May 18, 1997 – The New Amsterdam Theater Reopens on Broadway
“Go behind the curtain of Broadway’s legendary New Amsterdam Theater”
On May 18, 1997, the historic New Amsterdam Theater reopened after it was leased and renovated by the Walt Disney Company. It was once the home of the Ziegfeld Follies, a popular review that featured some of the greatest artist of the time, including Fanny Brice, Ed Wynn, and W. C. Fields. The theater was closed in 1936, as Broadway was hit hard by the Great Depression, but was reopened in 1937 and converted as a movie theater. In 1982, the property was bought by the Nederlander Organization, but as they could not renovate and restore the building for eight years, the State of New York resumed ownership after a lengthy court battle. Disney began its bid for the property in 1993, signing a 99-year lease. After a lengthy restoration period, the theater was reopened with a world premiere concert of Alan Menken and Tim Rice’s King David that had a limited run of only nine performances. Soon after, the Broadway show The Lion King began performances there, before it was moved to the Minskoff Theater on June 13, 2006, and Mary Poppins took its place until its closing on March 3, 2013. Currently, the new Broadway show Aladdin runs in the theater. The New Amsterdam is considered to be the flagship theater for all Disney-related Broadway productions.
disneydetail 