Astor Place Theatre

Originally constructed in 1831 as a part of the historic Colonnade Row located in the area known as NoHo in Manhattan, the building was home to the Astor and Vanderbilt families. It was only converted into a live theatre in 1965, after being purchased by Bruce Mailman. The inaugural production – Israel Horowitz’s The Indian Wants the Bronx - opened in January 1968 and also starred a young Al Pacino. Over the years, the Astor Place Theatre has housed a number of landmark productions including premieres by Terrence McNally and A.R. Gurney, as well as the musical revue Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Since 1991, the venue has been home to the cult entertainment act known as The Blue Man Group, which led to the acquisition of the theatre by Blue Man Productions (now a subsidiary of ‘Cirque du Soleil’) in 2001. The Building was awarded New York City landmark status in 1963.