#Martin Beck Theatre

[mias-playground]

📔 1967: Kim Weston with Julius La Rosa in the musical "Hallelujah, Baby!" at the Martin Beck Theatre in midtown Manhattan, which ran for 293 performances before going on the road.

The poster is from the performances at the National Theatre in Washington DC beginning December 9th, 1968. The Programme is from the Fisher Theatre, Detroit.

🤎 We know and love Kim. One of the best female vocalist ever. Her photo above has been modified and improved by us 💋

[gracie-bird]

Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco leave the Martin Beck Theatre in New York on May 26, 1981, under tight security following a visit backstage with actress Elizabeth Taylor. Ms. Taylor appeared in her second performance since her recent hospitalization as the star of "The Little Foxes".

[weirdlookindog]

Edward Gorey - Dracula "Grand Curtain"

stage set design for 'Dracula, the Musical', Martin Beck Theatre, 1977

[mimi-0007]

FATHER & SON: James Earl Jones with his Father Robert Earl Jones on Stage in the 1962 Production "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl."

Robert Earl Jones (February 3, 1910 – September 7, 2006), sometimes credited as Earl Jones, was an American actor and professional boxer. One of the first prominent Black film stars, Jones was a living link with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, having worked with Langston Hughes early in his career.

Jones was best known for his leading roles in films such as Lying Lips (1939) and later in his career for supporting roles in films such as The Sting (1973), Trading Places (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), and Witness (1985).

Jones was born in northwestern Mississippi; the specific location is unclear as some sources indicate Senatobia, while others suggest nearby Coldwater. He left school at an early age to work as a sharecropper to help his family. He later became a prizefighter. Under the name "Battling Bill Stovall", he was a sparring partner of Joe Louis.

Jones became interested in theater after he moved to Chicago, as one of the thousands leaving the South in the Great Migration. He moved on to New York by the 1930s. He worked with young people in the Works Progress Administration, the largest New Deal agency, through which he met Langston Hughes, a young poet and playwright. Hughes cast him in his 1938 play, Don't You Want to Be Free?.

Jones also entered the film business, appearing in more than twenty films. His film career started with the leading role of a detective in the 1939 race film Lying Lips, written and directed by Oscar Micheaux, and Jones made his next screen appearance in Micheaux's The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940). Jones acted mostly in crime movies and dramas after that, with such highlights as Wild River (1960) and One Potato, Two Potato (1964). In the Oscar-winning 1973 film The Sting, he played Luther Coleman, an aging grifter whose con is requited with murder leading to the eponymous "sting". In the later 20th century, Jones appeared in several other noted films: Trading Places (1983) and Witness (1985).

Toward the end of his life, Jones was noted for his stage portrayal of Creon in The Gospel at Colonus (1988), a black musical version of the Oedipus legend. He also appeared in episodes of the long-running TV shows Lou Grant and Kojak. One of his last stage roles was in a 1991 Broadway production of Mule Bone by Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, another important writer of the Harlem Renaissance. His last film was Rain Without Thunder (1993).

Although blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s due to involvement with leftist groups, Jones was ultimately honored with a lifetime achievement award by the U.S. National Black Theatre Festival.

Jones was married three times. As a young man, he married Ruth Connolly (died 1986) in 1929; they had a son, James Earl Jones. Jones and Connolly separated before James was born in 1931, and the couple divorced in 1933. Jones did not come to know his son until the mid-1950s. He adopted a second son, Matthew Earl Jones. Jones died on September 7, 2006, in Englewood, New Jersey, from natural causes at age 96.

THEATRE

1945 The Hasty Heart (Blossom) Hudson Theatre, Broadway

1945 Strange Fruit (Henry) McIntosh NY theater production

1948 Volpone (Commendatori) City Center

1948 Set My People Free (Ned Bennett) Hudson Theatre, Broadway

1949 Caesar and Cleopatra (Nubian Slave) National Theatre, Broadway

1952 Fancy Meeting You Again (Second Nubian) Royale Theatre, Broadway

1956 Mister Johnson (Moma) Martin Beck Theater, Broadway

1962 Infidel Caesar (Soldier) Music Box Theater, Broadway

1962 The Moon Besieged (Shields Green) Lyceum Theatre, Broadway

1962 Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (Charlie Adams) East 11th Street Theatre, New York

