At This Theatre: 100 Years of Broadway Shows, Stories and Stars

"At This Theatre" is a delicious appetizer for anyone who is interested in the beginnings of the New York legitimate stage. Louis Botto, who was Senior Editor of "Playbill Magazine" (the official program of Broadway productions) at the time of this book's publishing (1984) gives us a tour of the 34 grand old theatres to be found in New York's theatre district which generally runs from 42nd Street to 53rd Street between 6th and 8th Avenues, neatly bisected by that glorious old street called "Broadway." Beginning with the Lyceum Theatre that opened on November 2, 1903, he includes the architecture, ownership, and opening night play of each house, then goes on to give a quick three or four pages listing the most important productions, flops as well as hits, with a very short commentary on the thespians trodding the boards on each of these stages. As appetizers do, the short chapters make one hungry for more. But it's the pictures....ah, the pictures. Photographs taken 80 and 90 years ago make the price of this book a steal. Having only heard about the grande dames of the stage, I was familiar with the names Katherine Cornell and Lynne Fontanne, Helen Hayes and Gertrude Lawrence, always imagining them as ancient crones. I was surprised to see photographs of them when they were major stars of the New York theatre scene, as stunningly beautiful young women. Ona Munson, who played stately madame Belle Watling in 1939's epic film, "Gone With the Wind," was a flirty ingénue in a dainty, lacy dress when she appeared in "No No Nanette" in 1925. There's even a picture of Antoinette Perry, the actress for whom the "Tony Awards," theatre's highest honor, were named. And a page on which photographs of Fanny Brice in the "Ziegfeld Follies" and the woman who played her in "Funny Girl," Barbra Streisand, both at the Winter Garden Theatre, are placed side-by-side, is priceless. Young men who later went on to great success are represented here, too, including Marlon Brando in his Broadway debut as a teenager in "I Remember Mama" in 1944, and Leslie Howard, an English actor whom I remembered only as a pale young man in "Gone With the Wind," who was, in fact, one of the mainstays of Broadway in the 1930's. Early pictures of Humphrey Bogart, Paul Newman and Robert Redford cause the heart to flutter when encountering them in their stage debuts, as well. Botto also tracks the various names with which the theatres have been endowed, and answers some questions I've always wondered about: while I know who Neil Simon is (his eponymous theatre was originally the Alvin Theatre, and was only named after him in 1983); but who was Martin Beck? A vaudeville mogul, it turns out, who built his theatre in 1924; and who was Mark Hellinger? According to Botto, "an esteemed columnist." In fact, I attended a production of "My Fair Lady" at the Hellinger in the early 1960's, and still remember the elegance of this magnificent grande dame of a theatre 40 years later. Botto plays a subtl

...you'll love this greatly expanded version (with lots of photos) of the "At This Theatre" feature. I find that keeping it up to date is actually fun! Five major theatres have been renamed just since this 2003 edition. Nicholas van Hoogstraten's "Lost Broadway Theatres" makes a wonderful companion volume.

If you love Broadway and all the famous theaters you'll love this book!!

Author Louis Botto is a master at telling stories of theatre past, present and the future. He's been going to the theatre for the past 65 years and has enough stories to fill the main reading room at the New York Public Library.The book is full of images of old playbill covers, production photographs and souvenir programs from the shows he discuss. and it is not only great as a reference for what show played which theatre, who starred in the production or how long it lasted; but it's a very interesting read and worth every penny you spend.

I bought this book at the BCEFA fair in Shubert Alley and Mr. Botto signed it for me! It's simply the most beautiful theatre book I've ever seen. It really brings back memories. I only wish there was space for me to write in my own stories! And I have plenty!