August Wilson Theatre
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The August Wilson Theatre at 245 W. 52nd Street in New York City was designed by architects C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim and opened in 1925 as the Guild Theatre. It was built by the Theatre Guild and opened with a revival production of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra. Among the shows to play this theatre were original productions of Maxwell Anderson's Elizabeth the Queen, Lynn Riggs' Green Grow the Lilacs and Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra.
The theatre was leased in 1943 as a radio station. The American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) purchased the theatre in 1950 and renamed it the ANTA Theatre. In 1981, the theatre was purchased by Jujamcyn Amusement Corporation and named the Virginia Theatre for owner and Jujamcyn Board member Virginia McKnight Binger.
After Virginia's death in 2002, and her husband James H. Binger's in 2004, Producer and President of Jujamcyn Rocco Landesman announced that he planned to buy Jujamcyn. He told the New York Times that he had a long-standing understanding with Binger that he would buy Jujamcyn's five playhouses. The theatres had an estimated net asset value of about $30 million.
When noted American playwright August Wilson died, the theatre was renamed the August Wilson Theatre October 16, 2005, only 14 days after the playwright's untimely death.
Currently, the August Wilson houses the Tony-winning musical Jersey Boys.
[edit] External links
- Broadway Theatre Guide with full show details for the August Wilson Theatre
- Internet Broadway Database: Virginia Theatre