1968 More Stately Mansions (Cato) Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway

1975 All God's Chillun Got Wings (Street Person) Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway

1975 Death of a Salesman (Charley)

1977 Unexpected Guests (Man) Little Theatre, Broadway

1988 The Gospel at Colonus (Creon) Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway

1991 Mule Bone (Willie Lewis) Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway

FILMS

1939 Lying Lips (Detective Wenzer )

1940 The Notorious Elinor Lee (Benny Blue)

1959 Odds Against Tomorrow (Club Employee uncredited)

1960 Wild River (Sam Johnson uncredited)

1960 The Secret of the Purple Reef (Tobias)

1964 Terror in the City (Farmer)

1964 One Potato, Two Potato (William Richards)

1968 Hang 'Em High

1971 Mississippi Summer (Performer)

1973 The Sting (Luther Coleman)

1974 Cockfighter (Buford)

1977 Proof of the Man (Wilshire Hayward )

1982 Cold River (The Trapper)

1983 Trading Places (Attendant)

1983 Sleepaway Camp (Ben)

1984 The Cotton Club (Stage Door Joe)

1984 Billions for Boris (Grandaddy)

1985 Witness (Custodian)

1988 Starlight: A Musical Movie (Joe)

1990 Maniac Cop 2 (Harry)

1993 Rain Without Thunder (Old Lawyer)

TELEVISION

1964 The Defenders (Joe Dean) Episode: The Brother Killers

1976 Kojak (Judge) Episode: Where to Go if you Have Nowhere to Go?

1977 The Displaced Person (Astor) Television movie

1978 Lou Grant (Earl Humphrey) Episode: Renewal

1979 Jennifer's Journey (Reuven )Television movie

1980 Oye Ollie (Performer) Television series

1981 The Sophisticated Gents (Big Ralph Joplin) 3 episodes

1982 One Life to Live

1985 Great Performances (Creon) Episode: The Gospel at Colonus

1990 True Blue (Performer) Episode: Blue Monday

[citizenscreen]

Katharine Hepburn made her Broadway debut in “Night Hostess” by Philip Dunning, which opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on September 12, 1928. #OnThisDay

[detroitlib]

Portrait of singer and actress Pearl Bailey. Label on back: "Pearl Bailey in Edward Gross's production of 'St. Louis woman' directed by Rouben Mamoulian. Music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Opens at Martin Beck Theatre Saturday evening, March 30th."

E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts, Detroit Public Library

[steelbluehome]

Playbill

Look Back at Sebastian Stan, Mare Winningham, Ellen Burstyn, More in Picnic on Broadway

The Roundabout Theatre Company revival opened January 13, 2013.

By Marc J. Franklin, January 13, 2020

The Roundabout Theatre Company revival of William Inge's Picnic, starring future Marvel lead Sebastian Stan, Oscar and Tony winner Ellen Burstyn, and Oscar nominee Mare Winningham, opened January 13, 2013. Directed by Sam Gold, the production ran 49 performances.

Inge's Pulitzer Prize–winning play tells the story of a drifter who shakes up a Kansas town and the lives of a beautiful young girl who yearns for a more exciting existence, her plain and bookish sister, and a moralistic but sexually frustrated schoolteacher.

The cast featured Reed Birney as middle-aged shopkeeper Howard Bevans, Maggie Grace as ready-to-blossom Madge Owens, Elizabeth Marvel as marriage-hungry schoolteacher Rosemary Sydney, Stan as Hal Carter (the drifter who stirs up urges), Winningham as single mother Flo Owens and Burstyn as neighbor Helen Potts, with Madeleine Martin (tomboy sister Millie Owens), Ben Rappaport (Alan Seymour, Madge's college-boy suitor), Cassie Beck (as teacher Christine Schoenwalde), Maddie Corman (teacher Irma Kronkite), and Chris Perfetti (teen paperboy Bomber).

The creative team included Andrew Lieberman (sets), David Zinn (costumes), Jane Cox (lights), Jill BC Du Boff (sound) and Chase Brock (choreography).

[reading-plays-is-a-thing-we-do]

On This Day

22 January 1953

The Crucible by Arthur Miller opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York City.

It starred Arthur Kennedy as John Proctor, Beatrice Straight as Elizabeth Proctor, and Madeleine Sherwood as Abigail Williams. It won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1953.

The play, well known to this day and frequently revived in both professional and amateur theatre, takes place during the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts during 1692 to 1693. Although not historically accurate in the strictest sense, it works as a timeless allegory for the human tendency toward mass hysteria.

[michaelgruberfan]

(WIP)

Timeline of Michael’s shows/ work up to 2013 will add more as I get the time (Taken from the Michaelgruber Angelfire website but will be updated by me at a later date (ill rb it then))

