NOW PLAYING
GYPSY
Gypsy is bigger than Broadway—it’s a once-in-a-generation theatrical event. Created by the legendary Arthur Laurents (book), Jule Styne (music), and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), it is the crown jewel of American musicals. At long last, the greatest musical ever written returns with the most celebrated stage performer of our time.
6-time Tony Award winner® Audra McDonald steps into the mother of all roles alongside Tony Award winner Danny Burstein and rising Broadway stars Joy Woods and Jordan Tyson in this revelatory new production helmed by visionary director, 6-time Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe, and 4-time Tony Award-nominated choreographer Camille A. Brown (Hell’s Kitchen). This Gypsy, unlike any seen before, is Broadway’s ultimate tale of mothers and daughters, ambition and fame, and the lengths we’ll go in pursuit of the American dream. Packed with showstoppers like “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “Let Me Entertain You,” and “You Gotta Get a Gimmick,” Gypsy shines as “An immortal work of musical theater” (The New York Times).
Gypsy Broadway Show Tickets
HISTORY
The Majestic Theatre was originally built in 1927 by real-estate magnates, the Chanin Brothers, as part of a three-theatre complex that also included the Royale (a mid-sized house) and the Theatre Masque, now the John Golden (a small house). The Majestic, a large musical house, complemented the other two venues, enabling producers to move shows based on their ticket sales to the most appropriately-sized venue. In 1930, the Chanins transferred ownership of all three houses to the Shuberts.
ARCHITECTURE
The Chanins commissioned Herbert Krapp to design the theatre complex in what he called a “modern Spanish” style, complete with terra-cotta base and Spanish brick-wall ornamentation, and arched windows. The Majestic's exterior also includes a stylized Palladian motif above the entrance. The interior features the Adam-style detailing common in many Shubert houses. Decades before the current vogue for stadium seating in movie theaters, Krapp had conceived of a similar concept for the theatre's orchestra. With its steep rake, it offers ideal sight lines for audience members. Another forward-thinking aspect of the design was the creation of a single large balcony rather than two smaller ones—today’s producers are hesitant to book two-balcony houses because second-balcony seating is less desirable to modern audiences.
Spotlight on Broadway: Majestic Theatre from Spotlight on Broadway on Vimeo.
Details on the Majestic Theatre's Accessibility
Access Information
Theatre is not completely wheelchair accessible.
There are no steps into the theatre from the sidewalk. Please be advised that where there are steps either into or within the theatre, we are unable to provide assistance.
Shubert Audience Services
The Majestic Theatre provides accommodations for patrons who are blind, deaf, partially sighted, and/or have hearing loss. The theatre provides infrared assistive listening devices for every performance at the theatre. In addition, beginning four weeks after a show’s official opening night performance, hand-held audio description devices, hand-held captioning devices, and unlimited access to downloadable audio description and/or captioning for personal mobile devices are all available free of charge. Prior thereto, we offer live-caption via CART using a hand-held device, upon request with two-weeks’ advance notice. For assistance, or If you have questions, contact Shubert Audience Services at 212-944-3700 or audienceservices@shubertorg.com. There is also a representative at the Shubert Audience Services kiosk at every performance to assist any patron with any of our devices, software, or technology. Hand-held devices are limited, although additional devices can be obtained with at least twenty-four hours’ notice.
Accessibility by Seating Section
Orchestra Location: There are steps to the Orchestra beginning with row I. There are no steps to the designated wheelchair seating location. No steps to rows AA - H.
Mezzanine Location: Located on 2nd level, up 3 flights (51 steps). Please Note: On the Mezzanine level, there are approximately 2 steps up/down per row. Entrance to Mezzanine is behind row G of the front Mezzanine.
Handrails: Available at every stepped-row,except in the Mezzanine and Rear Orchestra, where handrails are only available on the far side aisles.
Wheelchair | Companion Seat Locations:
Orchestra: D18 | D12-16; C17 | D13-17; C18 | C12-16; C19 | B13-17
Aisle Seat with Folding Armrest | Companion Locations:
Orchestra: G2 | G4; F19 | F17; H1 | H3; W114 | W113; T1 | T3; V2 | V4
Elevator/Escalator
None available.
Restroom
There is a wheelchair accessible restroom.
Theatre Policies
The use of cameras, recording devices, cell phones, beepers, and other electronic devices during the performance is prohibited, except as permitted for accessibility services. Everyone attending a performance must have a ticket. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of management. Wheelchair and mobility-impaired seating is intended for patrons with mobility disabilities. Children under the age of four years will not be admitted. No outside food or beverage permitted, unless medically necessary. No weapons permitted on the premises.
The Majestic's inaugural production was a revue, Rufus LeMaire’s Affairs (1927), which was followed by a Sigmund Romberg operetta, The Love Call (1927). Romberg was the composer responsible for the music in the Shubert annual revue, The Passing Show. Stars of the 1920s who performed at the theatre include John Gielgud in The Patriot (1928), and Cary Grant (then known as Archie Leach) in A Wonderful Night (1929).
In the 1930s, the Majestic was home to a series of notable, but short-lived, productions. A new edition of the popular annual revue Artists and Models (1930) was followed by George and Ira Gershwin’s Pardon My English (1933) and Strike Me Pink (1933) starring Jimmy Durante. At the end of the decade, Ethel Merman and Jimmy Durante led the cast ofStars in Your Eyes (1939), a show which counted Jerome Robbins among its chorus.
Rodgers and Hammerstein enjoyed a nearly decade-long run in the Majestic Theatre, with four musicals premiering consecutively: Carousel (1945) with Jan Clayton and John Raitt, Allegro (1947), South Pacific (1949) starring Mary Martin and winning that year's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, and Me and Juliet (1953).
The playhouse continued to house significant productions throughout the 1950s and 1960s. By the Beautiful Sea (1954), written by Herbert and Dorothy Fields and Arthur Schwartz, starred Shirley Booth. Ethel Merman played in Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse’s Happy Hunting (1956), and Meredith Wilson’s now-classic The Music Man (1957) turned Robert Preston into a star. Julie Andrews, Richard Burton and Robert Goulet premiered Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Camelot in 1960, followed by Stephen Sondheim’s Anyone Can Whistle (1964), with Angela Lansbury, Lee Remick and Harry Guardino, and Golden Boy (1964) starring Sammy Davis Jr.
The 1970s at the Majestic saw a constant stream of hits and stars. Sugar (1972) with a score by Jule Styne was followed by Jerry Herman’s Mack and Mabel (1974) starring Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters. The Wiz (1975) transferred to the Broadway Theatre to make room for Liza Minnelli in The Act (1977), directed by Martin Scorsese. In 1981, 42nd Street moved here from the Winter Garden. The theatre was then renovated to house Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (1988), which continues its historic run to this day--the longest-running musical on Broadway.
THEATRE SPECS
Majestic Theatre
245 West 44th Street
Between Broadway and 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10036
Year Built |
|
1927 |
|
Seating Capacity |
|
|
Orchestra |
|
885 |
Front Mezzanine |
|
292 |
Rear Mezzanine |
|
436 |
Boxes |
|
32 |
Standing |
|
36 |
Total |
|
1681 |
|
|
|
Included in Numbers Above: |
|
|
Wheelchair |
|
4 |
Aisle Transfer Arms |
|
17 |
|
Theatre Dimensions |
|
Proscenium Opening: |
40' 10" |
Height of Proscenium: |
30' 10" |
Depth to proscenium: |
37' 10" |
Depth to front of stage: |
47' 10" |
Stage Type: |
Proscenium |
|
SEATING CHART