Empire Theatre

By decade176 productions across 7 decades

1. 1890s 32
2. 1900s 33
3. 1910s 31
4. 1920s 37
5. 1930s 29
6. 1940s 9
7. 1950s 5

Counted from the productions we hold, which are Broadway and a partial West End. A quiet decade here can mean a dark theatre and can mean a gap in the record.

Longest runs hereby performances

1939	Life With Father November 8, 1939 · Bretaigne Windust	3,224 perf.
1950	The Member of the Wedding January 5, 1950 · Harold Clurman	501 perf.
1946	O Mistress Mine January 23, 1946 · Alfred Lunt	482 perf.
1931	The Barretts of Wimpole Street February 9, 1931 · Guthrie McClintic	370 perf.
1935	The Old Maid January 7, 1935 · Guthrie McClintic	305 perf.
1897	The Little Minister September 27, 1897 · Joseph Humphreys	300 perf.
1952	The Time of the Cuckoo October 15, 1952 · Harold Clurman	263 perf.
1948	Life With Mother October 20, 1948 · Guthrie McClintic	262 perf.

Ranked among the 144 runs here that carry a performance count. 32 do not, so a longer run may be sitting outside this table with an empty field.

Everything that played here176 productions

1893	Liberty Hall August 21, 1893 · Original
1893	The Girl I Left Behind Me January 25, 1893 · Original
1893	The Younger Son October 24, 1893 · Original
1894	A Doll's House February 15, 1894 · Revival	1 perf.
1894	The Bauble Shop September 11, 1894 · Original
1894	The Masqueraders December 3, 1894 · Original	120 perf.
1895	Carmen December 24, 1895 · Original
1895	Christopher, Jr. October 7, 1895 · Original
1895	Gudgeons May 14, 1895 · Original
1895	John-a-Dreams March 18, 1895 · Original
1895	The City of Pleasure September 2, 1895 · Original
1895	The Importance of Being Earnest April 22, 1895 · Original	40 perf.
1895	The Imprudent Young Couple September 23, 1895 · Original
1896	A Woman's Reason January 27, 1896 · Original
1896	Bohemia March 9, 1896 · Original
1896	Marriage February 17, 1896 · Original
1896	Marse Van February 17, 1896 · Original
1896	Michael and His Lost Angel January 15, 1896 · Original	13 perf.
1896	Rosemary August 31, 1896 · Original
1896	Too Much Johnson May 4, 1896 · Revival	16 perf.
1896	Under the Red Robe December 28, 1896 · Original
1897	A Man and His Wife March 6, 1897 · Original	1 perf.
1897	A Marriage of Convenience November 8, 1897 · Original
1897	The Little Minister September 27, 1897 · Original	300 perf.
1898	His Honor the Mayor April 26, 1898 · Original
1898	Phroso December 26, 1898 · Original
1898	The Conquerors January 4, 1898 · Original
1898	The Liars September 26, 1898 · Original
1899	My Lady's Lord December 25, 1899 · Original	25 perf.
1899	Romeo and Juliet May 8, 1899 · Revival
1899	The Man of Destiny February 16, 1899 · Original
1899	The Tyranny of Tears September 11, 1899 · Original	128 perf.
1900	A Man and His Wife April 2, 1900 · Revival	24 perf.
1900	Brother Officers January 16, 1900 · Original	88 perf.
1900	Mrs. Dane's Defense December 31, 1900 · Original	107 perf.
1900	Richard Carvel September 11, 1900 · Original	128 perf.
1901	Brother Officers April 8, 1901 · Revival	8 perf.
1901	The Second in Command September 2, 1901 · Original	128 perf.
1901	The Wilderness December 23, 1901 · Original	80 perf.
1902	Imprudence November 17, 1902 · Original	66 perf.
1902	The Importance of Being Earnest April 14, 1902 · Revival	49 perf.
1902	The Mummy and the Humming Bird September 4, 1902 · Original	85 perf.
1902	The Twin Sister March 3, 1902 · Original	48 perf.
1903	The Mummy and the Humming Bird April 20, 1903 · Return-Engagement
1903	The Unforeseen January 13, 1903 · Original	111 perf.
1904	Ingomar May 16, 1904 · Revival	1 perf.
1904	Little Mary January 5, 1904 · Original	24 perf.
1904	The Duke of Killicrankie September 5, 1904 · Original	128 perf.
1904	The Little Minister December 26, 1904 · Revival	73 perf.
1904	When Knighthood Was in Flower May 2, 1904 · Revival	16 perf.
