Theater News

Is British-Based Ambassador Theatre Group Looking to Acquire Several Broadway Houses?

The owner of New York’s Lyric Theatre can potentially expand real-estate holdings.

Editorial Staff
New York City
On the Town stars Clyde Alves, Tony Yazbeck, and Jay Armstrong Johnson pose in front of the Lyric Theatre's marquee on 42nd Street.
On the Town stars Clyde Alves, Tony Yazbeck, and Jay Armstrong Johnson pose in front of the Lyric Theatre's marquee on West 42nd Street.
(© David GOrdon)

After acquiring Broadway's Foxwoods Theatre on 42nd Street and renaming it the Lyric Theatre, British theater owner Howard Panter, the impresario behind London's Ambassador Theatre Group, is reportedly in the market for several other New York properties.

At the top of the list, according to published reports, is the Hudson Theatre, a historic space from 1903 that housed the original production of Arcenic and Old Lace, among other shows. The once-glittering West 44th Street venue is currently a wedding party destination and convention center, its seats completely removed.

Also on the docket, the New York Post reports, is the Times Square Theatre, built in 1920 and hidden between the American Airlines Theatre and Panter's own Lyric (now home to On the Town). Owned by New York City, the former original home of Private Lives and Strike Up the Band was undergoing renovations to house a massive film project about the history of Broadway called Broadway 4D, which was abandoned when its producers couldn't raise funds.

Broadway's other houses are controlled by three organizations: the Shuberts (which own 17 theaters, as well as Shubert Alley), the Nederlanders (which own nine theaters in New York), and Jujamcyn (which owns five theaters). Panter's Ambassador Theatre Group controls 40 theaters across Europe and Asia.