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Curran Theatre

January 30, 2023

The Curran Theatre, located at 445 Geary Street between Taylor and Mason Streets in the Theatre District of San Francisco, California opened in February 1922, and was named after its first owner, Homer Curran. As of 2014, the theater is owned by Carole Shorenstein Hays.

Curran Theatre
(2017)
Curran Theatre
Location within San Francisco County
Address445 Geary Street
San Francisco, California
Coordinates37°47′13″N 122°24′38″W / 37.786972°N 122.410631°W / 37.786972; -122.410631Coordinates: 37°47′13″N 122°24′38″W / 37.786972°N 122.410631°W / 37.786972; -122.410631
OwnerCarole Shorenstein Hays
Capacity1,667
Opened1922
Website
sfcurran.com

History

 
Playbill featuring Will Rogers in Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! from 1934

American theatrical producer Homer Curran operated another theater with his name for several years, prior to building this Curran Theatre; however, the original Curran Theatre had various names before and after this time, whereas this Curran Theatre has never had another name. It opened in February 1922 and was initially a Shubert house. Later, it was a showcase for Theatre Guild presentations. Subsequently, it became closely associated with the San Francisco Civic Light Opera (CLO), which also operated the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera. The CLO obtained numerous prestigious bookings and produced their own shows, often with stars as the lead roles.

Curran wrote the book for the musical Song of Norway and co-wrote the book for Magdalena. He eventually left San Francisco for Southern California, where he rented theatrical lighting. For many years, the San Francisco Opera performed its annual "Spring Opera" series at the Curran.

In 1977, the Civic Light Opera shifted its operations to the Orpheum Theatre, and by the end of that year, Carole Shorenstein Hays and James M. Nederlander assumed operation of the Curran and launched their Best of Broadway season starting with John Raitt in the national tour of Shenandoah and including the West Coast debut of Annie. Later, Shorenstein changed the name of her organization to SHN. In 2015 Shorenstein left SHN, focusing her attention solely on the Curran. SHN no longer operates the Curran.

The theatre closed in September 2015 for renovations. Work included new upholstery for seats, carpeting, mechanical and electrical systems as well as expanded and upgraded lobbies. While work was underway, the theatre presented non-traditional works in a series called Under Construction in which the audience entered and was seated on the stage.[1] The Curran reopened January 25, 2017 with the musical Fun Home.[2]

Architecture and interior

The ceiling above the main lobby was hand-painted to look like wood (steel wool was used to fashion a wood grain effect in the plaster before painting). The main lobby has a marble floor but has long since been covered by carpeting. There are "plugs" built into the lobby floor in which to insert stanchions from which theater ropes were hung to section off the lobby. The loge section was modified prior to Hello, Dolly!'s first booking at the theater. Originally, the loge section was similar to the boxes, with movable chairs in sectioned areas. The box-like loges are still evident by what remains of the metal railings in front of the loge section as well as the decorative plaster when viewed from below. The change was made because it increased the seating capacity by about ten seats in this highly desirable area. The interior main floor lobby no longer exists. Originally, it was changed to a minor degree to accommodate the installation of a sound booth without decreasing the orchestra seating capacity. Eventually, the lobby space was used to install a larger bar area as well as accessible restrooms.

The theater has two front curtains: the decorative green fire curtain in front of a gold curtain. When musicals traditionally utilized each theater's front curtains, the first curtain would be raised five minutes prior to the start of the show. There were two coat check rooms: one off to the south of the main floor interior lobby and the other on the balcony (adjacent to the ladies' restroom). There were also two telephone "booths" on the mezzanine lobby—one on each side of the windows. These booths were actually very small rooms with formal doors. The coat check rooms and telephone booths are now used for storage. The theater also had a central vacuum system. This system is still evident by the connection points on the walls, near the floor. The chandelier was built in San Francisco by Phoenix Day. A plaque honoring Arthur Mayer is mounted at the entrance to boxes L-M-N. Mayer watched the theater being built, was hired by Curran as part of the theater's opening-night staff, and continued working at the theater until he was nearly 100 years old.

