Lamb's Theatre
Encyclopedia
Lamb's Theatre was an Off-Broadway
theater located at 130 West 44th Street, New York City inside the Manhattan Church of the Nazarene, near Times Square
in New York City
. It seated approximately 350 and specialized in musical productions. The building was built in 1904-05 in Neo-Georgian style, originally designed by Stanford White
.
In 2007, the venue was closed to make way for a hotel development.
, taking after a club in England started by Charles Lamb
in 1868. The members included Fred Astaire
, Mark Twain
, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr..
In the mid-1970s, the Manhattan Church of the Nazarene bought the Lamb's building for the sake of making it into a mission. In 1978, Lamb's Theatre Company was created and it hosted the successful "Broadway for Kids" series. In 1981, the renovated 3rd floor theatre had its first show, Cotton Patch Gospel
and was penned the "Gem of Times Square". With a list of over 50 productions stages, in 1984 they opened a Lamb's Little Theatre on the first floor.
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
theater located at 130 West 44th Street, New York City inside the Manhattan Church of the Nazarene, near Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It seated approximately 350 and specialized in musical productions. The building was built in 1904-05 in Neo-Georgian style, originally designed by Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
.
In 2007, the venue was closed to make way for a hotel development.
History
The six-story building originally housed a fraternal club of theater professionals called The LambsThe Lambs
The Lambs, Inc., is one of America's oldest theatrical organizations and is based in New York City.-History:The Lambs was originally founded in 1868 in London by actors, led by John Hare, the first Shepherd, looking to socialize with like-minded people...
, taking after a club in England started by Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb was an English essayist, best known for his Essays of Elia and for the children's book Tales from Shakespeare, which he produced with his sister, Mary Lamb . Lamb has been referred to by E.V...
in 1868. The members included Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
, Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr..
In the mid-1970s, the Manhattan Church of the Nazarene bought the Lamb's building for the sake of making it into a mission. In 1978, Lamb's Theatre Company was created and it hosted the successful "Broadway for Kids" series. In 1981, the renovated 3rd floor theatre had its first show, Cotton Patch Gospel
Cotton patch gospel
Cotton Patch Gospel is a musical by Tom Key and Russell Treyz with music and lyrics written by Harry Chapin just before his death in 1981...
and was penned the "Gem of Times Square". With a list of over 50 productions stages, in 1984 they opened a Lamb's Little Theatre on the first floor.
Performance History
- 1981: Cotton Patch GospelCotton patch gospelCotton Patch Gospel is a musical by Tom Key and Russell Treyz with music and lyrics written by Harry Chapin just before his death in 1981...
- 1982: Snoopy!!! The MusicalSnoopy!!! The MusicalSnoopy: The Musical is a musical comedy by Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady, with a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. The characters are from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. This sequel to the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown focuses more on the life of...
- 1983: Breakfast with Les and BessBreakfast with Les and BessBreakfast With Les and Bess was an Off-Broadway play written by Lee Kalcheim that originally premiered at Hudson Guild Theatre in October 1982 before transferring to Lamb's Theatre in May 1983.-Plot synopsis:...
- 1983: Painting ChurchesPainting ChurchesPainting Churches is a play written by Tina Howe, first produced Off-Broadway in 1976. It was a finalist for the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play concerns the relationship between an artist daughter and her aging parents.-Plot:...
- 1984: The Gift of the MagiThe Gift of the Magi"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story written by O. Henry , about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money...
- 1985: Dames At SeaDames at SeaDames at Sea is a musical with book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller and music by Jim Wise.The musical is a parody of large, flashy 1930s Busby Berkeley-style movie musicals in which an understudy steps into a role on Broadway and becomes a star...
- 1986: The AlchemediansThe AlchemediansThe Alchemedians was an Off-Broadway play that was put on in 1986 at the Lamb's Theatre in New York City, New York. It premiered at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Fesitval.-Cast:...
- 1986: Olympus on My MindOlympus on My MindOlympus On My Mind is a musical with music by Grant Sturiale and a book and lyrics by Barry Harman, based on a play by Heinrich Von Kleist. The musical ran Off-Broadway at Lamb's Theatre for 297 performances in 1986...
