Winter Garden Theatre New York
Winter Garden Theatre Tickets
About the Winter Garden Theatre
The Winter Garden Theatre is the Shubert Organization’s longest-held venue, having been leased to them in 1911. Prior to becoming a theater, it was built in 1896 as the American Horse Exchange to capitalize on the busy horse and carriage trade in New York City. Since being renovated, it enjoyed brief stints as a movie theater under Warner Brothers (1928-1933) and United Artists (1945), but is best known for its musicals and revues.
William Albert Swasey was contracted to transform the old Horse Exchange into a theater, with the space allowing for an unusually wide auditorium layout across two levels. The venue was decorated with garden-themed motifs including ornate leaves across the Boxes. Having been updated by Herbert J. Krapp just over a decade later to lower the proscenium arch and remove the runway, the venue was restored to its 1920s elegance by Francesca Russo in 2001. Russo has been contracted by the Shubert Organization for other restoration projects on Broadway, including at the Belasco Theatre. For a stint between 2002 through 2007, the venue was renamed the Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre before reverting to its original title.
Notable productions at the Winter Garden Theatre include Follies (1971), Barbara Streisand’s star-making turn in Funny Girl (1964), the premier of 42nd Street (1980) and Beetlejuice the musical (2019-2020). From 2001, hit musical Mamma Mia! played at the theater for twelve years, following the venue’s longest-running show, Cats (1982-2000).
Know Before You Go
• Restrooms are on the ground floor
• An audience services booth is available in the main lobby
• Children under four are not permitted
• The bar can be expensive; plan according to your budget
Map and Address
1634 Broadway, New York, New York, 10019