1905	De Lancey September 4, 1905 · Original	68 perf.
1905	'Op-o'-Me Thumb February 6, 1905 · Original
1905	Peter Pan November 6, 1905 · Original	223 perf.
1905	The Freedom of Suzanne April 19, 1905 · Original	26 perf.
1906	His House in Order September 3, 1906 · Original	127 perf.
1906	Peter Pan December 24, 1906 · Return-Engagement	40 perf.
1907	Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines February 18, 1907 · Revival	33 perf.
1907	My Wife August 31, 1907 · Original	129 perf.
1908	Father and the Boys March 2, 1908 · Original	88 perf.
1908	Jack Straw September 14, 1908 · Original	112 perf.
1908	Quality Street January 6, 1908 · Revival	7 perf.
1908	The Jesters January 15, 1908 · Original	53 perf.
1908	The Thief September 3, 1908 · Revival	16 perf.
1908	What Every Woman Knows December 23, 1908 · Original	198 perf.
1909	The Mollusc June 7, 1909 · Revival	16 perf.
1910	Held by the Enemy December 5, 1910 · Revival
1910	Secret Service December 5, 1910 · Revival
1910	Sherlock Holmes December 5, 1910 · Revival
1910	The Private Secretary December 5, 1910 · Revival
1910	Too Much Johnson December 5, 1910 · Revival
1911	The Witness for the Defense December 4, 1911 · Original	64 perf.
1912	A Slice of Life January 29, 1912 · Original	48 perf.
1912	Cousin Kate January 29, 1912 · Revival	48 perf.
1912	Lady Patricia February 26, 1912 · Original	32 perf.
1912	The Perplexed Husband September 2, 1912 · Original	80 perf.
1913	Much Ado About Nothing September 1, 1913 · Revival	24 perf.
1914	A Scrap of Paper May 11, 1914 · Revival	32 perf.
1914	Diplomacy October 20, 1914 · Revival	63 perf.
1914	Driven December 14, 1914 · Original	24 perf.
1914	The Legend of Leonora January 5, 1914 · Original	136 perf.
1915	Rosemary January 12, 1915 · Revival	15 perf.
1915	The Chief November 22, 1915 · Original	40 perf.
1915	The Shadow January 25, 1915 · Original	72 perf.
1916	Caroline September 20, 1916 · Original	45 perf.
1916	Mme. Sarah Bernhardt December 4, 1916 · Original
1916	Rio Grande April 4, 1916 · Original	55 perf.
1916	The Basker October 30, 1916 · Original	40 perf.
1917	Rambler Rose September 10, 1917 · Original	72 perf.
1917	The Lady of the Camellias December 24, 1917 · Original	56 perf.
1917	The Three Bears November 13, 1917 · Original	39 perf.
1918	Belinda May 6, 1918 · Original	32 perf.
1918	Dear Brutus December 23, 1918 · Original	184 perf.
1918	The New Word May 6, 1918 · Revival	32 perf.
1918	The Off Chance February 14, 1918 · Original	92 perf.
1918	The Saving Grace September 30, 1918 · Original	96 perf.
1919	Declassee October 6, 1919 · Original	257 perf.
1920	Call the Doctor August 31, 1920 · Original	127 perf.
1920	Mary Rose December 22, 1920 · Original	127 perf.
1921	Blood and Sand September 20, 1921 · Original	71 perf.
1921	Clair de Lune April 18, 1921 · Original	64 perf.
1921	The Dream Maker November 21, 1921 · Original	82 perf.
1922	La Tendresse September 25, 1922 · Original	64 perf.
1922	Rose Briar December 25, 1922 · Original	88 perf.
1922	The Czarina January 31, 1922 · Original	136 perf.
1922	The Rivals June 5, 1922 · Revival	8 perf.
1922	The Texas Nightingale November 20, 1922 · Original	32 perf.
1923	Casanova September 26, 1923 · Original	77 perf.
1923	Pasteur March 12, 1923 · Original	16 perf.
1923	The Lady December 4, 1923 · Original	85 perf.
1923	Zander the Great April 9, 1923 · Original	80 perf.
1924	Grounds for Divorce September 23, 1924 · Original	127 perf.
1924	She Stoops to Conquer June 9, 1924 · Revival	8 perf.
1924	The Swan August 25, 1924 · Return-Engagement
1925	A Tale of the Wolf October 7, 1925 · Original	13 perf.
1925	Antonia October 20, 1925 · Original	55 perf.
1925	Easy Virtue December 7, 1925 · Original	147 perf.
1925	Isabel January 13, 1925 · Original	31 perf.
1925	Shall We Join the Ladies? January 13, 1925 · Original	31 perf.
1925	The Dove August 24, 1925 · Original	48 perf.
