9. The Helen Hayes Theatre, 1912
The Helen Hayes Theatre originally opened as the Little Theatre in 1912. With only 599 seats, it is the smallest theater on Broadway. The first show to run in the theater was a production of “The Pigeon.” The building was sold to The New York Times in 1931 and converted into a conference hall. In the 1950s, it was used as a recording studio for television and radio.
In 1983, the building was bought back as a theater by producers Martin Markinson and Donald Tick and renamed for Helen Hayes, known as the First Lady of the American Theatre. Another theater in her name had been demolished. Look for her footprints in front of the entrance lobby. Designated a landmark in 1987, the theater bears a combination of formal Classical and Beaux-Arts design. Currently running at the Helen Hayes Theatre is “What the Constitution Means to Me.” Other notable productions include “Romance/Romance” (1988), “Rock of Ages” (2011), and “The Humans” (2016).