Bye Bye Birdie's back and, thanks to the Roundabout, plays in Broadway's first new theater in more than a decade. The facade of The Henry Miller's Theater, opened in 1918, was saved by Bank of America, whose 55-story One Bryant Park (spanning 42nd to 43rd Streets on Sixth Avenue) towers above, and who are partners with the Durst Organization and the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC).
There's something new, and something old. The neo-Georgian facade, preserved and restored, still sits on West 43rd Street but now is the entrance to a state-of-the-green theater. Architects Cook + Fox, working with Tishman Construction, historic preservationists Higgins & Quasebarth, and Fisher Dachs Associates theater consultants, incorporated salvaged artifacts such as doors, wrought iron, and decorative plasterwork into the 50,000-square-foot, 1,055-seat house.
It's here that the Roundabout, theater's largest not-for-profit company, get to showcase their revival of Charles Strouse/Lee Adams/and the late Michael Stewart's 60s rock 'n roll musical, Bye, Bye Birdie, which begins performances September 10, 2009 (opening October 15). Robert Longbottom (Flower Drum Song revival, Side Show) will direct/choreograph John Stamos, Gina Gershon (in the role originated by Chita Rivera), Bill Irwin, Jayne Houdyshell, Dee Hoty, and, as Birdie, Nolan Gerard Funk.
Roundabout, founded in 1965, has a tradition of reclaiming and revitalizing theater spaces. It transformed the Selwyn from defunct movie grind house to the glories of its legit Broadway years in the heyday of The Duce and renamed it the American Airlines Theater. The org has Studio 54 for its Broadway productions and, Off Broadway, the Laura Pels Theater in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Arts, where it also maintains Roundabout Underground, dedicated to the works of emerging playwrights.
Writer/producer/actor Henry Miller planned the original theater to include a second balcony because those were the only seats he could afford as a young man. By 1969, after being used as a Broadway house for 51 years, the Miller was abandoned as a legit venue. It went from stage to porn to disco night spot.
Live theater returned briefly in 1983 with a revival of The Ritz, which closed opening night. It starred veteran comic Joey Faye, porn star Casey Donovan and Warhol groupie Holly Woodlawn. In 1998, Roundabout rechristened it the Kit Kat Club for their long-running revival of Cabaret.
By late summer 2001, when Urinetown made its move from Off Broadway to there, the auditorium was in great disrepair from years of neglect and provided a conceptual setting. In early 2004, it went dark.
The theater is the first in New York City to meet U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. "Henry Miller's Theatre is a perfect example of the type of transformational project that we can achieve when state, city, and business work together," said Marisa Lago, ESDC President and CEO.
The design creates the best possible environment for audiences, cast and production staff through 95 percent air filtration, carbon dioxide sensors which maximize fresh air supply, and low-emitting utility materials (including waterless urinals to reduce potable water consumption.
The stagehouse has great depth and width and ample wing space. The theater is fully handicapped-accessible with 20 wheelchair positions. Welcome news for women theatergoers, the new house breaks new ground in restroom availability with 22 "cabins" in the women's room (which is three times code requirement). The men are also gifted but not quite as well: 10 fixtures (one and a half times code).
The mezzanine is street level, and patrons go down one level to the orchestra, which has two-thirds of the seating. There's a large orchestra pit, fully functional fly-tower, and set-loading facilities. The orchestra-level lobby has a bar, with another on ground level. The mezz features a restaurant, which has not opened. It has a street entrance, which means it could be open to the public.
The foundation was excavated to 70' to make room for back-of-house spaces, such as dressing rooms, and so the orchestra and mezz wouldn't project above the historic facade.
