The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. They dominated the legitimate theater and

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 compositio ...

in the first half of the 20th century, promoting entertainment attuned to the popular taste.

History

The family's American history began with Duvvid Schubart ( transliterated to "Shubert") and his wife Katrina (Gitel) Helwitz, who left their native town

Vladislavov Kudirkos Naumiestis () is in the Šakiai district municipality, Lithuania. It is located south-west of Šakiai. History The settlement was first mentioned in 1561 as a village called ''Duoliebaičiai.'' In 1639 the town was renamed ''Vladisla ...

, Russian Empire (now Kudirkos Naumiestis, Lithuania) arriving in New York City from Hamburg, via England, on June 12, 1881 on the s/s ''Spain'' with their eight children. Two of them subsequently died. Later they settled in Syracuse, New York."Shubert Brothers"
pbs.org, accessed August 29, 2009Kenrick, Joh

musicals101.com, accessed August 29, 2009 The three Shubert sons ( Lee Shubert, Sam S. Shubert, and Jacob J. Shubert) had to forgo much in the way of formal education and go to work when they were very young. Introduced to the world of the theatre, the three brothers broke the monopoly on the theatre-management industry (represented by the

Theatrical Syndicate Starting in 1896, the Theatrical Syndicate was an organisation that in the United States that controlled the majority of bookings in the country's leading theatrical attractions. The six-man group was in charge of theatres and bookings. Beginnin ...

under

Abe Erlanger Abraham Lincoln Erlanger (May 4, 1859 – March 7, 1930) was an American theatrical producer, director, designer, theater owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate. Biography Erlanger was born to a Jewish family

) and Mark Klaw in the foundation of rival agency the Shubert Organization, replacing it with their own. Among the organization's

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

holdings are the renowned

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

(at 1634 Broadway), the Sam S. Shubert (at 221 West 44th Street), and the Imperial Theatres. By 1924, they had 86 theatres in the United States. By 1953, they had produced 600 shows under their credits and had booked 1,000 shows into their numerous theatres. By the 1920s, they owned, operated, managed or booked over 1,000 theatres nationwide."The Shubert Organization"
shubertorganization.com, accessed August 29, 2009 In 1942, they owned, leased or managed 20 of New York City's approximately 40 legitimate theatres and controlled some 15 in other cities. As of 2009, the Shubert Organization owns seventeen Broadway theatres in New York City, as well as the Shubert Theatre in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, the Forrest Theatre in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and manages the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. The organization also owns and operates the 5-stage Off-Broadway facility, New World Stages. Jerry Stagg identifies Lee Shubert as the key creative partner, showing how he built the most successful theatrical empire in history. Stagg characterizes the trio as vulgar and uneducated, but acknowledges that they made a personal monopoly amassing millions of profits in the process. They opened new theater districts in many major American cities, employing thousands over the years. Entertainment and popular taste was the goal, rather than the dramatic arts. By 1924, they controlled 75 percent of all American theaters, producing 25 percent of all plays. Their actors in response created Actor's Equity as a labor union to counterbalance their power. When the Great Depression caused the bankruptcy of their corporate empire in 1933, they could have retired wealthy. Instead they kept the theater alive pouring their own money into the gamble. Almost alone they kept the legitimate theater alive in America. The federal government called them a monopoly, and in 1950 they were taken to court by the federal government. In 1955, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling ruled that they were subject to

antitrust law Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrus ...

s, so they sold 12 theaters in six cities and gave up the booking business, the heart of their enterprise.Jerry Stagg, ''The Brothers Schubert'' (1968)

Notable productions

Musical comedies

*''Chinese Honeymoon'' (1902) *''Winsome Winnie'' (1903) *''The Babes and the Baron'' (1905) *''The Dancing Duchess'' (1914)

Revues

*''Pioneer Days'' (1906) featuring Indians, cavalry, baby elephants, and chorus girls, directed by Lee Shubert *''The Passing Show'' (1912–24), annual musical

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

, rivaling

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the '' Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also ...

's Follies.

Operettas

*''The Blue Paradise'' (1915), and other Sigmund Romberg musicals

Family

The Shubert children: # Lee Shubert (1871–1953), theatre owner/operator, producer. Married to Marcella Swanson (1900-1973). No children. #Fannie Shubert (1868-1928). From her first marriage to Isaac Isaacs she had three sons: Jesse Isaacs (1893-1904), Larry Shubert (1894-1965) and Milton Isaacs Shubert (1901-1967). Her second husband was William Weissager. #Sarah Shubert (1870–1934). Married to Edward Davidow. No children. # Sam S. Shubert (1874–1905), producer, writer, director, theatre owner/operator; died in a Pennsylvania train accident # Jacob J. Shubert (1876–1963), producer, director, theatre owner/operator. From his first marriage to Catherine Dealy he had a son John Jason Shubert (1908-1962). #Dora (Debora) Shubert (1880–1951). From her marriage to Milton Wolf (1881-1955) she had a daughter Sylvia Wolf Golde (1910–1981)

References

External links

* * ''Shubert Foundation biography'' * ''Shubert Archive'' {{Broadway theatres American theatre managers and producers Business families of the United States Jewish-American families Lithuanian Jews Shubert Organization Businesspeople from Syracuse, New York