American Airlines Theatre

American Airlines Theatre

Selwyn Theatre
Address	227 West 42nd Street New York City United States
Coordinates
Owner	City and State of New York
Operator	Roundabout Theatre Company
Type	Broadway
Capacity	740
Construction
Opened	October 2, 1918
Reopened	June 30, 2000
Tenants
New 42nd Street

The American Airlines Theatre, originally the Selwyn Theatre, is a historic Italian Renaissance style Broadway theatre in New York City built in 1918. It was designed by George Keister and built by the Selwyn brothers. Used for musicals and other dramatic performances it was eventually converted for film. It was used briefly as a visitor's center but stood vacant for years until a 1997 renovation and restoration. It is located at 227 West 42nd Street.

History

Design

Originally named the Selwyn Theatre, it was designed by the architect George Keister and constructed by the Selwyn brothers, Edgar and Archie, in 1918. It was one of three theatres they built and controlled on 42nd Street, along with the Apollo and the Times Square Theater. It was decorated in the style of the Italian Renaissance, and originally had 1,180 seats. At the time of its opening, the design had several innovations. Its most novel feature was separate smoking rooms for men and women. Additionally, each dressing room was equipped with a shower and telephone.

Productions

The venue initially hosted major musical and dramatic productions, including Cole Porter's Wake Up and Dream, and in October 1930 Clifton Webb appeared there in Three's a Crowd, but eventually became a cinema. It would return to legitimate theater several times over the next six decades, but eventually fell into disrepair. It was used briefly in the early 1990s as a home for the Times Square Visitors Center and for a limited production of Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape, but for the most part, stood vacant.

Renovation

The City and State of New York took possession of the Selwyn in 1990. In 1992, it was one of six 42nd Street theatres to fall under the protection of the New 42nd Street organization. The Roundabout Theatre Company committed to renovating the Selwyn in 1997. It was restored to its former grandeur (albeit now with just 740 seats), renamed the American Airlines in honor of its principal sponsor, and reopened on June 30, 2000. The American Airlines Theatre, which is still informally known by its former name among many theatre fans, currently serves as the home of the Roundabout and houses its major dramatic productions.

Productions since June 30, 2000

Show	Opening day	Closing day	Notes
The Man Who Came to Dinner	July 27, 2000	October 8, 2000	Revival
Betrayal	November 14, 2000	February 4, 2001	Revival 2001 Tony Award Best Revival of a Play Nominee
Design for Living	March 15, 2001	May 13, 2001	Revival
Major Barbara	July 12, 2001	September 16, 2001	Revival
The Women	November 8, 2001	January 13, 2002	Revival
An Almost Holy Picture	February 7, 2002	April 7, 2002
The Man Who Had All the Luck	May 1, 2002	June 30, 2002	Revival
The Boys from Syracuse	August 18, 2002	October 20, 2002	Revival
Tartuffe	January 9, 2003	February 23, 2003	Revival
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg	April 3, 2003	June 1, 2003	Revival 2003 Tony Award Best Revival of a Play Nominee
Big River	July 24, 2003	September 21, 2003	Revival 2004 Tony Award Best Revival of a Musical Nominee
The Caretaker	November 9, 2003	January 4, 2004	Revival
Twentieth Century	March 25, 2004	June 6, 2004	Revival
After the Fall	June 25, 2004	September 12, 2004	Revival
12 Angry Men	October 28, 2004	May 15, 2005	2005 Tony Award Best Revival of a Play Nominee
The Constant Wife	June 16, 2005	August 21, 2005	Revival 2006 Tony Award Best Revival of a Play Nominee
A Naked Girl on the Appian Way	October 6, 2005	December 4, 2005
The Pajama Game	February 23, 2006	June 17, 2006	Revival 2006 Tony Award Best Revival of a Musical
Heartbreak House	October 11, 2006	December 17, 2006	Revival
Prelude to a Kiss	March 8, 2007	April 29, 2007	Revival
Old Acquaintance	June 28, 2007	August 19, 2007	Revival
Pygmalion	September 21, 2007	December 16, 2007	Revival
The 39 Steps	January 10, 2008	March 16, 2008	2008 Best New Play Nominee
Les liaisons dangereuses	May 1, 2008	July 6, 2008	Revival 2008 Tony Award Best Revival of a Play Nominee
A Man for All Seasons	October 7, 2008	December 14, 2008	Revival
Hedda Gabler	January 25, 2009	March 28, 2009	Revival
The Philanthropist	April 26, 2009	July 5, 2009	Revival
After Miss Julie	October 22, 2009	December 6, 2009	Broadway Premiere
Present Laughter	January 21, 2010	March 21, 2010	Revival
Everyday Rapture	April 19, 2010	July 11, 2010	Broadway Premiere
Mrs. Warren's Profession	October 3, 2010	November 28, 2010	Revival
The Importance of Being Earnest	January 13, 2011	July 3, 2011	Revival
Man and Boy	October 9, 2011	November 27, 2011	Revival
The Road to Mecca	January 17, 2012	March 4, 2012	Broadway Premiere
Don't Dress for Dinner	April 26, 2012	June 17, 2012	Broadway Premiere
Cyrano de Bergerac	October 11, 2012	November 25, 2012	Revival
Picnic	January 13, 2012	February 24, 2013	Revival
The Big Knife	April 16, 2013	June 2, 2013	Revival
The Winslow Boy	October 17, 2013	December 1, 2013	Revival
Machinal	January 16, 2014	March 2, 2014	Revival
The Real Thing	October 30, 2014	January 4, 2015	Revival of the 1982 Tom Stoppard play
On the Twentieth Century	March 15, 2015	July 19, 2015	Revival
Old Times	October 6, 2015	November 29, 2015	Revival
Noises Off	January 14, 2016	March 6, 2016	Revival
Long Day's Journey into Night	April 19, 2016	June 26, 2016	Revival

Selected productions at Selwyn Theatre

Selwyn Theatre in 1918

Productions that had more than 100 consecutive performances at the Selwyn Theatre:

• The Crowded Hour (1918) (139 performances)
• Tumble In (128 performances)
• Buddies (1919) (259 performances)
• Ed Wynn's Carnival (1920) (150 performances)
• Tickle Me (1920) (207 performances)
• The Circle (1921) (175 performances)
• The Blue Kitten (1922) (140 performances)
• Helen of Troy, New York (1923) (191 performances)
• Battling Butter (play)|Battling Butter (1923) (moved to Times Square Theater, total 313 performances)
• André Charlot's Revue of 1924 (298 performances)
• Kid Boots (started at Earl Carroll Theatre in 1923, moved in 1924, total 498 performances)
• Charlot Revue (1925)
• Castles in the Air (1926) (160 performances)
• The Constant Nymph (1926) (148 performances)
• The Royal Family (1927) (345 performances)
• This Year of Grace (1928) (157 performances)
• Wake Up and Dream (1929) (136 performances)
• Three's a Crowd (1930) (271 performances)

Box office record

The Pajama Game achieved the box office record for the American Airlines Theatre. The production grossed $477,030 for the week ending April 30, 2006.

References

Bibliography

• Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture, William Morrison, 1999, Dover Publications, ISBN 0-486-40244-4
• Lost Broadway Theatres, Nicholas Van Hoogstraten, Princeton Architectural Press, 1997, ISBN 1-56898-116-3

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Selwyn Theatre, Manhattan or New 42nd Street Building

• Broadway Theatre Guide with full show details for the American Airlines Theatre
• Information at the Roundabout Theatre site
• The Selwyn at the New 42nd Street
• Seating chart
• American Airlines Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database