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Casino Theatre (New York City)

February 16, 2024

For another Broadway theater later using this name, see Earl Carroll Theatre.

The Casino Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 1404 Broadway and West 39th Street in New York City. Built in 1882, it was a leading presenter of mostly musicals and operettas until it closed in 1930.[1]

Casino Theatre
Casino Theatre, 1900
General information
Architectural styleMoorish Revival
LocationManhattan, New York City
Opened1882
Closed1930
Demolished1930
Design and construction
Architect(s)Francis Hatch Kimball and Thomas Wisedell

The theatre was the first in New York to be lit entirely by electricity, popularized the chorus line and later introduced white audiences to African-American shows. It originally seated approximately 875 people, however the theatre was enlarged in 1894 and again in 1905, after a fire, when its capacity was enlarged to 1,300 seats. It hosted a number of long-running comic operas, operettas and musical comedies, including Erminie, Florodora, The Vagabond King and The Desert Song. It closed in 1930 and was demolished the same year.[2]

History edit

 
Souvenir illustration from the theatre's production The Yeomen of the Guard, 1888

The Casino Theatre, designed in Moorish Revival style by architects Francis Hatch Kimball and Thomas Wisedell, was the first theatre in New York to be lit entirely by electricity.[3] It was built in 1882 more than 15 blocks north of where the theatre district was then centered, 23rd Street.[2] In 1890, New York's first roof garden was added to the theatre.[4] It originally seated approximately 875 people, however the theatre was enlarged in 1894 and again when it was rebuilt in 1905 after a fire in 1903. The redesigned Casino seated 1,300.[3]

The theatre opened with productions by the McCaull Comic Opera Company. It was first managed by producer and composer Rudolph Aronson, and later by Canary & Lederer from 1894 to 1903, and from 1903 by the Shuberts. As the center of the Broadway theatre district moved uptown, north of 42nd Street, the Casino closed in 1930. It was demolished the same year, along with the nearby Knickerbocker Theatre, to make way for the expanding Garment District.[3]

The Casino hosted a series of successful operettas and other musical theatre pieces in the 1880s and 1890s, including the extraordinarily successful Erminie.[5] In 1891, it premiered Cavalleria Rusticana in America, and in 1894 it presented the first Broadway revue, The Passing Show. In 1898, it was host to the premiere of Clorindy, or The Origin of the Cake Walk, the first African-American musical to be presented before a white audience.[2]

The theatre is perhaps best remembered, however, as having been the home of the 1900 production of the Edwardian musical comedy, Florodora. In that show, it became the first theatre in New York to feature a chorus line, the "Florodora Sextet". The sextet's original lineup included a number of ladies who would later achieve fame and fortune. The production "elevated the chorus girl into ... an attraction in its own right."[4] Evelyn Nesbit was a chorus girl in the show in 1901.[3] Over the decades, the theatre also became known for its free Christmas presentations for New York children.[2]

Over the next decade, the theatre continued to present musicals and operettas, some of the most successful being A Chinese Honeymoon (1902), The Earl and the Girl (1905) and The Chocolate Soldier (1909). During World War I, it hosted transfers of several of the Princess Theatre musicals, among other musicals, such as The Blue Paradise (1915) and Sometime (1918). In the 1920s, the theatre was the home of several hit operettas, particularly The Vagabond King and The Desert Song.[1] Although the Casino had led the move uptown by the Broadway theatre district,[6] by 1930, most of the theatres had moved even further north, to the West 40s.[7] The last performance was the opera Faust presented by the American Opera Company on January 18, 1930 with tenor Charles Kullman in the title role and soprano Nancy McCord as Marguerite.[6] The theatre was demolished a month later.[1]

Notable productions edit

 
Broadway, 1920, looking north from 38th Street, showing the Casino and Knickerbocker Theatres, a sign pointing to Maxine Elliott's Theatre, which is out of view on 39th Street, and a sign advertising the Winter Garden Theatre, which is out of view on 50th Street. The old Metropolitan Opera House and the old Times Tower are visible on the left.
 
