6. The Belasco Theatre, 1907
The Belasco Theatre, which opened in 1907, was intended to house “living room plays” according to its namesake David Belasco, theatrical producer, director, and playwright. Therefore, the audience seats are intended to be as close to the actors as possible. The building’s design displays a fusion of Churrigueresque, Spanish Renaissance, Moorish, and Gothic architecture. Much of its original details have survived including its striking dome ceiling. Today, the theatre seats just over 1,000. In its early days, the theater was among the more advanced with its complex lighting board even in the early days of electricity.
The theater is believed to be haunted by the ghost of David Belasco, though rumor has it the spirit was driven away with the theater’s 1971 production of “Oh! Calcutta!”. Supposedly the promiscuity of the show caused the ghost of the theater’s namesake to stop appearing. Another claim to fame of the Belasco Theatre is actor Marlon Brando’s first widely acclaimed success in a 1946 production of Maxwell Anderson’s “Truckline Cafe.”