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Hairspray Show Tickets
From the beginning in 1927, the building, then known as the Alvin Theatre, was primarily a musical comedy house. It opened with the Gershwins’ “Funny Face.” Ethel Merman made her Broadway debut in another Gershwin show, “Girl Crazy” (1930). Even the Depression failed to dim the Alvin’s star. Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes”(1934) was a hit and the Gershwins’ “Porgy and Bess” (1935) was an artistic triumph. Other great musicals included Rodgers and Hart’s “The Boys From Syracuse”(1938) and the Moss Hart-Kurt Weill-Ira Gershwin show, “Lady in the Dark” (1941). One of the few straight plays to open at the Alvin, Robert Sherwood’s “There Shall Be No Night” (1940), won the Pulitzer Prize. Two war memoirs, “Mister Roberts” (1948) and “No Time for Sergeant’s” (1955) were among the hits, as were two Stephen Sondheim musicals, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (1962) and “Company” (1970). “The Great White Hope” (1968) won the Pulitzer Prize, and “Annie” (1977) became the longest running show at the theatre, with 2377 performances.
In 1984, the new owners renamed the theatre for Neil Simon, whose hits “Brighton Beach Memoirs” (1983) and “Biloxi Blues” (1985) both played at the theatre.
The exterior of the building is characterized by a red brick, Georgian facade, dominated by three double-height arched windows with flanking side bays defined by white terra-cotta pilasters and false pediments. This architectural treatment is carried over to the stage and dressing room- a rarity for a Broadway theatre. The auditorium is wide and deep, almost square in shape with a single large balcony. Seating capacity is 1297 with a Proscenium stage type 250 West 52nd Street New York, NY 10019 South side of West 52nd Street, between Broadway & 8th Avenue.
SUBWAY: Take the 1 train to 50th Street. Head north to West 52nd Street, then walk west to the theatre.
Wheelchair accessible seats available at the Box Office only. The theatre is not equipped with elevators or escalators. Hearing devices are available. Concessions: Main bar is located in the lower lounge. Restrooms: Located upstairs and downstairs. There are no facilities on the orchestra level.
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