At This Theater: The Minskoff

At This Theater:

The Minskoff Theatre

Named for the man who developed the building where it is located, the Minskoff Theatre opened in 1973. It's first production was a splashy revival of the musical Irene, starring Debbie Reynolds and featuring her daughter, Carrie Fisher, in the ensemble. The venue is actually on the 3rd floor of an office building and is one of three Broadway houses that transports audiences to the seating area via escalator. (The other two are the Gershwin, and just recently, the Palace.) It has been home to a range of shows with a range of success. Solo shows include those by Henry Fonda, Patti LaBelle and Bette Midler, and some of its notorious flops include Metro, Teddy and Alice, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Dance of the Vampires. Longer runs have included the Tony-winning revival of Sweet Charity, a revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and 1995's Best Musical, Sunset Boulevard. The house was reconfigured to increase capacity for that show, and has remained that way ever since. Of course, its current tenant, The Lion King, having been there since June 2006, is its longest-running show.

The arcade that allows audiences to enter from both 44th and 45th Streets

Number of shows we've seen there: 7

Sweet Charity, Black and Blue, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1993), Sunset Boulevard (1995), The Scarlet Pimpernel, Saturday Night Fever, and The Lion King

      

         

Favorite shows we've seen there:  While I can honestly say that there was at least something enjoyable about each of these productions, three of them really stood out:

Sweet Charity (1986): Back when revivals were more reproduction* than revision, what a privilege it was to see one of Bob Fosse's signature shows, just as he directed and choreographed it. And to see Bebe Neuwirth and Michael Rupert perform their Tony-winning roles live was amazing. But the biggest thrill was seeing both Debbie Allen and Ann Reinking in the title role! *-The show won the Tony for Best Reproduction, not Revival!

Sunset Boulevard (1995): What would become one of my favorite musicals (and certainly one of my favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber shows), this show is the only one I have ever seen twice in one day! The lush, sweeping score, the fabulous costumes and lavish scenery won my heart immediately, and after the matinee, we got right in line for cancellations for that evening. We got them! The four central performers, Alan Campbell, Alice Ripley, George Hearn and the over the top Glenn Close were campy perfection and chilling. Later, my favorite Norma, Betty Buckley won me over with her sensual, darker star turn. 

The Scarlet Pimpernel (Version 1 - 1997): Famously, this show played three different versions with three different casts and two theaters. But I loved the original in all of its old-fashioned grandeur. Though everything about it seemed old-school - a huge orchestra, splashy production numbers, drama, romance and lots of very funny moments - the whole thing felt very 90s modern, too. Sexy Douglas Sills swash-buckled and pranced his way to snarl the nefarious plans of the sinister Terrence Mann, while both vied for the attention of the stunning and duplicitous Christine Andreas. They all seemed to be having a ball, and so were we. The song "The Riddle," remains one of the best Act One closers of all my 40+ years of Broadway shows.