Productions

The Curran has hosted more pre-Broadway engagements than any other theater in San Francisco. Productions that have been staged at the Curran prior to moving to Broadway have included A Chorus Line revival (2006),[3] Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (2013),[4] Biloxi Blues (1985), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983), Carnival in Flanders (1953),[5] Dame Edna: Back With a Vengeance (2004),[6] Fences (1987),[7] Gigi (1973),[8] Head Over Heels (2018),[9] Home Sweet Homer (Odyssey) (1975),[10] Hugh Jackman in Performance (2011),[11] Jitney (2002),[12] Kismet (1953),[13] La Boheme (Baz Luhrmann's production) (2002),[14] Lennon (2006),[15] Lestat (2005–2006),[16] Magdalena: a Musical Adventure (1948),[17] Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me (2006),[18] Oliver! (1962),[19] Peter Pan (1954),[20] Pickwick (1965),[21] Ring of Fire (2006),[22] Soft Power (2018),[23] The Grand Tour (1978),[24] Three Wishes for Jamie (1951),[25] White Christmas (2004–2005),[26] and Wicked (2003).[27] Zenda (Alfred Drake, Chita Rivera, Vernon Duke) world premiere 1963, Oliver! (American premiere: 1962, Jollyanna (revision of Flahooley) 1952, At the Grand (Paul Muni, Grand Hotel musical), 1958, Dumas and Son (1967), 1491 (Chita Rivera, John Cullum), 1969, Gone With the Wind (American premiere) 1973.

Broadway national tours have played at the Curran Theatre throughout its history. As operated by SHN, the Curran hosted five years of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, becoming the show's longest domestic run outside of New York City. Other significant long runs presented by SHN at the Curran include Les Misérables, Jersey Boys, They're Playing Our Song, as well as Lily Tomlin in Jane Wagner's The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child began at the Curran in December 2019. During its run, Ambassador Theatre Group is set to operate the theatre.[28]

Haunting

The Curran Theatre is purportedly haunted by the ghost of Hewlett Tarr, a former ticket taker that was murdered in the box office in 1933.[29] The entryway has mirrors, and sometimes people look in the mirrors but instead of seeing themselves reflected, they see a man in 1930s clothing.[29]

In popular culture

  • In the 1950s, the theater was used for the interior and exterior scenes of a Broadway theater in the movie All About Eve. The original main floor interior lobby can be seen in this film. All the theater scenes were filmed at the Curran except for the dressing room interior. *The television series The Streets of San Francisco filmed an episode inside and outside the Curran. In the program, the Curran is used as the setting for A.C.T. In reality, A.C.T. operates at the adjacent Geary Theatre which is also visible in some shots.

