Times Square has improved considerably over the last 20 years which explains why so many millions of people visit the square to see the famous lights and LED billboards every year. There are a number of old theatres in the Times Square area and here are some you may like to visit during your holiday in New York.

NEW VICTORY THEATER
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One of the oldest theater in Times Square is the New Victory Theatre which was built in 1899. The theatre was refurbished in 1995 and is a theatre dedicated to productions for children and families. » website

NEW AMSTERDAM THEATER
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The New Amsterdam Theatre was constructed in 1904 and is located at 214 West 42nd Street. The theatre is run by Disney Theatrical Productions and is currently (June 2009) showing Mary Poppins, the musical.

SELWYN THEATER
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The Selwyn Theater is on the north side of West 42nd Street at 229 and opened in 1918. The theater was built in an Italian renaissance design and was one of three theatres the Selwyn brothers constructed and ran on 42nd Street. The other two theaters are the Apollo and the Times Square Theatre. The Selwyn Theater was taken over by the City and State of New York and renovated by the Roundabout Theatre Company in 1997 with the backing of American Airlines. Today, the theatre is called the American Airlines Theatre. »website

TIMES SQUARE THEATER
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The Times Square Theatre is located at 217 West 42nd Street and was built in 1920. Over the last 90 years it has be the home of many famous shows including Strike Up the Band in 1930 and Private Lives in 1931. In 1934, the Times Square Theatre was converted into a cinema and remained a movie theatre until it closed in the early 1990s.

Currently, the Times Square Theatre remains closed and is awaiting its fate. One of the problems with restoring the theatre is that all its exits pour out directly onto 42nd Street and hundreds of people crowding the pavement on such a busy street after a show is proving to be a big stumbling block to the theatre’s renaissance. However, all the old theatres in Times Square are protected from demolition or radical change of use.

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