2012-2013 -- Bye Bye Birdie Chanhassen Dinner Theater, Chanhassen, MN 2012 -- Roman Holiday The Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN 2011-2012 -- Hairspray Chanhassen Dinner Theater, Chanhassen, MN 2011 -- Jesus Christ Superstar Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Chanhassen, MN 2010 -- Hairspray TUTS, Houston, TX 2010 -- Hits from The Music Man, Seattle Symphony, conducted by Marvin Hamlisch Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA 2009 -- White Christmas 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, WA 2009 -- A Chorus Line National and International Tours 2009 -- Singin' In The Rain Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, St. Paul, MN 2009 -- Grey Gardens Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, St. Paul, MN 2008 -- White Christmas Theatre Under The Stars, Houston 2008 -- A Chorus Line National Tour 2007-2008 -- A Chorus Line Schoenfeld Theatre, New York City 2007 -- Stairway To Paradise - 50 Years of Revue in Review An Original Encores! Production, New York City Center 2007 -- Irving Berlin's Easter Parade - World Premier Chanhassen Theatres, Chanhassen, MN 2006-2007 -- Irving Berlin's White Christmas 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle and California Musical Theatre, Sacramento 2006 -- My One and Only Reprise Concert Series, Freud Playhouse, Westwood, CA 2006 -- Godspell Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia 2006 -- Applause for the Golden Boy: The Music of Charles Strouse - benefit tribute - New York Historical Society, New York City 2006 -- Guys and Dolls Maltz Jupiter Theatre, FL 2005 -- Irving Berlin's White Christmas Wang Center Theatre, Boston 2005 -- And Then I Wrote... The Songs of Steve Marzullo - concert Birdland Jazz Club, New York City 2005 -- What A Glorious Feeling - World Premiere Production Mason Street Warehouse, MI Dec. 2004 - Mar. 2005 -- Singin' in the Rain - tour Houston TUTS Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre Sacramento's California Musical Theatre 2004 -- Anything Goes Avon Theatre - Stratford, ON 2003 -- A Manhattan Christmas - cabaret King Kong Room, New York City 2003 -- Laughing Room Only Brooks Atkins Theatre, New York City 2003 -- Wizard of Oz Lyric Theatre, Oklahoma City 2003 -- Crazy For You Marian Theatre and Solvang Festival, CA 2003 -- Anything Goes Riverside Theatre, FL 2003 -- Taboo - reading New York City 2002 -- Ain't That a Kick in the Head - workshop The New 42nd Street Studios, New York City 2002 - Smokey Joe's Cafe California Musical Theatre 2002 -- Dames at Sea Goodspeed Opera House 2001 -- Red Hot and Blue Paper Mill Playhouse 2001 -- Kiss Me, Kate Martin Beck Theatre, New York City 2000 -- Anything Goes 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle 2000 -- Rags Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia 2000 -- Singin' in the Rain Music Theatre of Wichita 2000 -- Symposium on theatre at SUNY's Stony Brook campus 2000 -- 14th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition New Amsterdam Theatre, New York City 1999 - 2000 -- Swing! St. James Theatre, New York City 1999 -- Floyd's Follies - Benefit Paper Mill Playhouse 1999 -- Tommy - concert tour 1998 -- History of Sex Golden Nugget Casino, Las Vegas 1998 -- Follies Paper Mill Playhouse 1997 -- filming of Cats video Adelphi Theatre, London 1997 -- Wizard of Oz The Theatre at Madison Square Garden 1996 -- Angela Lansbury - A Celebration - benefit tribute Majestic Theatre, New York City 1996 -- Dodsworth Douglas Fairbanks and John Houseman Theatres, New York City 1996 - 1999 -- Cats Winter Garden Theatre, New York City 1995 -- New Year's Eve Celebration Paper Mill Playhouse 1995 -- West Side Story The Muny Theatre, St. Louis 1995 -- Oklahoma! Arizona Theatre Company, Tucson and Phoenix 1995 -- Little By Little Eighty-eights Club, New York City 1994 -- Harvest of Stars - ArtsPower Benefit Paper Mill Playhouse 1994 -- Songbook Arts and Artists at St. Paul's/National Music Theater Network, New York City 1994 -- Singin' in the Rain Paper Mill Playhouse 1994 -- West Side Story Music Theatre of Wichita 1994 -- Kiss Me, Kate Goodspeed Opera House 1993 -- Little Me Birmingham Theatre, Birmingham, MI 1993 -- Falsettos Alliance Theatre, Atlanta 1993 -- Anything Goes Music Theatre of Wichita 1993 -- Good News! Music Theatre of Wichita 1993 -- Singin' in the Rain California Musical Theatre 1993 -- 7th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition Broadway Theatre, New York City 1993 -- Assisted with choreography of Singin' in the Rain Indian Hill (OH) High School 1993 -- Songs of Unlikely Lovers - A Valentine's Day Review Music Theatre of Wichita 1993 -- My Favorite Year Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York City 1992 -- Singin' in the Rain Music Theatre of Wichita 1991 - 1994 -- Miss Saigon - original company Broadway Theatre, New York City 1990 -- West Side Story - national tour 1989 - 1990 -- A Chorus Line - final company Shubert Theatre, New York City 1988 -- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Alaska Light Opera, Anchorage 1988 -- Dreamgirls Elmsford (NY) Dinner Theatre 1988 -- West Side Story - European Tour 1987 -- My One and Only Paper Mill Playhouse

[tetcny]

Happy 100 Birthday to the Martin Beck/Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Opened on this date in 1924 with Madame Pompadour, it is currently the home of the hit Moulin Rouge The Musical - Broadway .

