Orpheum Theatre New York

The Orpheum Theatre has been an East Village institution for over 100 years, since beginning its life as a beer garden and music hall in 1904, frequented mainly by Eastern European immigrants. The theater, designed by Harold L. Young in the style of English Regency Architecture, underwent many renovations and changes of ownership, including a spell as a Yiddish Theatre (named the Players Theatre) during the “Jewish Rialto” era of Jewish Theatre in the early 20th century, before becoming a Movie House in the 1920s.

In 1958, the venue returned to its theatrical origins and became a dedicated venue for musicals and straight plays. The Orpheum has since been the home of many notable world premieres and revivals over the decades, including the premiere of the original Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, a major revival of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes and plays including David Mamet’s Oleanna, Sandra Bernhard’s Without You I’m Nothing, and John Leguizamo’s Mambo Mouth. 

The theatre then became the home to Drama Desk- and Obie-winning smash-hit drumming sensation Stomp, which ran at the venue for almost three decades, from 1994 to 2023, clocking up a jaw-dropping 11,000 performances. The venue is currently owned and operated by Liberty Theatres, a subsidiary of Reading International.