See also

References

  1. ^ Cox, Gordon (September 17, 2015). "San Francisco's Curran Theater to Get Makeover Courtesy of Carole Shorenstein Hays". Variety. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  2. ^ Hetrick, Adam (March 14, 2016). "Broadway's Fun Home Sets Initial Cities for U.S. Tour". Playbill. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  3. ^ "A Chorus Line Revival To Play San Francisco's Curran Theatre in 2006". Broadway World. March 3, 2005. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  4. ^ "Beautiful (Original Broadway Production, 2014)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  5. ^ "Carnival in Flanders (Original Broadway Production, 1953)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  6. ^ Simonson, Robert (August 31, 2004). "Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance Begins Pre-Broadway Run in San Francisco Aug. 31". Playbill. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  7. ^ "August Wilson's Fences". Marin Theatre Company. March 18, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  8. ^ "Gigi (Original Broadway Production, 1973)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  9. ^ Adam Hetrick (April 10, 2018). "Go-Go's Musical Head Over Heels Begins in San Francisco". Playbill. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  10. ^ [1]. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2019-01-08.
  11. ^ Kristina (July 8, 2011). "Broadway May Soon Host Hugh Jackman In Concert". Hugh Jackman Fan. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  12. ^ Connema, Richard (March 17, 2002). ""The Best of Broadway" Series Presents Jitney at The Curran Theater". Talkin' Broadway. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  13. ^ "Kismet (Original Broadway Production, 1953)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  14. ^ Jones, Kenneth (October 15, 2002). "La Bohème Opens Pre-Broadway Run in San Francisco Oct. 15". Playbill. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  15. ^ "Lennon (Original Broadway Production, 2005)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  16. ^ "Lestat (World Premiere, 2006)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  17. ^ "Magdalena (Original Broadway Production, 1948)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  18. ^ "Season History 2006". SHN. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  19. ^ "Oliver! (Broadway Production, 1963)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  20. ^ "Peter Pan (Original Broadway Production, 1954)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  21. ^ "Pickwick (Broadway Production, 1965)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  22. ^ Jones, Kenneth (July 28, 2005). "Maltby Ignites Ring of Fire, the Johnny Cash Musical, in Buffalo Sept. 2, Prior to SF and Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  23. ^ "Review: 'Soft Power' is a bold new style of theater at SF's Curran". The Mercury News. 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
  24. ^ "The Grand Tour (Original Broadway Production, 1979)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  25. ^ "Three Wishes for Jamie (Original Broadway Production, 1952)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  26. ^ "White Christmas (World Premiere, 2004)". Ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  27. ^ Gans, Andrew (May 28, 2003). "Wicked Flies Into San Francisco's Curran Theatre May 28". Playbill. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  28. ^ "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Will Play San Francisco in 2019 | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  29. ^ a b Cagigal, Christian; Barringer, Daisy (October 13, 2022). "The Most Terrifying Haunted Places in San Francisco". Thrillist. Group Nine Media Inc. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  • "Review: 'Soft Power' is a bold new style of theater at SF's Curran". The Mercury News. 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2018-07-01.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curran Theatre (San Francisco).
  • Official website
  • Curran Theater at San Francisco Theatre.com

