Meanwhile, Roundabout had fallen in love with Studio 54. The funky, unique theatre had originally been built as the Gallo Opera House in 1927 but had not housed live theatre productions since the early 1940s. Best known for its life as the infamous nightclub of the 1970s and 1980s, Studio 54 was an ideal home for Cabaret, and Roundabout decided that the space could be a perfect location in which to stage future musical productions. Roundabout moved forward with negotiations to purchase the space.
Alexander Gemignani, Becky Ann Baker,
Jeffrey Kuhn, Michael Cerveris, Neil Patrick Harris, Mario Cantone, Mary Catherine Garrison, Denis O'Hare and James Barbour in the multiple
Tony Award®-winning Assassins.
An unprecedented $6.75 million appropriation from the City of New York made possible the $22.5 million purchase. After two years of negotiations, Roundabout closed on the property on July 23, 2003. When Roundabout's production of Cabaret closed in January 2004, the long-awaited production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's musical Assassins became the first production in the space under Roundabout's ownership. The production, directed by Joe Mantello, won five Tony Awards® in that year, including Best Revival of a Musical.