1926	Raquel Meller April 14, 1926 · Original	38 perf.
1926	The Captive September 29, 1926 · Original	160 perf.
1927	Her Cardboard Lover March 21, 1927 · Original	152 perf.
1927	Interference October 18, 1927 · Original	224 perf.
1927	Pickwick September 5, 1927 · Original	72 perf.
1927	Set a Thief February 21, 1927 · Original	80 perf.
1928	Heavy Traffic September 5, 1928 · Original	61 perf.
1928	Napoleon March 8, 1928 · Original	11 perf.
1928	Olympia October 16, 1928 · Original	39 perf.
1928	Salvation January 31, 1928 · Original	31 perf.
1928	The Age of Innocence November 27, 1928 · Original	207 perf.
1928	The Happy Husband May 7, 1928 · Original	72 perf.
1928	The Play's the Thing April 9, 1928 · Revival	24 perf.
1929	Candle Light September 30, 1929 · Original	128 perf.
1930	Dishonored Lady February 4, 1930 · Original	127 perf.
1930	Milestones June 2, 1930 · Revival	8 perf.
1930	Petticoat Influence December 15, 1930 · Original	98 perf.
1930	Room of Dreams November 5, 1930 · Original	13 perf.
1930	Stepdaughters of War October 6, 1930 · Original	24 perf.
1930	The Little Father of the Wilderness June 2, 1930 · Revival	8 perf.
1931	The Barretts of Wimpole Street February 9, 1931 · Original	370 perf.
1932	Dangerous Corner October 27, 1932 · Original	206 perf.
1932	Firebird November 21, 1932 · Original	42 perf.
1932	There's Always Juliet February 15, 1932 · Original	108 perf.
1933	The School for Husbands October 16, 1933 · Revival	116 perf.
1933	The Threepenny Opera April 13, 1933 · Original	12 perf.
1933	We, The People January 21, 1933 · Original	49 perf.
1934	Allure October 29, 1934 · Original	8 perf.
1934	But Not For Love November 26, 1934 · Original	8 perf.
1934	Richard of Bordeaux February 14, 1934 · Original	38 perf.
1935	Bright Star October 15, 1935 · Original	7 perf.
1935	For Valor November 18, 1935 · Original	8 perf.
1935	Ghosts December 12, 1935 · Revival	45 perf.
1935	The Old Maid January 7, 1935 · Original	305 perf.
1936	Hamlet October 8, 1936 · Revival	132 perf.
1936	O Evening Star January 8, 1936 · Original	5 perf.
1936	The Wingless Victory December 23, 1936 · Original	110 perf.
1937	The Star-Wagon September 29, 1937 · Original	223 perf.
1938	Missouri Legend September 19, 1938 · Original	48 perf.
1938	Soliloquy November 28, 1938 · Original	2 perf.
1939	Journey's End September 18, 1939 · Revival	16 perf.
1939	Life With Father November 8, 1939 · Original	3,224 perf.
1939	They Knew What They Wanted October 2, 1939 · Revival	24 perf.
1945	The Mermaids Singing November 28, 1945 · Original	53 perf.
1945	The Next Half Hour October 29, 1945 · Original	8 perf.
1946	O Mistress Mine January 23, 1946 · Original	482 perf.
1947	Ruth Draper January 12, 1947 · Revival	42 perf.
1947	The Winslow Boy October 29, 1947 · Original	214 perf.
1948	Life With Mother October 20, 1948 · Original	262 perf.
1948	Seeds in the Wind May 25, 1948 · Original	7 perf.
1949	The Closing Door December 1, 1949 · Original	22 perf.
1949	Twelfth Night October 3, 1949 · Revival	48 perf.
1950	The Member of the Wedding January 5, 1950 · Original	501 perf.
1951	Buy Me Blue Ribbons October 17, 1951 · Original	13 perf.
1951	I Am a Camera November 28, 1951 · Original	214 perf.
1951	The Long Days April 20, 1951 · Original	3 perf.
1952	The Time of the Cuckoo October 15, 1952 · Original	263 perf.

What this page does not know

• What played here before Broadway record-keeping starts, and what played here outside it: concerts, benefits, film runs, anything that was not a listed production.
• How long 32 of these runs lasted. We don't have a performance count.
• When 131 of these runs ended. They carry an opening date and no closing date, and they are old enough that they certainly closed. Nobody wrote down the date.
• When the building opened.
• How many seats.
• Who built it.
• Any photograph of the building.