Al Hirschfeld Theatre

Best Seats In The House

• Seats: 1437

Parking for Al Hirschfeld Theatre

The closest parking garages for Al Hirschfeld Theatre are located at:

Champion Parking On West 45

251 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036

212-819-1866

West 46 Street Garage LLC

303 West 46th Street
New York, NY 10036

212-664-0064

The closest parking is not always the best as it often takes longer to park and retrieve your vehicle as fellow theatre goers have the same idea. A better choice of parking may be the second choice or further away by a couple of Avenues.

Additional Notes

The restrooms at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre are downstairs and the concession stand is on main level.

Landlord: Jujamcyn Theaters

Official Ticketer: Telecharge

Elevator: No

Escalator: No

Al Hirschfeld Theatre History

The Martin Beck theatre was originally opened in 1924 by the famous vaudeville impresario Martin Beck. The theatre was renamed to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in 2003.

Martin Beck Accolades

Among his many vaudeville accolades, Martin Beck discovered the illusionist Houdini in 1899, who was performing rudimentary magic tricks in St. Paul, Minnesota. Beck convinced Houdini to focus on his "escape" routines and gave him his first big break in Beck's chain of Orpheum theaters across the country

Although the business relationship with Houdini would sour years later, Houdini's brother Dash later wrote that Houdini owed all his success to the "astute" Martin Beck.

Beck Lost Orpheum Chain

Although Beck was voted out of the presidency of the newly "Public" Orpheum circuit in 1923, Beck remained a potent force in theatrical circles. He opened the impressive Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway in 1924, which is the only theater in New York City on which there was no mortgage. The theatre has continuously operated as a successful Broadway venue since 1924, without any gaps.

Theatre Renamed To Al Hirschfeld Theatre

In 2003 the Martin Beck was redubbed the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, whose namesake's 100th birthday followed his death in that year. Al Hirschfeld, a famous American caricaturist, is best known for his simple black and white satirical portraits of celebrities and Broadway theatre stars.

The Al Hirschfeld Theatre includes an on-going show of Hirschfeld's works.

Notable Productions

The premiere show at the Martin Beck Theatre was Madame Pompadour in 1924, and Cabin in the Sky was the current show when Martin Beck died in 1940.

Tony award winning shows at the theatre have included Bye Bye Birdie (1960), Sweet Bird of Youth (1972), and Into the Woods (1987). The show Man Of La Mancha was the current Broadway show playing at the time that the theater's name was changed from the Martin Beck Theatre to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in June 2003.

Al Hirschfeld Theatre Design

When originally built, back in the middle part of the roaring twenties, the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (which was then called the Martin Beck Theatre) was designed to grab the public's attention and was one of the most opulent Broadway theatre of that time.

Using fluted columns, a curved balcony and Byzantine details, the interior of this landmarked theatre was as awe-inspiring as the outside. Since the theatre has dressing rooms for over two hundred actors, the Al Hirschfeld Theatre is ideal for large musicals with big casts and has seen many great productions.