Cort Theatre (Broadway)

Producer John Cort built this lovely theatre as a showcase for his own productions. It opened in 1912 with one of the theatre's most cherished performances: Laurette Taylor in "Peg o' My Heart" by her husband J. Hartley Manners, which ran for 607 performances.

Now owned by the Shubert Organization, this playhouse's most recent productions have been Barefoot in the Park; On Golden Pond; Laugh Whore; Bobbi Boland; A Year With Frog and Toad; Hollywood Arms; If You Ever Leave Me, I’m Going With You!; The Gathering; The Green Bird; Kat and the Kings; Marlene; The Blue Room; An American Daughter; Sex and Longing; The Heiress; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; "Two Shakespearean Actors;" "The Grapes of Wrath;" the long-running "Sarafina!" "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom;" "Medea" with Zoe Caldwell (Tony Award) and Judith Anderson. Other 1980's tenants included Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson in Murray Schisgal's "Twice Around the Park;" "Tennessee Williams's "Clothes for a Summer Hotel;" an engaging black play, "Home;" Jessica Tandy and Glenda Jackson in the British play, "Rose."

From 1969 to 1974 "The Merv Griffin Show" emanated from here. It was beautifully restored to legitimacy by the Shubert Organization with the hit "The Magic Show, " starring skilled magician Doug Henning (1, 920 performances).

During the 1960's productions at this theatre included Brendan Behan's rowdy play "The Hostage; Advise and Consent " with Richard Kiley, Ed Begley, Kevin McCarthy and Barnard Hughes; the popular "Purlie Victorius," written by and starring Ossie Davis, with Ruby Dee, Alan Alda and Godfrey Cambridge; Robert Redford in "Sunday in New York; " the Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden in repertory in "The Father," "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "Miss Julie;" Kirk Douglas in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; " Menasha Skulnik and Louis Gossett in "The Zulu and the Zada;" Donald Pleasance in "Poor Bitos;" and Carl Reiner's comedy "Something Different."

At this theatre in the 1950's: Katharine Hepburn and William Prince in "As You Like It; " drama critic Wolcott Gibbs's hit comedy about Fire Island, "Season in the Sun;" Uta Hagen in Shaw's "Saint Joan;" Jose Ferrer (Tony Award) and Judith Evelyn in Joseph Kramm's Pulitzer Prize play, "The Shrike; " Menasha Skulnik in the hit comedy, "The Fifth Season; " Geraldine Page, Albert Salmi in "The Rainmaker; " the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, "The Diary of Anne Frank" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett and starring Susan Strasberg, Joseph Schildkraut and Gusti Hubert; Art Carney, Siobhan McKenna and Joan Blondell in "The Rope Dancers;" and Ralph Bellamy (Tony Award) as FDR in "Sunrise at Campobello."

Some distinguished productions of yesteryear: Meg Mundy in "The Respectful Prostitute" (1948); an opulent revival of "Lady Windermere's Fan " (1946); Katharine Cornell and Marlon Brando in "Candida" (1946); Fredric March in "A Bell for Adano" (1944); Maxwell Anderson's "The Eve of St. Mark" (1942); Jose Ferrer in "Charley's Aunt" (1940); Thurber's "The Male Animal" (1940) co-authored by and starring Elliott Nugent and Gene Tierney (1940); two smash farces directed by George Abbott, "Boy Meets Girl" (1935) and "Room Service" (1937); Laurence Olivier in "The Green Bay Tree" (1933).

Theatre Information:
138 West 48th Street
New York, NY 10036
US

Box Office: Tele-charge: (212) 239-6200
Outside NY: (800) 432-7250

Public Transportation:
SUBWAY: Take the N,R,W to 49th Street or 1,9 to 50th Street, walk South to 48th Street and East to the theatre; Take the B,D,F,V to Rockefeller Center, walk to 48th Street and walk West on 48th Street to the theatre.

Handicap Access:
ACCESS INTO THEATRE: The theatre is not completely wheelchair accessible. ORCHESTRA LOCATION: Located on the first level. Seating is accessible to all parts of the Orchestra. Wheelchair seating is available in the Orchestra only. MEZZANINE LOCATION: Located on the second level, up 2 flights of stairs. Entrance to the Mezzanine is behind row H. Once on the Mezzanine level there are approximately 2 steps up/down per row. BALCONY LOCATION: Located on the third level, up 3 flights of stairs. Entrance to the Balcony is behind row F. Once on the Baloncy level there are approximately 2 steps up/down per row. RESTROOM: Not wheelchair accessible. Located down one flight of 17 steps. Wheelchair accessible restrooms are available at the Renaissance Hotel (mezzanine level) on 7th Avenue & 48th Street.

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