Title page of Erminie, noting its run at the theatre

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Casino Theatre (Built: 1882 Demolished: 1930 Closed: 1930)" Internet Broadway Database (Retrieved on December 31, 2007)
  2. ^ a b c d Miller, Tom. "The Lost 1882 Casino Theatre – 39th Street and Broadway", Daytonian in Manhattan, June 3, 2013, accessed October 21, 2014
  3. ^ a b c d Casino Theatre. World Theatres – Broadway and Off Broadway Theatres, accessed May 24, 2011
  4. ^ a b Bloom, Ken. Routledge Guide to Broadway, Routledge (2013), pp. 44–45 ISBN 1135871175
  5. ^ IBDB entry for the original New York run, accessed October 21, 2014. See also Stone, David. Violet Melnotte (1855–1935) 2014-10-21 at the Wayback Machine, Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Boise State University, accessed October 21, 2014
  6. ^ a b "Casino Theatre, Landmark, Passes: Playhouse That Opened 48 Years Ago Was Scene of Success of Many Celebrities. Once Farthest North". The New York Times. 19 January 1930. p. 31.
  7. ^ Eaton, Walter Prichard (1907). "Oscar Hammerstein: A Boy Who Never Grew Up". American Magazine. Colver Publishing House. p. 31.
  8. ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(still image) Lillian Russell in "The grand duchess", (1894)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  9. ^ Aronson, Rudolph (1913). Theatrical and Musical Memoirs. New York: McBride, Nast and Company. p. 95. OCLC 608173307.
  10. ^ Dan Dietz (2021). "Little Red Riding Hood". The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 3-4. ISBN 9781538150283.
  11. ^ Franceschina, John. Harry B. Smith: Dean of American Librettists, Routledge (2003), p. 169 via Google Books

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Casino Theatre (New York City).
  • Casino Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database
  • Photos of the theatre and its stars

