Photo by Steven
Workers today were removing some of the signage outside the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place ... after the one-month run of Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Rachel Bloom's "Death, Let Me Do My Show." (The production ran from Dec. 7 to this past Saturday.)
No word on what might be next for the venue.
As noted... "Stomp" ended its 29-year run at the Orpheum early in January 2023. The first post-"Stomp" production, the burlesque "Star Wars" parody "The Empire Strips Back," closed back on July 20 — one month earlier than planned.
"Death" seemed like a throwback to the theater's days in the 1980s, when the Orpheum was well-known for Off-Broadway productions such as Sandra Bernhard's "Without You I'm Nothing," Eric Bogosian's "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" and John Leguizamo's "Mambo Mouth" (not to mention "Little Shop of Horrors").
I hope that they can book a show into there that can pull in more people and have a longer run.
ReplyDeleteHow long has Orpheum been there?
ReplyDeleteFrom Cinema Treasures:
ReplyDeleteThe site on which the Orpheum stands is alleged to have been a concert garden as early as the 1880’s and, as such, to be one of the oldest continuously operating places of gathering for entertainment events in New York City.
A 1904 NY Times article describes a visit to the Orpheum as an evening which began with entertainment from a Hungarian orchestra, continued with dinner in the 7 o'clock hour, and concluded with a three-hour stage show by a Viennese theatre company.
The theatre was part of the exploding Second Avenue Yiddish theatre scene in the early decades of the 20th century but was exhibiting motion pictures by at least 1921.
In the 1960’s & 70’s there were rock n roll shows
ReplyDeleteat this place. I was a bit too young but a
friend of mine saw Chuck Berry there.
Didn't know that Chuck Berry played at the Orpheum.
ReplyDeleteHe played at the Village Theatre (pre-Fillmore East) across 2nd Avenue in 1967... and at the Anderson Theatre in 1968 and 1972 (Bob Gruen has photos of this show).
The Anderson was at 66 2nd Ave. between 3rd and 4th.
https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/31581
From exterminator: I was walking by the Orpheum years ago with my friend and he pointed to it and told me that he had seen Chuck Berry there, I think he said either late 60’s or early 70’s. Not sure if he was correct and my friend has since passed away.
DeleteExterminator - I live next door to the Orpheum. When I moved here in 1974, the theater had been closed for a long time, and I don't remember any rock shows there in the 70's. I do remember someone knocking on my door, selling shares in an attempt to re-open the Orpheum. Although shares weren't that expensive, I was an actor/musician in my early 20's, with very little money. Plus, I thought, no way in hell anybody would want to come to this neighborhood to see shows. It was rough around here, and landlords could barely give apartments away. My first gig was as an actor with New York City Opera Company. When the Prop master found out where I lived, he gave me a machete. He said, "You're gonna need this down there."
ReplyDelete