The Al Hirschfeld Theatre on West 45th Street in New York's Theatre District is one of the most tradition-rich Broadway houses. The building, opened in 1924 as the Martin Beck Theatre, with around 1,420 seats, was renamed in 2003 in honour of the legendary caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, who drew Broadway stars for over 70 years. Hirschfeld hid his daughter Nina's name in every drawing as a game signal for attentive readers — a tradition beloved by New York Times readers for decades. The theatre showed hits like Kinky Boots (2013-2019) and currently rotating Broadway productions. The interior in Moorish Revival style is an architectural peculiarity among Broadway theatres and is heritage-protected.
Those hunting the hidden "Nina" in Hirschfeld's drawings often found a number beside the name — revealing how many times Nina was concealed in that same image.
At a glance
- Type
- Musical theatre
- Location
- New York, USA
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