Samuel J. Friedman Theater

The Samuel J. Friedman Theater is a Broadway theater at 261 West 47th Street in Manhattan’s Theater District. Originally known as the Biltmore Theatre, it opened on December 7, 1925, with the play Easy Come Easy Go. The building was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in a neo-Renaissance, Italian Renaissance Revival idiom for Irwin Chanin and his brothers, who developed several important Broadway theaters during the 1920s. The venue occupies a relatively small trapezoidal lot between Eighth Avenue and Broadway, near Times Square, and has historically been one of the more intimate houses in the Broadway district. The building’s exterior is distinguished by glazed white brick, white terracotta ornament, rusticated detailing at street level, fluted pilasters, classical panels, an entablature, and a parapet and balustrade. Its auditorium contains a raked orchestra, one balcony, a proscenium stage, false boxes, a shallow oval dome, and extensive low-relief plaster decoration. The Broadway League lists the current capacity at approximately 650 seats, while other theater references give a slightly different figure. The first rows can be removed for smaller productions, allowing the house to operate with a reduced audience configuration. The theater experienced several different uses during the twentieth century. Its early Broadway seasons were not consistently successful, and it hosted many productions that closed quickly during the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1936, the Federal Theatre Project of the Works Progress Administration leased the building. Warner Bros. later acquired it, and from 1952 to 1961 the property served as a CBS radio and television studio. Producer David Cogan subsequently returned the building to legitimate theatrical use. After its sale in 1986, the theater deteriorated, and a fire in late 1987 further damaged the property. Ownership and control changed several times during the following years. The Nederlander Organization and Stewart F. Lane were among the parties associated with the theater after a 1993 sale, but the building remained in poor condition until the Manhattan Theatre Club agreed in 2001 to operate it. A major renovation in the early 2000s modernized the stage, seating, circulation, mechanical systems, accessibility, and backstage and patron facilities while retaining the historic auditorium and facade. The auditorium was reduced from its earlier capacity of about 948 seats, creating space for a lobby, lounges, offices, restrooms, and a gift shop. The renovation also involved excavation of a basement into bedrock and the installation of new technical and building systems. The theater reopened in 2003 under Manhattan Theatre Club operation. In 2008 it was renamed the Samuel J. Friedman Theater in honor of Samuel J. Friedman, a Broadway press agent who lived from 1912 to 1974. His children supported the institution through a substantial gift from the Dr. Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman Foundation. Manhattan Theatre Club subsequently took ownership of the renamed theater. The house remains associated with MTC’s Broadway programming and is used for productions requiring a smaller, more concentrated Broadway setting. The Friedman is both a working commercial-theater venue and a recognized historic building. Its auditorium interior is designated a New York City landmark, and the theater is included on the National Register of Historic Places. Its current identity combines the restored architectural character of a 1920s Broadway house with the institutional programming, subscriber services, lounges, offices, and production infrastructure of a nonprofit theater company.

The building now called the Samuel J. Friedman Theater was developed during the expansion of Midtown Manhattan as New York’s principal large-scale theater district. It was constructed in 1925 for the Chanin family and designed by Herbert J. Krapp, whose Broadway work included several theaters associated with the Chanins. The Biltmore opened on December 7, 1925, with Easy Come Easy Go. Its exterior used white glazed brick and terracotta in a Renaissance Revival composition, while the auditorium used a horseshoe plan, a raked orchestra, a balcony, false boxes, an ornamental proscenium, and a domed ceiling. The Biltmore’s early years coincided with the end of the 1920s theater boom and the onset of the Great Depression. It hosted a number of short-lived productions during the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1936 the Federal Theatre Project leased the theater as part of the Works Progress Administration’s cultural program. Warner Bros. later acquired the property, and the building was converted to broadcasting use. From 1952 through 1961 it functioned as a CBS radio and television studio. Producer David Cogan returned the property to legitimate theatrical use in 1961. He sold the theater in 1986. Following further changes in ownership, including a 1993 sale involving the Nederlander Organization and Stewart F. Lane, the building fell into serious disrepair. A fire in late 1987 was an additional setback. The theater’s future became more secure when Manhattan Theatre Club agreed in 2001 to operate it and pursued a comprehensive renovation. The early-2000s rehabilitation was designed to support MTC’s contemporary production needs while retaining the historic character of the auditorium and street facade. The project reduced the auditorium from approximately 948 seats to roughly 650, moved the rear wall forward to create a lobby, rebuilt the balcony and circulation routes, excavated a basement, and added lounges, offices, restrooms, a gift shop, mechanical systems, accessibility improvements, and modern stage equipment. The stage was lowered for the company’s more intimate productions, and new lighting and rigging systems were installed within the constraints of the building’s diagonal plan. The restored theater reopened in 2003. In 2008 it received its current name in memory of Samuel J. Friedman, a Broadway press agent who died in 1974. His family’s philanthropic support, made through the Dr. Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman Foundation, helped underwrite the institution. Manhattan Theatre Club later became the theater’s owner as well as its operator. The auditorium interior is recognized as a New York City landmark, and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the Friedman serves as an MTC Broadway house, combining historic architectural preservation with active theatrical production.

