Roundabout in final stages of negotiations for a 20-year lease on the Henry Miller Theatre

The New York Times reports that the Roundabout Theatre Company are in the final stages of negotiating for a 20 year lease on the newly-refurbished Henry Miller Theatre which is due to re-open in the fall of 2008.

The theatre closed in 2004 due to plans to build a new 57-story skyscraper on the site. The Georgian facade of the Henry Miller remains, but the insides of the theatre have been gutted, and a $30 million rennovation is currently taking place.

The theatre, owned by the Durst Organization and Bank of America, have been approached by Shuberts, Nederlanders and the Jujamcyn theater chains, who have all expressed an interest in ownership, or part ownership, but none of the negotiations led to a final deal.

Douglas Durst, a co-president of the Durst Organization, and who also sits on the on the Roundabout�s board, told the New York Times that they are looking for a long-term tenat, and the Roundabout seems ideally fitted for that role. Mr. Durst said: �I�ve watched Todd (president of Roundabout), both as a part of Times Square and as a board member, and he�s just been so successful at the projects he�s undertaken that we thought the best way to go would be with Roundabout.�

The Roundabout, which already owns or leases two Broaway theatres, - AmericanAirlines Theare and Studio 54 - and one Off-Broadway theatre - the Laura Pels - plan to place a popular show for an extended run in one of the Broadway theatres, and use the other two theatres for their traditional two- or three-shows-a-year Roundabout schedule.

It is being rumoured that the first extended run show could be a revival of Sam Mandes Cabaret, which ran at Studio 54 from 11 Dec 1998 to 4 Jan 2008. It would be fitting for Mandes Cabaret to re-open the Henry Miller Theatre, since the production originally opened at the Kit Kat Klub on 19 Mar 1998, and was the first theatrical work to play there in 15 years, before transferring to Studio 54.

The Henry Miller Theatre was built by Henry Miller (c. 1858 � 9 Apr 1926) ,an American actor, director, theatrical producer and manager, and opened its doors in 1918 with Louis Evan Shipmans' The Fountain of Youth.

There are no plans to re-name the theatre.