40°45′13″N 73°59′14″W / 40.75362°N 73.9871°W / 40.75362; -73.9871

February 16, 2024
casino, theatre, york, city, another, broadway, theater, later, using, this, name, earl, carroll, theatre, casino, theatre, broadway, theatre, located, 1404, broadway, west, 39th, street, york, city, built, 1882, leading, presenter, mostly, musicals, operettas. For another Broadway theater later using this name see Earl Carroll Theatre The Casino Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 1404 Broadway and West 39th Street in New York City Built in 1882 it was a leading presenter of mostly musicals and operettas until it closed in 1930 1 Casino TheatreCasino Theatre 1900General informationArchitectural styleMoorish RevivalLocationManhattan New York CityOpened1882Closed1930Demolished1930Design and constructionArchitect s Francis Hatch Kimball and Thomas WisedellThe theatre was the first in New York to be lit entirely by electricity popularized the chorus line and later introduced white audiences to African American shows It originally seated approximately 875 people however the theatre was enlarged in 1894 and again in 1905 after a fire when its capacity was enlarged to 1 300 seats It hosted a number of long running comic operas operettas and musical comedies including Erminie Florodora The Vagabond King and The Desert Song It closed in 1930 and was demolished the same year 2 Contents 1 History 2 Notable productions 3 References 4 External linksHistory edit nbsp Souvenir illustration from the theatre s production The Yeomen of the Guard 1888The Casino Theatre designed in Moorish Revival style by architects Francis Hatch Kimball and Thomas Wisedell was the first theatre in New York to be lit entirely by electricity 3 It was built in 1882 more than 15 blocks north of where the theatre district was then centered 23rd Street 2 In 1890 New York s first roof garden was added to the theatre 4 It originally seated approximately 875 people however the theatre was enlarged in 1894 and again when it was rebuilt in 1905 after a fire in 1903 The redesigned Casino seated 1 300 3 The theatre opened with productions by the McCaull Comic Opera Company It was first managed by producer and composer Rudolph Aronson and later by Canary amp Lederer from 1894 to 1903 and from 1903 by the Shuberts As the center of the Broadway theatre district moved uptown north of 42nd Street the Casino closed in 1930 It was demolished the same year along with the nearby Knickerbocker Theatre to make way for the expanding Garment District 3 The Casino hosted a series of successful operettas and other musical theatre pieces in the 1880s and 1890s including the extraordinarily successful Erminie 5 In 1891 it premiered Cavalleria Rusticana in America and in 1894 it presented the first Broadway revue The Passing Show In 1898 it was host to the premiere of Clorindy or The Origin of the Cake Walk the first African American musical to be presented before a white audience 2 The theatre is perhaps best remembered however as having been the home of the 1900 production of the Edwardian musical comedy Florodora In that show it became the first theatre in New York to feature a chorus line the Florodora Sextet The sextet s original lineup included a number of ladies who would later achieve fame and fortune The production elevated the chorus girl into an attraction in its own right 4 Evelyn Nesbit was a chorus girl in the show in 1901 3 Over the decades the theatre also became known for its free Christmas presentations for New York children 2 Over the next decade the theatre continued to present musicals and operettas some of the most successful being A Chinese Honeymoon 1902 The Earl and the Girl 1905 and The Chocolate Soldier 1909 During World War I it hosted transfers of several of the Princess Theatre musicals among other musicals such as The Blue Paradise 1915 and Sometime 1918 In the 1920s the theatre was the home of several hit operettas particularly The Vagabond King and The Desert Song 1 Although the Casino had led the move uptown by the Broadway theatre district 6 by 1930 most of the theatres had moved even further north to the West 40s 7 The last performance was the opera Faust presented by the American Opera Company on January 18 1930 with tenor Charles Kullman in the title role and soprano Nancy McCord as Marguerite 6 The theatre was demolished a month later 1 Notable productions edit nbsp Broadway 1920 looking north from 38th Street showing the Casino and Knickerbocker Theatres a sign pointing to Maxine Elliott s Theatre which is out of view on 39th Street and a sign advertising the Winter Garden Theatre which is out of view on 50th Street The old Metropolitan Opera House and the old Times Tower are visible on the left nbsp Title page of Erminie noting its run at the theatre1882 The Queen s Lace Handkerchief 1883 The Beggar Student 1884 Nell Gwynne 1885 Die Fledermaus 1886 Erminie 1888 The Yeomen of the Guard 1890 The Grand Duchess 8 9 1891 Cavalleria Rusticana 1894 The Passing Show 1895 The Wizard of the Nile 1896 The Lady Slavey 1896 In Gay New York 1897 The Belle of New York 1897 The Wedding Day 1898 Clorindy or The Origin of the Cake Walk 1900 Little Red Riding Hood 10 1900 Florodora 1900 The Casino Girl 1900 The Belle of Bohemia 11 1901 The Little Duchess 1902 A Chinese Honeymoon 1903 The Runaways 1904 Piff Paff Pouf 1904 Baroness Fiddlesticks 1905 The Earl and the Girl 1909 Havana 1909 The Chocolate Soldier 1912 The Firefly 1912 13 Seasons of Gilbert and Sullivan 1914 High Jinks 1915 The Blue Paradise 1916 Very Good Eddie 1917 Oh Boy 1918 Oh Lady Lady 1918 Sometime 1921 Tangerine 1922 Sally Irene and Mary 1923 Wildflower 1924 I ll Say She Is Marx Brothers 1925 The Vagabond King 1926 The Desert Song 1928 My Maryland 1929 The New Moon 1930 American Opera Company s Madama Butterfly and FaustReferences edit a b c Casino Theatre Built 1882 Demolished 1930 Closed 1930 Internet Broadway Database Retrieved on December 31 2007 a b c d Miller Tom The Lost 1882 Casino Theatre 39th Street and Broadway Daytonian in Manhattan June 3 2013 accessed October 21 2014 a b c d Casino Theatre World Theatres Broadway and Off Broadway Theatres accessed May 24 2011 a b Bloom Ken Routledge Guide to Broadway Routledge 2013 pp 44 45 ISBN 1135871175 IBDB entry for the original New York run accessed October 21 2014 See also Stone David Violet Melnotte 1855 1935 Archived 2014 10 21 at the Wayback Machine Who Was Who in the D Oyly Carte Opera Company Boise State University accessed October 21 2014 a b Casino Theatre Landmark Passes Playhouse That Opened 48 Years Ago Was Scene of Success of Many Celebrities Once Farthest North The New York Times 19 January 1930 p 31 Eaton Walter Prichard 1907 Oscar Hammerstein A Boy Who Never Grew Up American Magazine Colver Publishing House p 31 Digital Collections The New York Public Library still image Lillian Russell in The grand duchess 1894 The New York Public Library Astor Lenox and Tilden Foundations Retrieved June 28 2020 Aronson Rudolph 1913 Theatrical and Musical Memoirs New York McBride Nast and Company p 95 OCLC 608173307 Dan Dietz 2021 Little Red Riding Hood The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals Rowman amp Littlefield Publishers p 3 4 ISBN 9781538150283 Franceschina John Harry B Smith Dean of American Librettists Routledge 2003 p 169 via Google BooksExternal links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Casino Theatre New York City Casino Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database Photos of the theatre and its stars 40 45 13 N 73 59 14 W 40 75362 N 73 9871 W 40 75362 73 9871 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Casino Theatre New York City amp oldid 1167911703, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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