- 1987: Funny Feet
- 1988: GodspellGodspellGodspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
- 1990: Smoke On The MountainSmoke On The MountainSmoke on the Mountain is an Off-Broadway musical that was written by Alan Bailey and Connie Ray. It was originally workshopped at the McCarter Theatre in 1988, given a full staging at the McCarter in 1990, and was subsequently moved by the McCarter to Lamb's Theatre in New York City, New York in...
- 1992: OpalOpalOpal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most...
- 1993: Johnny Pye and the Fool-KillerJohnny Pye and the Fool-KillerJohnny Pye and the Fool-Killer was an Off-Broadway musical with music by Randy Courts, the book by Mark St. Germain, and lyrics by Randy Courts and Mark St. Germain based on the story of the same name by Stephen Vincent Benét...
- 1996: I Do! I Do!I Do! I Do!I Do! I Do! is a musical with a book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt which is based on the Jan de Hartog play The Fourposter. The two-character story spans fifty years, from 1895 to 1945, as it focuses on the ups and downs experienced by Agnes and Michael Snow throughout their...
- 1999: Thoroughly Modern Millie (musical)Thoroughly Modern Millie (musical)Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan. Based on the 1967 film of the same name, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for...
- 2002: The Prince and the PauperThe Prince and the PauperThe Prince and the Pauper is an English-language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction...
- 2004: Children's Letters to GodChildren's Letters to GodChildren's Letters to God was a Drama Desk Award nominated Off-Broadway musical that was based on the best selling book by Stoo Hample, music by David Evans, and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen.-Summary:...
- 2004: Cam Jansen
- 2005: Picon PiePicon PiePicon Pie was an Off-Broadway musical written by Rose Leiman Goldemberg and produced by Edmund Gaynes. It opened at the DR 2 Theatre on July 15, 2004 and starred Barbara Minkus as Molly Picon followed by June Gable when it moved to the Lamb's Theatre on February 17, 2005...
- 2006: The Man in the Iron Mask
Other Notable Productions
- St. Mark’s Gospel (starring Alec McGowan)
- The Old Lady’s Guide to Survival (starring June HavocJune HavocJune Havoc was a Canadian-born American actress, dancer, writer, and theater director. Havoc was a child Vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother. She later acted on Broadway and in Hollywood and stage directed . She last appeared on television in 1990 on General Hospital...
) - The Boys Next Door (play)The Boys Next Door (play)The Boys Next Door is a play, written by Tom Griffin. It deals with four mentally disabled men who live in a group home. It takes place over roughly a two month period of time and consists of brief vignettes about their lives...
- Beau Jest
- Cantorial by Ira LevinIra LevinIra Levin was an American author, dramatist and songwriter.-Professional life:Levin attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa...
- Avner the EccentricAvner the EccentricAvner the Eccentric is an American vaudeville performer, clown, mime, juggler, and sleight of hand magician. He played the title role in the 1985 film The Jewel of the Nile...
- American Radio Show by Garrison KeillorGarrison KeillorGary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
- Porches (starring Jill EikenberryJill EikenberryJill Eikenberry is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is best known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey in L.A. Law...
) - The Wonderful Ice Cream SuitThe Wonderful Ice Cream SuitThe Wonderful Ice Cream Suit is a 1998 film set in East Los Angeles directed by Stuart Gordon, written by Ray Bradbury and starring Edward James Olmos, Joe Mantegna, Esai Morales, Clifton Collins Jr. , Sid Caesar, Howard Morris and Gregory Sierra...
- The Roads to Home - by Horton FooteHorton FooteAlbert Horton Foote, Jr. was an American playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning screenplays for the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and the 1983 film Tender Mercies, and his notable live television dramas during the Golden Age of Television...
(starring Jean Stapleton) - John & JenJohn & jenJohn & Jen is a musical with music by Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, and a book by Lippa and Greenwald...
- The God Committee by Mark St. GermainMark St. Germain-Career:He has written Camping With Henry And Tom , Out of Gas On Lover’s Leap, Forgiving Typhoid Mary , Ears On A Beatle, The God Committee, The Collyer Brother At Home, The Gifts of The Magi , The Book of the Dun Cow,...
- The Von Trapp Children
- Man 1, Bank 0
- My Fake IDs
- The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
- Episode 26