9. Majestic Theater, 651 Fulton Street
Like the Folly and Halsey Theaters, the Majestic Theater in Downtown Brooklyn provided Gleason with steady work in 1934 during the Great Depression. “He often worked two or three theaters at a time,” notes Historic Greenpoint, “skipping from Brooklyn to Jersey and back again in a single night.”
The Majestic, with more than 1,700 seats, opened on August 29, 1904, one of many legitimate theaters in Downtown Brooklyn. In the 1900s, the Majestic presented vaudeville, light opera, dramas, musicals, opera, and film. It became a trial theater for Broadway-bound plays.
In 1942, the Majestic became a first-run movie house, playing triple features in the mid-1950s. The Majestic remained closed for nearly two decades after it shut its doors in 1968. By 1986, the Majestic was in disrepair. It had suffered extensive water damage, the plaster on the walls were peeling, and the stage floor was collapsing. Enter the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) president and executive producer Harvey Lichtenstein.
Lichtenstein was searching for a theater to stage Peter Brook’s production of The Mahabharata. Brook discovered the Majestic and Lichenstein raised funds to renovate the theater. Completed in 1987, its design pays homage to the original Majestic by preserving many of its original features.
“They loved the ruinous look of it,” said BAM archivist Sharon Lehner in Playbill, “and that you can’t sit in the theater without being reminded of its history. In the beginning, I think they did intend a ‘phase two’ renovation. But the more time they spent in the space, the more they realized how much they liked it just the way it is.” In 1999, the Majestic was renamed the BAM Harvey Theater to honor Lichenstein’s contributions.
