Broadway's Smallest Theater To Reopen In March, Report Says

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The smallest theater on Broadway will reopen next month after a two-year renovation project.

March 1 marks the return of the Helen Hayes Theater on West 44th Street when the venue hosts its first showing of "Lobby Hero," a play written by Oscar winner Kenneth Lonergan and starting actors such as Michael Cera and Chris Evans. The 589-seat theater closed in 2016 after the building was purchased by theater nonprofit Second Stage, the New York Times reported.

Second Stage purchased the landmarked theater for $$64 million in 2015, the New York Times reported, but the deal had been in the works for nearly a decade. The long run of "Rock of Ages" at the Helen Heyer Theater delayed the sale, according to the report.

Improvements made to the Helen Heyer Theater during the renovation include handicap accessibility, refurbished bathrooms, improved dressing rooms for actors and better seating, the New York Times reported. The renovation balanced preserving the 106-year-old theater's historical details while adding contemporary features.

"Lobby Hero" begins previews March 1 and is expected to run until mid-May, according to Second Stage's website. The play is set in the lobby of a Manhattan apartment building which becomes the scene of a murder investigation.

Read the full New York Times report here.

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