At This Theatre: The New Amsterdam

At This Theatre:

The New Amsterdam

  

Currently in what might be called its "Disney Era," the New Amsterdam Theatre has been entertaining theater-goers on 42nd Street since it first opened in 1903. Over the years, just like the street it lives on, the space has undergone many changes, including a dark period of decay. Most obviously, its famous facade that has included its iconic art deco with clock marquee since the 1930s, didn't always look like that. 
As you can see from the far right photo above, the entrance looked quite different!

Some 123 years ago, this stunning house opened with a revival of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and over the century was home to a wide variety of plays, operettas and musicals. Among them were productions of Ivan the Terrible (4 or 5 times!), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (5 or 6 times), Beau Brummell (many, many times). The huge stage space was perfect for its most famous era, when it played host to 13 editions of the Ziegfeld Follies. It survived the Great Depression, but ceased operations as a legitimate theater in 1937, and didn't reopen until Disney refurbished it to its former state of grandeur and opened with a 1997 concert version of the Tim Rice-Alan Menken musical, King David. It never materialized a fully produced show, but both writers would find much success there with The Lion King and Aladdin, respectively. Other than some one night only concerts of classic musicals, since 1997, the stage has been home only to Disney Broadway productions. I feel very fortunate to have seen all three.

SHOWS WE'VE SEEN THERE: 3

The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Aladdin

    

The Lion King Whole books have been written about this spectacular musical; I'm not sure what I can add to the discourse. But I will say that I sat through most of it with my mouth agape. The theatricality of each panoramic scene was stunning, and thrilling as each unfolded in a unique way. Director Julie Taymor's vision brought the African plains to vivid life, and brought the father-son dynamic to touching levels. But all the charm and delight of the Disney film upon which is based.

 

Mary Poppins Like The Lion King before it, Mary Poppins kept much of the charm of the beloved film, while expanding upon it, and bringing all of it to life in ways that theater can and a movie can not. I will never forget watching Mary take flight and exit over the audience. The dance lover in me thrilled to Gavin Lee's Bert tap dancing literally upside down on the proscenium, and the technician in me marveled at the three story Victorian home that rose up from the stage. It was breathtaking.

 

Aladdin Thanks to a continued long run, I have not been back to the New Amsterdam since we saw an early preview of this show in more than a decade! But it is a hard one to forget. From the cavalcade of costumes and pageantry of "Prince Ali," to the show-stopping "Friend Like Me," stage magic rules the production. But it is true Disney Magic that brought the flying carpet to life in "A Whole New World." I am sure both Howard Ashman and Robin Williams would be pleased that their legacy lives on.