January 30, 2023
curran, theatre, located, geary, street, between, taylor, mason, streets, theatre, district, francisco, california, opened, february, 1922, named, after, first, owner, homer, curran, 2014, theater, owned, carole, shorenstein, hays, 2017, location, within, fran. The Curran Theatre located at 445 Geary Street between Taylor and Mason Streets in the Theatre District of San Francisco California opened in February 1922 and was named after its first owner Homer Curran As of 2014 the theater is owned by Carole Shorenstein Hays Curran Theatre 2017 Curran TheatreLocation within San Francisco CountyAddress445 Geary StreetSan Francisco CaliforniaCoordinates37 47 13 N 122 24 38 W 37 786972 N 122 410631 W 37 786972 122 410631 Coordinates 37 47 13 N 122 24 38 W 37 786972 N 122 410631 W 37 786972 122 410631OwnerCarole Shorenstein HaysCapacity1 667Opened1922Websitesfcurran wbr com Contents 1 History 2 Architecture and interior 3 Productions 4 Haunting 5 In popular culture 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory Edit Playbill featuring Will Rogers in Eugene O Neill s Ah Wilderness from 1934 American theatrical producer Homer Curran operated another theater with his name for several years prior to building this Curran Theatre however the original Curran Theatre had various names before and after this time whereas this Curran Theatre has never had another name It opened in February 1922 and was initially a Shubert house Later it was a showcase for Theatre Guild presentations Subsequently it became closely associated with the San Francisco Civic Light Opera CLO which also operated the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera The CLO obtained numerous prestigious bookings and produced their own shows often with stars as the lead roles Curran wrote the book for the musical Song of Norway and co wrote the book for Magdalena He eventually left San Francisco for Southern California where he rented theatrical lighting For many years the San Francisco Opera performed its annual Spring Opera series at the Curran In 1977 the Civic Light Opera shifted its operations to the Orpheum Theatre and by the end of that year Carole Shorenstein Hays and James M Nederlander assumed operation of the Curran and launched their Best of Broadway season starting with John Raitt in the national tour of Shenandoah and including the West Coast debut of Annie Later Shorenstein changed the name of her organization to SHN In 2015 Shorenstein left SHN focusing her attention solely on the Curran SHN no longer operates the Curran The theatre closed in September 2015 for renovations Work included new upholstery for seats carpeting mechanical and electrical systems as well as expanded and upgraded lobbies While work was underway the theatre presented non traditional works in a series called Under Construction in which the audience entered and was seated on the stage 1 The Curran reopened January 25 2017 with the musical Fun Home 2 Architecture and interior EditThe ceiling above the main lobby was hand painted to look like wood steel wool was used to fashion a wood grain effect in the plaster before painting The main lobby has a marble floor but has long since been covered by carpeting There are plugs built into the lobby floor in which to insert stanchions from which theater ropes were hung to section off the lobby The loge section was modified prior to Hello Dolly s first booking at the theater Originally the loge section was similar to the boxes with movable chairs in sectioned areas The box like loges are still evident by what remains of the metal railings in front of the loge section as well as the decorative plaster when viewed from below The change was made because it increased the seating capacity by about ten seats in this highly desirable area The interior main floor lobby no longer exists Originally it was changed to a minor degree to accommodate the installation of a sound booth without decreasing the orchestra seating capacity Eventually the lobby space was used to install a larger bar area as well as accessible restrooms The theater has two front curtains the decorative green fire curtain in front of a gold curtain When musicals traditionally utilized each theater s front curtains the first curtain would be raised five minutes prior to the start of the show There were two coat check rooms one off to the south of the main floor interior lobby and the other on the balcony adjacent to the ladies restroom There were also two telephone booths on the mezzanine lobby one on each side of the windows These booths were actually very small rooms with formal doors The coat check rooms and telephone booths are now used for storage The theater also had a central vacuum system This system is still evident by the connection points on the walls near the floor The chandelier was built in San Francisco by Phoenix Day A plaque honoring Arthur Mayer is mounted at the entrance to boxes L M N Mayer watched the theater being built was hired by Curran as part of the theater s opening night staff and continued working at the theater until he was nearly 100 years old Productions EditThe Curran has hosted more pre Broadway engagements than any other theater in San Francisco Productions that have been staged at the Curran prior to moving to Broadway have included A Chorus Line revival 2006 3 Beautiful The Carole King Musical 2013 4 Biloxi Blues 1985 Brighton Beach Memoirs 1983 Carnival in Flanders 1953 5 Dame Edna Back With a Vengeance 2004 6 Fences 1987 7 Gigi 1973 8 Head Over Heels 2018 9 Home Sweet Homer Odyssey 1975 10 Hugh Jackman in Performance 2011 11 Jitney 