Become a member and save up to 70% on tickets to theatre, dance and music. See if you qualify to join TDF.

New Amsterdam Theatre

Website https://newamsterdamtheatre.com/

Address

214 West 42nd Street
New York City, NY 10036

View on map
New Amsterdam Theatre

Public Transportation

Subway Icon

By Subway:

1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, N, R, Q, W, S to 42nd Street/ Times Square

Bus Icon

By Bus:

Take the M7, M20, M42, or M104

Accessibility:

Box Office

Box Office

Separate entrance on 42nd St. Double doors in series (each 31") to ticket lobby". Counter 27".

Parking

Parking

Lot 41st Street and 7th Ave.

Restroom

Restroom

Unisex. Orchestra, Mezzanine and Balcony. Door 32.5". Commode 20". Grab bars.

Directions Subway

Directions Subway

1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, N, R, Q, W, S to 42nd Street/ Times Square

Seating

Seating

Three levels. Orchestra on Ground level. Mezzanine and Balcony reached by elevator.

Elevator\Escalator

Elevator\Escalator

Elevator.

Telephone

Telephone

Box office lobby. Coin slot 51". Cord 29". Balcony. Coin slot 51". Cord 29".

Entrance

Entrance

Two sets of double doors in series: 1st set (each 32 " to main lobby; 2nd set (each 52") into orchestra.

Visual Assistance

Visual Assistance

Scheduled audio-described performers. Call (212) 282-2923. Pre-recorded audio description and hand held captions also available.

Water Fountain

Water Fountain

Balcony. Spout 36".

Assisted Listening System

Assisted Listening System

The theater is equipped with both an infrared listening device system and loop listening device system. Listening devices are available on all theater levels, free of charge. A photo ID is required.

Wheelchair Info

Wheelchair Info

Wheelchair seating available in Orchestra and Mezzanine.

Translation

Translation

Subtitled language translations available in Spanish, Japanese & Portuguese for $5 on the GalaPro app. For more information, go to https://www.galapro.com

Directions Bus

Directions Bus

Take the M7, M20, M42, or M104

Folding Armrests

Folding Armrests

No mobility seats with folding armrests, freestanding wheelchair seats available for purchase in person or over the phone.

Theater Description:

The New Amsterdam Theatre was built in 1902-1903 and was designed by the architecture firm of Herts & Tallant; The Roof Garden, where more risqué productions were presented was added in 1904, but has since been removed from the design.

For many years the theatre was the home of the Ziegfeld Follies, George White's Scandals and Eva LeGallienne's Civic Repertory Theatre. It was used as a movie theatre beginning in 1937, closed in 1985, and was leased by the Walt Disney Corporation and renovated by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer in 1995-97 to be the flagship for Disney Theatrical Productions presentations on Broadway.

Both the Beaux-Arts exterior and the Art Nouveau interior of the building are New York City landmarks, having been designated in 1979. In addition, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The Beaux-Arts facade of the New Amsterdam is a narrow slice which leads to the theatre's interior, the first concrete example of architectural Art Nouveau in New York, The building was constructed in 1902-03 by the partnership of impresarios A.L. Erlanger and Marcus Klaw. Decorating was carried out by an extensive team of painters and sculptors that included George Gray Barnard, Robert Blum, the brothers Neumark, George Daniel M. Peixotto, Roland Hinton Perry and Albert G. Wenzel. At the time of construction, it was the largest theatre in New York, with a seating capacity of 1,702.

The theatre opened in November 1903 with a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. For many years, it hosted the Ziegfeld Follies, showcasing such talents as Fanny Brice, Eaton siblings and silent film star Olive Thomas whose ghost supposedly haunts the theatre.

A racier sister show of the Follies, the Midnight Frolics, played in the New Amsterdam's Roof Garden theatre. The New Amsterdam was the scene of Marilyn Miller's greatest triumphs in the musicals Sally (1920) and Sunny, which opened in September 1925 co-starring Clifton Webb as Harold Wendell-Wendell and ran for three seasons. But the theatre also hosted serious productions, and in June 1927 Basil Rathbone appeared there as Cassius in Julius Caesar.

The Great Depression did great damage to the theatre business, and in 1936 the New Amsterdam closed. It reopened on a limited basis in 1937 but was soon converted to a movie theatre. The Nederlander Organization purchased the landmark property in 1982, but it would not begin rehabilitation for another eight years. In 1990, after a court battle, the State and City of New York assumed ownership of the New Amsterdam and many other theatres on 42nd Street. Disney Theatrical Productions signed a 99-year lease for the property in 1993. The theatre, which had recently been used as a filming location for the movie Vanya on 42nd Street, was dilapidated; it would take several years, and millions of dollars, to restore it to its original usage and grandeur. The roof garden remained closed when it was discovered that it could not meet modern building codes. The New Amsterdam was officially reopened on April 2, 1997.