room are allowed to be brought into the theaters. From October 14, 2016 through March 11, 2020, The Green Room was home to '' The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking''.

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{Off-Broadway theatres Theatrical organizations in the United States Theatres in Manhattan Off-Broadway theaters Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan Theatres completed in 2004