2002 12 Kismet 1953 13 La Boheme Baz Luhrmann s production 2002 14 Lennon 2006 15 Lestat 2005 2006 16 Magdalena a Musical Adventure 1948 17 Martin Short Fame Becomes Me 2006 18 Oliver 1962 19 Peter Pan 1954 20 Pickwick 1965 21 Ring of Fire 2006 22 Soft Power 2018 23 The Grand Tour 1978 24 Three Wishes for Jamie 1951 25 White Christmas 2004 2005 26 and Wicked 2003 27 Zenda Alfred Drake Chita Rivera Vernon Duke world premiere 1963 Oliver American premiere 1962 Jollyanna revision of Flahooley 1952 At the Grand Paul Muni Grand Hotel musical 1958 Dumas and Son 1967 1491 Chita Rivera John Cullum 1969 Gone With the Wind American premiere 1973 Broadway national tours have played at the Curran Theatre throughout its history As operated by SHN the Curran hosted five years of Andrew Lloyd Webber s The Phantom of the Opera becoming the show s longest domestic run outside of New York City Other significant long runs presented by SHN at the Curran include Les Miserables Jersey Boys They re Playing Our Song as well as Lily Tomlin in Jane Wagner s The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe Harry Potter and the Cursed Child began at the Curran in December 2019 During its run Ambassador Theatre Group is set to operate the theatre 28 Haunting EditThe Curran Theatre is purportedly haunted by the ghost of Hewlett Tarr a former ticket taker that was murdered in the box office in 1933 29 The entryway has mirrors and sometimes people look in the mirrors but instead of seeing themselves reflected they see a man in 1930s clothing 29 In popular culture EditIn the 1950s the theater was used for the interior and exterior scenes of a Broadway theater in the movie All About Eve The original main floor interior lobby can be seen in this film All the theater scenes were filmed at the Curran except for the dressing room interior The television series The Streets of San Francisco filmed an episode inside and outside the Curran In the program the Curran is used as the setting for A C T In reality A C T operates at the adjacent Geary Theatre which is also visible in some shots See also EditGolden Gate Theatre Orpheum TheatreReferences Edit Cox Gordon September 17 2015 San Francisco s Curran Theater to Get Makeover Courtesy of Carole Shorenstein Hays Variety Retrieved 2016 03 15 Hetrick Adam March 14 2016 Broadway s Fun Home Sets Initial Cities for U S Tour Playbill Retrieved 2016 03 15 A Chorus Line Revival To Play San Francisco s Curran Theatre in 2006 Broadway World March 3 2005 Retrieved January 16 2017 Beautiful Original Broadway Production 2014 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Carnival in Flanders Original Broadway Production 1953 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Simonson Robert August 31 2004 Dame Edna Back with a Vengeance Begins Pre Broadway Run in San Francisco Aug 31 Playbill Retrieved April 15 2015 August Wilson s Fences Marin Theatre Company March 18 2014 Retrieved April 15 2015 Gigi Original Broadway Production 1973 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Adam Hetrick April 10 2018 Go Go s Musical Head Over Heels Begins in San Francisco Playbill Retrieved June 17 2018 1 Amazon com Retrieved on 2019 01 08 Kristina July 8 2011 Broadway May Soon Host Hugh Jackman In Concert Hugh Jackman Fan Retrieved April 15 2015 Connema Richard March 17 2002 The Best of Broadway Series Presents Jitney at The Curran Theater Talkin Broadway Retrieved January 16 2017 Kismet Original Broadway Production 1953 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Jones Kenneth October 15 2002 La Boheme Opens Pre Broadway Run in San Francisco Oct 15 Playbill Retrieved April 15 2015 Lennon Original Broadway Production 2005 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Lestat World Premiere 2006 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Magdalena Original Broadway Production 1948 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Season History 2006 SHN Retrieved June 5 2015 Oliver Broadway Production 1963 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Peter Pan Original Broadway Production 1954 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Pickwick Broadway Production 1965 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Jones Kenneth July 28 2005 Maltby Ignites Ring of Fire the Johnny Cash Musical in Buffalo Sept 2 Prior to SF and Broadway Playbill Retrieved January 16 2017 Review Soft Power is a bold new style of theater at SF s Curran The Mercury News 2018 06 23 Retrieved 2018 07 01 The Grand Tour Original Broadway Production 1979 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Three Wishes for Jamie Original Broadway Production 1952 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 White Christmas World Premiere 2004 Ovrtur com Retrieved 2022 12 03 Gans Andrew May 28 2003 Wicked Flies Into San Francisco s Curran Theatre May 28 Playbill Retrieved January 16 2017 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Will Play San Francisco in 2019 Playbill Playbill Retrieved 2018 07 16 a b Cagigal Christian Barringer Daisy October 13 2022 The Most Terrifying Haunted Places in San Francisco Thrillist Group Nine Media Inc Retrieved 2022 12 03 Review Soft Power is a bold new style of theater at SF s Curran The Mercury News 2018 06 23 Retrieved 2018 07 01 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curran Theatre San Francisco Official website Curran Theater at San Francisco Theatre com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Curran Theatre amp oldid 1125504172, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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