Central 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#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

, New York City, built in 1918. It was located at 1567

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

, at the southwest corner with 47th Street, and seated approximately 1,100 patrons. The architect was Herbert J. Krapp. The theatre was built by the

Shubert family The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of Broadway theatre, Broadway theaters in New York City's Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District, as the hub of the theatre industry in the United States. Through the The Shubert Org ...

on a site previously occupied by the Mathushek & Son piano factory.Movieland and Central Theatre
IBDB database, accessed April 21, 2014. The Shuberts retained the five-story piano warehouse on the corner, which they transformed into offices and the entrance lobby of the theatre.
"The Real Estate Field"
''The New York Times'', July 17, 1917.) It can be seen in this photograph, published in 1910. The first production at the theatre was the play ''Forever After'', by

Owen Davis Owen Gould Davis (January 29, 1874 – October 14, 1956) was an American dramatist known for writing more than 200 plays and having most produced. In 1919, he became the first elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America. He received th ...

, which opened in 1918. This moved to

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in ...

for a long run. A musical, '' Somebody's Sweetheart'' (music by

Antonio Bafunno Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

; book and lyrics by

Alonzo Price Alonzo is both a given name and a Spanish surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Alonzo de Barcena, 16th-century Spanish Jesuit missionary and linguist * Alonzo de Santa Cruz (–1567), Spanish cartographer, mapmaker, instrum ...

), was a success at the theatre in 1919–20.

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

made his debut as librettist in January 1920 with ''Always You'', which was followed by a successful

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

Arthur Wimperis Arthur Harold Wimperis (3 December 1874 – 14 October 1953) was an English playwright, lyricist and screenwriter, who contributed lyrics and libretti to popular Edwardian musical comedies written for the stage. But, with the advent of talking f ...

, ''As You Were''. In July 1920, ''

Poor Little Ritz Girl ''Poor Little Ritz Girl '' is a musical comedy in two acts, with book by George Campbell and Lew Fields. The show had some songs with lyrics by Alex Gerber and music by Sigmund Romberg and other songs with lyrics by Lorenz Hart and music by Richa ...

'' opened, with some songs by

Rodgers and Hart Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart's ...

and others by

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his Musical theatre, musicals and operettas, particularly ''The Student Prince'' (1924), ''The Desert Song'' (1926) and ''The New Moo ...

and Alex Gerber. ''

Afgar ''Afgar, or the Andalusian Leisure'' is a musical with lyrics by Douglas Furber, music by Charles Cuvillier and a book by Fred Thompson and Worton David. It is based on Cuvillier's 1909 French operetta of the same name, with words by André B ...

'' was another successful musical in 1920–21. '' The Gingham Girl'' was a hit musical in 1923 with music by

Albert Von Tilzer Albert Von Tilzer (born Albert Gumm, March 29, 1878 – October 1, 1956) was an American songwriter, the younger brother of fellow songwriter Harry Von Tilzer. He wrote the music to many hit songs, including, most notably, " Take Me Out to the B ...

. The theatre introduced movies in 1921 and alternated the new medium with live theatre and

American burlesque American burlesque is a genre of variety show derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall, and minstrel shows. Burlesque became popular in the United States in the late 1860s and slowly evolved to feature ribald comedy and female nu ...

until 1957, although legitimate theatre was absent from 1934 to 1951. It changed its name to the Columbia Theatre in 1934, Gotham Theatre in 1944 and the Holiday Theatre in 1951. A successful revue, ''Bagels and Yox'' played in 1951. A revival of ''

Abie's Irish Rose ''Abie's Irish Rose'' is a popular comedy by Anne Nichols, which premiered in 1922. Initially a Broadway theatre, Broadway Play (theatre), play, it has become familiar through repeated stage productions, films and radio programs. The basic premi ...

'' played in 1954. Legitimate theatre ended at the house in 1956. Under the names Odeon, then the Forum, and finally Movieland, the theatre played movies until 1988, when the Shuberts sold it. The building was converted into other uses. The auditorium became a disco, Club USA. The theatre was demolished in 1998. A

W Hotel W, or w, is the twenty-third letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''double-u'',Pronounced in formal situation ...

opened on the site in 2005.

References

External links

Cinema Treasures

Museum of the City of New York
{{DEFAULTSORT:Central Theatre 1916 establishments in New York City 1998 disestablishments in New York City Broadway (Manhattan) Buildings and structures demolished in 1998 Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan Demolished theatres in New York City Former Broadway theatres Former theatres in Manhattan Shubert Organization Theatres completed in 1916 Times Square buildings Theater District, Manhattan