Bijou Theatre (Manhattan, 1917)

Not to be confused with Bijou Theatre (Manhattan, 1878).
209 West 45th Street
209 W. 45th St.
Map
General information
Address209 West 45th Street (Manhattan)
Town or cityNew York City, New York
CountryU.S.
Coordinates40°45′30.5″N 73°59′10.5″W / 40.758472°N 73.986250°W / 40.758472; -73.986250
Opened1917 (107 years ago) (1917)
Demolished1982 (42 years ago) (1982)

The Bijou Theatre was a former Broadway theater in New York City that opened in 1917 and was demolished in 1982.

It was built by the Shubert family in 1917 at 209 W. 45th Street in New York City, and was the smallest of the houses they operated with a capacity of 603.[1][2] Although it did not keep the planned name of the Theatre Francais, it retained its French decor.[1] It was one of three theaters that hosted the premiere season of the musical Fancy Free—but primarily it presented plays by many writers, including Sacha Guitry, John Galsworthy, A. A. Milne, James M. Barrie, Herman J. Mankiewicz, Leslie Howard, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, Luigi Pirandello, Graham Greene, Eugene O'Neill, William Saroyan, and Seán O'Casey.[3]

The Oscar-winning British film The Red Shoes played the Bijou for 107 weeks, from October 21, 1948, to November 13, 1950.

Starting on November 16, 1950, as the Bijou, it hosted the film Cyrano de Bergerac, starring José Ferrer.[4]

In 1951, it became a CBS radio studio, then—as the D. W. Griffith Theatre—it presented art films, and was subsequently reduced in size due to the expansion of the adjacent Astor Theatre.[1] It was reinstated as the Bijou Theatre in 1965, and was home to arguably its largest hit—Mummenschanz[5]—but was demolished in 1982 to make room for the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

  1. ^ a b c "Bijou Theatre in New York, NY - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  2. ^ The New York Times. April 13, 1917
  3. ^ Barrows, Roger E. (June 12, 2019). The Traveling Chautauqua: Caravans of Culture in Early 20th Century America. McFarland. pp. 199–200. ISBN 978-1-4766-3714-3.
  4. ^ The New York Times. November 17, 1950
  5. ^ Neuner, Allen (September 2, 2021). "Tales of Broadway: One theatre for the price of five". Out In Jersey. Retrieved October 31, 2021.