The Edison Theatre was a legitimate Broadway theatre located in the Hotel Edison at 240 West 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Officially a 499-seat Off-Broadway house, the Edison Theater actually had 541 seats.  

It opened as the Arena Theatre on May 31, 1950, with a revival of George Kelly's The Show Off. The following year it was converted into the hotel's ballroom and remained as such until the early 1970s, when it was re-converted to a theatre. Its most notable production was Oh! Calcutta!, which opened on September 24, 1976, and ran for 13 years, with a total of 5,959 performances. Other shows staged here included Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, Me and Bessie, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, The Island, and Love Letters.

The theatre closed on February 24, 1991. Its final production was Those Were the Days, a musical revue celebrating Klezmer, featuring Bruce Adler,who was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Musical. 

Read more about productions at Edison Ballroom

Rich Theatrical History