The Lion King Minskoff Theatre New York

The Minskoff Theatre is a Broadway theatre located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The venue first opened for the public on March 13, 1973. It has a seating capacity of 1,621 and is owned and operated by the Nederlander Organization. The building was designed by Kahn and Jacobs architects. The venue is on the third floor of One Astor Plaza, an office tower built on the Astor Hotel’s site. The Minskoff Theatre serves as a home venue to The Lion King’s musical, based on the animated film. The venue is named after the Minskoff family, Sam Minskoff and Sons. They were the owners and builders of the venue.

The Minskoff Theatre opening was accompanied by a revival of Irene starring Debbie Reynolds. Since its opening, the venue has served as a host to dance companies, musicals, and concerts. The theatre hosted Miss Universe in 1981, which Irene Saez of Venezuela won. It also hosted Joseph Papp’s production of The Pirates of Penzance and 1994 Sunset Boulevard. Within the Minskoff Theatre, a new set space was created for the syndicated news magazine, The Insider.

Some of the other notable productions that took place at the Minskoff Theatre are 1980-1981: West Side Story, 1987-1988: Teddy & Alice, 1999-2001: Saturday Night Fever, 2001-2002: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and 2004-2006: Fiddler on the Roof. The Lion King was the only production that earned a box office record by clearing $3,696,974 over nine performances for the week.