Studio 54 Theatre New York

The Studio 54 Theatre has a colorful history. Having been built as an opera house in 1927, it spent much of the late 70s and early 80s as a world-famous nightclub for the disco era, attracting stars including Donna Summers. When the disco heyday eventually slowed down, Studio 54 remained largely vacant until Roundabout Theatre Company (who also operate the Stephen Sondheim Theatre and Todd Haimes Theatre ) returned it to its theatrical roots with Cabaret in 1998.

Much like its history, the design of the theater is an eclectic mix which makes it completely unique. This is perhaps best shown by the lobby, which welcomes theatergoers with mirror-lined walls and rich chandeliers. When Cabaret first opened, Roundabout Theatre Company kept tables on the ground floor to emulate the crumbling, lost decadence of a nightclub, although this was later adapted to a more traditional Orchestra layout.

Since reopening with a landmark production of Cabaret which played from 1998 to 2004, the Studio 54 Theatre has become a hotspot for new plays. Most notable is Lynn Nottage’s Sweat (2017), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and has since opened at London’s Donmar Warehouse. Other shows at the venue include a highly acclaimed Broadway premier of Assassins (2004), Carrie Fletcher’s one-woman show Wishful Drinking (2009) and An Act of God (2015), starring Jim Parsons.

Know Before You Go

• Children under 4 may not be admitted into the theater
• An elevator runs from the ground floor to the Golden Lounge
• Bag check may be in operation