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], 2006]]
The
Richard Rodgers Theatre, is a
Broadway theater in
New York City, built by
Irwin Chanin in 1925. When it was first opened, it was called
Chanin's 46th Street Theatre. Chanin almost immediately leased it to the
Shuberts, who bought the building outright in 1931 and renamed it the
46th Street Theatre. In 1982, it was purchased and renovated by the
Nederlander Organization, who in 1990 changed the name to the Richard Rodgers Theatre in memory of the composer
Richard Rodgers. The building is located at 226 W 46th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue. The Disney musical
Tarzan played at the Richard Rodgers from
10 May 2006 until
July 8 2007.
In The Heights is currently playing at the theatre.
Chanin's Seating Plan
The Richard Rodgers Theatre is notable in that it was the first to feature Chanin's 'democratic' seating plan. In most earlier Broadway theatres, patrons seated in the cheaper balcony and mezzanine sections utilized separate entrances from patrons who had purchased the more expensive orchestra section seats. Instead, all patrons entered the new theatre through the same doors, and a series of steps inside the house led to the upper seating areas.