This article is from the December 2012 issue of KC Stage
When David Warfield played
The Music Master at Kansas City's
Shubert Theatre in April 1907, over 1,000 people lined up overnight to
buy tickets. In the morning, despite heavy rains, the line stretched
east on 10th Street across Baltimore and into the lobby of the bank that
is today's Central Library. The charming theatre opened in 1906 as part
of the New York-based Shubert brothers' chain of theatres built to
check the power of the ruthlessly monopolistic Theatrical Syndicate.
Known as "the house cosy", the Shubert long maintained an avid clientele
by presenting top stars in New York touring companies. But times
changed and it was demolished in 1936.
The Shubert's main entrance faced 10th Street in the middle of the block
where spines of gigantic books now adorn the parking ramp. From the
lobby of the theatre, one entered the main floor of the auditorium that
sloped down toward the stage so that one did not have to climb stairs.
The two balconies hung low to enhance the feeling of intimacy in the
1,625-seat house. The Shubert was equipped with both gas and electric
lighting.
Felicia Hardison Londré is curators' professor of theatre at UMKC,
specializing in French, Russian, and Kansas City theatre history. She
currently (2012-14) serves as dean of the College of Fellows of the
American Theatre.
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