The Neil Simon Theatre, formerly the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theatre built in 1927 and located at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. As of 2011, the record for its longest running show is held by the musical Hairspray, which opened August 15, 2002, and ran for 2,642 performances before closing on January 4, 2009.
History
The building was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp. The developer, real estate mogul Alexander Pincus, originally named it the "Alvin Theatre" as an amalgam of the names of producers ALex Aarons and Vinton Freedley. It opened on November 22, 1927, with George and Ira Gershwin's Funny Face starring Fred and Adele Astaire. In 1930, Ethel Merman made her Broadway debut in Girl Crazy; in 1934, she appeared again in Cole Porter's Anything Goes and again in 1936 in Porter's Red, Hot and Blue. In 1935, the Gershwins' American folk opera Porgy and Bess had its world premiere at the venue. Due to the Great Depression, Aarons and Freedley lost control of the venue in 1932. For a period, CBS used it as a radio studio. In 1960, Lucille Ball appeared in her only Broadway show, the musical Wildcat. In 1965, Liza Minnelli made her Broadway debut in Flora the Red Menace. The original Broadway production of Annie opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin. In 1977, the Nederlander Organization purchased the structure and renamed it in honor of American playwrightNeil Simon on June 29, 1983, while his play Brighton Beach Memoirs was playing. In 1985, its sequel Biloxi Blues also played at the theatre. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building a New York City landmark in 1985. Historical records show that the original seating capacity was 1,362; in 2002, it expanded from 1,328 to a potential 1,467 after the May 27, 2002, closing of Elaine Stritch at Liberty. Robin Williams was to perform five shows of his comedy tour, Weapons Of Self-Destruction at this theatre in early April 2009, but he was forced to cancel the engagement due to his health. In lieu of Williams, the revival of Ragtime, opened November 15, 2009, after a successful run at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. It closed January 10, 2010, due to low ticket sales after only 28 previews and 57 regular performances. The new musical Catch Me if You Can began previews on March 11, 2011, and opened on April 10, 2011. On September 4, 2011, Catch Me If You Can closed after 32 previews and 170 regular performances. A revival of Jesus Christ Superstar opened on March 22, 2012, at the theater and ran through July 1, 2012. In July 2015, the Nederlander Organization sold the structure's air rights to a consortium planning a highrise tower on Seventh Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets. The sale will have no impact on the facility.