[jeanharlowseyebrows]

The Crucible (Broadway, Martin Beck Theatre, 1953)/The Witch No. 1, Joseph Baker/The Crucible (Broadway, Walter Kerr Theatre, 2016)

[outoftowninac]

HILDA CASSIDY

1931

Hilda Cassidy is a play in three acts by William Jordan Rapp, Henry Lieferant and Sylvia Lieferant. 

In January 1931, producer A.H. Woods announced he had acquired the play and  would star Pauline Lord. Fay Bainter was also mentioned for the lead. By the end of January, the title role was cast with Katherine Alexander. William Harrigan (son of Ned Harrigan of Harrigan and Hart) would co-star. Woods was still unsure if he would bring the play to Broadway soon - or hold it till next season. 

The play takes place in the yard of a tenement on 3rd Avenue in New York City (Act I); the backroom of Tom Cassidy's Cigar Store (Act II); the Cassidy living-room (Act III).

Hilda Cassidy is the long-suffering wife of a loutish husband. He gets involved in bootlegging and goes to prison. When he comes out, he finds his now-grown daughter is to marry a man just like he used to be. Hilda, on the other hand, enables them to elope. 

On February 17, 1931, the world premiere of Hilda Cassidy took place on the Subway Circuit at Brandt’s Windsor Theatre in Bronx NY.  William A. Brady Jr. (son of the famous producer) staged the play. 

Since the characters age of the course of the three acts, it was decided to rehearse a second, younger cast for Act Two, just in case the actors playing the characters were unconvincing as their younger selves. 

The leading lady was profiled in the papers, listing her ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’.  Sounds like a very particular woman! 

During the first two decades of the 20th century, Atlantic City was a hub of theatrical activity. But by 1931, only one theatre was presenting live legit theatre, and then only on a part-time basis. Atlantic City’s play incubator status had been usurped by the Subway Circuit. 

Despite this, the play left the Bronx for Atlantic City, doing a week at Nixon’s Apollo Theatre on the Boardwalk opening February 23rd. Surely Broadway was next...

But that was not the case, as was reported as early as the beginning of 1931, producer Woods closed the play. His announced intent was to save it for the following season. 

The play basically disappeared for two years. When it finally resurfaced, much had changed. One of the writers, William Jourdan Rapp, requested his name be taken off the play. The new production would be backed by Harold Stone and Bernard Kaplan, but they withdrew at the last minute, turning producing chores over to Robert Stephens Inc. The leading role would be played by Stella Adler, on loan from the Group Theatre. The Broadway production was to open on April 26th at the Martin Beck Theatre (now the Al Hirschfeld).  

Just before the play started rehearsals, producers were unable to cast one key character: a wooden cigar store Indian. The second act takes place in a family-run cigar store, and what self-respecting tobacconist didn’t have a wooden Indian out front? Famed photographer Ansel Adams took the above photo in 1933, the same year the play was staged. 

In addition to the missing wooden Indian, the set involved a turntable. Just as it had in the Bronx, the technical requirements of the play caused a slight delay in opening.   

When it finally arrived, the opening night party was a Who's Who of music: Mrs. Irving Berlin, Wanda Toscaninl, Ira and George Gershwin, and Jascha Heifetz. The party was short-lived when the reviews came out. 

“Hilda Cassidy is played by Stella Adler, a fine actress who is wholly unsuited to the demands of this part. She seems to have had good deal of trouble with her lines last night, but it was probably due to many last-minute changes In the script.”  ~  ROWLAND FIELD

“It is far from being a play which will make history, and there are better shows in town.” ~ ALVIN J. KATTON

By Monday morning, May 7, 1933, Hilda Cassidy was gone after just 4 performances on Broadway. 

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Dracula - art by Edward Gorey (1979)

[capturetheatre]

Into The Woods at the Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway 1987

[citizenscreen]

After 607 performances and four Tony Awards, the original Broadway production of “Bye Bye Birdie,” starring Chita Rivera and Dick Van Dyke , closed at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 7, 1961.

[detroitlib]

View of Ruby Hill and Harold Nicholas performing in the musical "St. Louis woman." Label on back: "Harold Nicholas and Ruby Hill pledge their love 'Come rain or come shine' in a scene from 'St. Louis woman,' new musical hit presented by Edward Gross at Martin Beck Theatre." Stamped on back: "Graphic House, 149 East 40th St., New York, N.Y. Murray Hill 6-8826."

E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts, Detroit Public Library