• 2008

  Renamed for Samuel J. Friedman

  [1]Samuel J. Friedman Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Biltmore became the Samuel J. Friedman Theater in recognition of Broadway publicist Samuel J. Friedman and his family’s philanthropic support.

• 2003

  Renovated theater reopens

  [1]Samuel J. Friedman Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The venue reopened after a major renovation that preserved its historic elements and added modern production and patron facilities.

• 2001

  Manhattan Theatre Club agrees to operate the venue

  [1]Samuel J. Friedman Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  MTC’s involvement provided the basis for restoration and conversion into a modern nonprofit Broadway facility.

• 1986

  Sale preceding prolonged deterioration

  [1]Samuel J. Friedman Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  David Cogan sold the theater; the property subsequently changed hands and deteriorated. A fire had damaged it in late 1987.

• 1961

  Return to legitimate theater

  [1]Samuel J. Friedman Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Producer David Cogan restored the Biltmore to theatrical use.

• 1952

  Conversion to CBS broadcasting use

  [1]Samuel J. Friedman Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The building began a period as a CBS radio and television studio that continued until 1961.

• 1936

  Federal Theatre Project lease

  [1]Samuel J. Friedman Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Works Progress Administration’s Federal Theatre Project leased the Biltmore during the Depression-era period of public theatrical activity.

• 1925

  Biltmore Theatre opens

  [1]Samuel J. Friedman Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The theater opened on December 7 with Easy Come Easy Go. It was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and built for the Chanin brothers.

An intimate, architecturally significant Broadway venue operated by Manhattan Theatre Club, positioned around nonprofit theatrical programming and the preservation of a historic New York theater interior.

• Live theater

  Broadway productions

  The theater’s principal offering is live Broadway performance. Its approximately 650-seat configuration gives Manhattan Theatre Club a comparatively intimate house for plays and other productions that benefit from close audience-performer proximity. The stage, proscenium, lighting, rigging, and backstage areas were modernized during the early-2000s renovation.

• Theater services · 2003

  Patron and subscriber facilities

  The renovated building includes patron amenities associated with Manhattan Theatre Club, including the Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Lounge, another lounge for subscribers, restrooms, a gift shop, and lobby and circulation spaces. These facilities support the theater’s nonprofit audience and membership operations.

• 2008

  Venue renamed for Samuel J. FriedmanOther

  Background

  Samuel J. Friedman was a Broadway publicist, and his family had provided major philanthropic support to Manhattan Theatre Club through the Dr. Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman Foundation.

  Action taken

  The Biltmore Theatre was renamed the Samuel J. Friedman Theater.

  Aftermath

  The renamed venue continued operating as Manhattan Theatre Club’s Broadway theater.

  Source

• 2001

  Manhattan Theatre Club takes on venue operationsStrategy

  Background

  The former Biltmore had suffered from ownership changes, disrepair, and fire damage. Manhattan Theatre Club needed a Broadway home suited to its nonprofit producing model.

  Action taken

  MTC agreed to operate the theater and supported a comprehensive restoration and modernization program.

  Aftermath

  The venue reopened in 2003 as a renovated Broadway house and later became owned by MTC.

  Source

1. 1Samuel J. Friedman Theatreen.wikipedia.org