ABOUT ROUNDABOUT

A Short History of Roundabout Theatre Company

The Broadway Years

In 1989, Gene Feist retired and Todd Haimes, who had served as Managing Director since 1983, was appointed Artistic Director. During the five extraordinary years that followed, Roundabout's productions were nominated for 79 awards, including Tonys®, Drama Desks, Outer Critics Circle and Olivier Awards.

Anna Christie, starring Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson won the Tony® Award for Best Revival in 1993.

Since Roundabout's lease on the 17th Street Theatre was year-to-year, Haimes began the search for a permanent home for Roundabout. In October 1991, Roundabout opened the doors of its new Broadway home at the Criterion Center on West 45th Street with Harold Pinter's The Homecoming. That same season, Roundabout inaugurated its innovative Theatre-Plus program with the Singles Series, designed to enhance the theatre-going experience with special subscriber events and discussions. It was a groundbreaking program that eventually expanded to feature an early curtain series, a wine tasting series, a gay and lesbian series, and a program for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, the Sign Interpreted Series, among many others. These programs would later be adopted by arts organizations around the country and in London.

By 1993, Roundabout was enjoying tremendous artistic success. Critically acclaimed productions, such as Friedrich Durrenmatt's The Visit with Jane Alexander and Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie starring Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson, graced the Roundabout stage. Anna Christie, in particular, was monumental for Roundabout. It won the 1993 Tony, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards for Best Revival and solidified Roundabout's reputation for artistic excellence.

She Loves Me (left to right) Laura Waterbury, Sally Mayes, Lee Wilkof, Boyd Gaines, and Howard McGillin

Later that season, Haimes broke new ground by expanding the theatre's mission to produce what he called, "the classic American art form," the musical. Roundabout introduced its Great American Musical series with the theatre's first musical, She Loves Me, directed by Scott Ellis and choreographed by Rob Marshall. The production successfully transferred to Broadway before being produced in London, where it received five Olivier awards. As enthusiasm and critical acclaim for the theatre grew, so did the company's subscription audience, now totaling 26,000.

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A Bright Idea
The Broadway Years
A New Stage
Reaching Out
Overwhelming Success
Coming Home
Breaking New Ground
Wilkommen
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