John Golden Theater (originally Theatre Masque)
after opening as the Theatre Masque in 1927, this site was renamed the John Golden Theater in 1937
overview
Opened as the Theatre Masque in 1927 and renamed the John Golden Theater in 1937, this venue has staged multiple productions involving major LGBT creators and performers, including George Cukor, Jill Esmond, Vincent Price, Tommy Tune, Billy Barnes, and Michael Feinstein, among others.
The 1951 revival here of The Green Bay Tree (1933), about the spoiled ward of a gay foster-father, featured actor Denholm Elliott.
On the Map
VIEW The Full Map
Playbill credits page for Young Love, directed by George Cukor, 1928.
Will Geer in Tobacco Road, 1933.
Playbill cover for An Invitation to a Murder, by Rufus King, 1934.
Vincent Price and Judith Evelyn in Angel Street, 1941. Photo: Talbot. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.
Playbill cover for The Green Bay Tree, 1951.
Edward Everett Horton in Springtime for Henry, 1951. Drawing by William Auerbach-Levy. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.
Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens, 1952. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.
Playbill cover for Billy Barnes Revue, 1959.
Alan Bennett (center) in Beyond the Fringe, 1962. Photo: Friedman-Abeles. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.
Playbill cover for Kennedy's Children, by Robert Patrick, 1975.
A Day in Hollywood/ A Night in the Ukraine, choreographed by Tommy Tune and Thommie Walsh, 1980. Photo: Martha Swope. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.
William Finn by the John Golden Theater marquee for Falsettos, 1992. Photo: Mario Ruiz.
Playbill cover for Master Class, by Terrence McNally, 1995.
History
Theatre Masque
This venue opened as the Theatre Masque in 1927. LGBT-associated productions at the Theatre Masque included:
- Young Love (1928-29), directed by George Cukor
- Bird in Hand (1929, opened at the Booth Theater), a big hit, with actor Jill Esmond
- Tobacco Road (1933-34), an enormous hit, with actor Will Geer
- Invitation to a Murder (1934) by Rufus King
- Continental Varieties (1935), with actors Leif Roschberg and Paal Roschberg (the Rocky Twins)
- Russet Mantle (1936) by Lynn Riggs
John Golden Theater
In 1937, this venue was renamed the John Golden Theater (not to be confused with the Royale Theater, which was named the John Golden Theater in 1934-36).
Big hits by LGBT creators and with LGBT performers at the John Golden included:
- Angel Street (1941-44), the single biggest hit here, with actor Vincent Price
- Look Back in Anger (1958, opened at the Lyceum Theater), directed by Tony Richardson, and with actor Alan Bates
- Beyond the Fringe (1962-64), a revue written and performed by Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller and Dudley Moore (Special Tony Award)
- A Day in Hollywood/ A Night in the Ukraine (1980), directed by Tommy Tune, and choreographed by Tune and Thommie Walsh (Best Choreography Tony Award)
- Crimes of the Heart (1981-83), with scenic design by John Lee Beatty
- Falsettos (1992-93) by William Finn and James Lapine (Best Book of a Musical Tony Award), with music and lyrics by Finn (Best Original Score Tony Award), and with actor Michael Rupert
- Master Class (1995-97) by Terrence McNally (Best Play Tony Award and Outstanding Play Drama Desk Award)
Other shows with LGBT associations at the John Golden Theater included:
- The Green Bay Tree (1951), the first revival of Mordaunt Shairp’s 1933 play about the spoiled ward of a gay foster-father, with actor Denholm Elliott
- Springtime for Henry (1951), with actor Edward Everett Horton
- Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens (1952), starring Emlyn Williams
- Monique (1957), with actor Denholm Elliott
- Requiem for a Nun (1959), directed by Tony Richardson
- Billy Barnes Revue (1959), with music and lyrics by Billy Barnes
- After the Rain (1967), with actor Alec McCowen
- Bob and Ray – The Two and Only (1970-71), with scenic design by William Ritman
- Kennedy’s Children (1975-76) by Robert Patrick
- Dirty Linen/ New-Found-Land (1977), with actor Remak Ramsay
- It Had to Be You (1981), directed by Robert Drivas
- Eastern Standard (1989) by Richard Greenberg, with costume design by William Ivey Long, and with actors Peter Frechette (Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Drama Desk Award) and Kevin Conroy
- Michael Feinstein in Concert: Piano and Voice (1990), starring Michael Feinstein
- Side Man (1998-99; opened at the Criterion Center Stage Right Theater), directed by Michael Mayer
Entry by Jay Shockley, project director (August 2019, with multiple additions).
NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.
Building Information
- Architect or Builder: Herbert J. Krapp
- Year Built: 1926-27
Sources
“The 1st List of: Gay/Lesbian/Bi Industry People, Both in Front and Behind the Camera,” www.imdb.com, May 31, 2013.
Adam Hetrick, “The Work of Broadway’s Gay and Lesbian Artistic Community Goes on Display Nov. 14 When the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation Gallery Presents ‘StageStruck: The Magic of Theatre Design’,” Playbill, November 14, 2007.
Internet Broadway Database.
John Golden Theater Designation Report (New York: Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1987).
Do you have more information about this site?
This project is enriched by your participation! Do you have your own images of this site? Or a story to share? Would you like to suggest a different historic site?
