12. The Nederlander Theatre

Nederlander Theatre Broadway

The David T. Nederlander Theatre opened on September 1st, 1920 as the National Theatre with 1,232 seats. Built by Walter C. Jordan at the cost of $950,000, it is the southernmost Broadway theater and was owned by the famous Shubert Organization until 1956. The Nederlander Organization, the owner of a total of nine Broadway theaters, purchased the venue from Billy Rose, a famous showman and lyricist, in 1979. They briefly named it the Trafalgar Theatre before changing it to the David T. Nederlander in 1980.

Some notable productions include Lena Horne’s 1981 one-woman show Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which won her a special Tony Award, along with two original Broadway productions: 1962 Edward Albee’s Tony Award-winning production of Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf? and Jonathan Larson’s 1996 acclaimed Rent. Famous illusionist and stunt performer Harry Houdini appeared on stage at the National Theatre in the 1920s. It will reopen on September 25 with performances of The Lehman Trilogy.