Roxy Theatre

Roxy Theatre is a historic theater located in New York City, United States, and was founded by Samuel Rothafel, also known as Roxy, in collaboration with Fox Film Corporation and William Fox. The theater was designed by Walter W. Ahlschlager and opened on March 11, 1927, with a performance by the Roxy Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Erno Rapee, featuring Paul Whiteman and his Paul Whiteman Concert Band. The Roxy Theatre was a prominent venue for vaudeville and film performances, hosting acts such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd. It was also a popular spot for jazz and blues musicians, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Bessie Smith.

● History

The Roxy Theatre was built during the Roaring Twenties, a time of great cultural and economic change in the United States, with the help of Chrysler Corporation and General Motors. The theater was part of a larger complex that included the New Yorker Hotel, designed by Warren and Wetmore, and the Madison Square Garden, which was owned by Tex Rickard. The Roxy Theatre was a major competitor to other prominent theaters in New York City, such as the Radio City Music Hall, owned by John D. Rockefeller Jr., and the Ziegfeld Theatre, founded by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.. The theater hosted many notable performances, including those by Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, and Fanny Brice, and was also a popular spot for premieres of films such as The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, and Wings, directed by William A. Wellman. The Roxy Theatre was also associated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Hollywood Film Industry, with many Academy Awards ceremonies held at the theater, including the 1st Academy Awards and the 2nd Academy Awards.

● Architecture

The Roxy Theatre was designed in the Art Deco style, with a grand lobby and auditorium featuring intricate decorations and ornate details, inspired by the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany and René Lalique. The theater's design was influenced by the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and Joseph Urban, and was intended to evoke the grandeur of European opera houses, such as La Scala in Milan and the Palais Garnier in Paris. The Roxy Theatre's architecture was also influenced by the Egyptian Revival style, popularized by the discovery of King Tut's tomb and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Temple of Dendur exhibit. The theater's exterior was designed by Walter W. Ahlschlager and featured a large marquee and neon signs, similar to those found at the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. The Roxy Theatre's design was also influenced by the works of Hollywood architects such as Sidney Ullman and Gordon Kaufmann, who designed the Greystone Mansion and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

● Performances

The Roxy Theatre hosted a wide range of performances, including vaudeville acts, concerts, and film screenings, featuring performers such as Enrico Caruso, Maria Callas, and Luciano Pavarotti. The theater was also a popular spot for jazz and blues musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie, who performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Count Basie Orchestra. The Roxy Theatre was also home to the Roxy Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Erno Rapee, which performed classical music and film scores, including the works of Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff. The theater hosted many notable performances, including the premiere of The Rite of Spring, composed by Igor Stravinsky and choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, and the New York City debut of the Ballets Russes, founded by Sergei Diaghilev. The Roxy Theatre was also associated with the New York City Ballet, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, and the American Ballet Theatre, founded by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant.

● Notable Events

The Roxy Theatre hosted many notable events, including premieres of films such as The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland, and Gone with the Wind, starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. The theater was also a popular spot for award ceremonies, including the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards, which were broadcast on NBC and CBS. The Roxy Theatre was also home to the Roxy Theatre Awards, which honored outstanding achievements in film and theater, and were presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Theatre World Awards. The theater hosted many notable events, including the birthday party of Mae West, the wedding reception of Rudolph Valentino and Natacha Rambova, and the funeral of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., which was attended by William Randolph Hearst and Oscar Hammerstein II. The Roxy Theatre was also associated with the Ziegfeld Follies, founded by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., and the Shubert Theatre, founded by Sam S. Shubert and Lee Shubert.

● Restoration

The Roxy Theatre underwent a major restoration in the 1970s, led by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The restoration was funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, and was carried out by the Architectural Conservancy of New York and the Historic Preservation Society. The restoration aimed to preserve the theater's original Art Deco design and ornate details, and to restore the theater to its former glory, with the help of restoration architects such as Robert A.M. Stern and Graham Gund. The Roxy Theatre was also designated as a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Register of Historic Places. The restoration of the Roxy Theatre was also influenced by the preservation efforts of other historic theaters, such as the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles and the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, and was supported by the Theatre Historical Society of America and the League of Historic American Theatres.