When I Was Your Man

"When I Was Your Man" is a song by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars from his second studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox (2012). Atlantic Records released the song as the third promotional single and as the second official single, taken from the album, to mainstream radio in the United States on January 15, 2013. "When I Was Your Man" was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt. The former three produced the track under the name the Smeezingtons. The track was inspired by the time Mars was worried about losing his girlfriend, Jessica Caban.

The pop song is an emotional piano ballad with lyrics describing the heartbreak and regret Mars felt from letting his lover get away, and his expressed hope that her new man will give her all the love and attention that he failed to provide. It features Mars singing and a piano accompaniment as the sole instrumentation. "When I Was Your Man" received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who generally praised Mars's vocal prowess, calling it a "vulnerable and emotional ballad". "When I Was Your Man" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and reached the top ten on the singles chart of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It was certified eleven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as well as six times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and nine times platinum by Music Canada (MC). "When I Was Your Man" was the world's eighth best-selling digital single of 2013, with sales of 8.3 million copies.

Cameron Duddy and Mars directed the ballad's accompanying music video. It portrays Mars as a "lonely balladeer" in sunglasses, sitting at a piano with a half-full glass of whiskey atop it. Critics resoundingly complimented the simplicity of the video's production. The song has been covered by artists, including Mike Ward, who released a studio version of the song after he performed it on The Voice UK. Ward's cover peaked at number 60 in the UK Singles Chart. "When I Was Your Man" was also added to the soundtrack of the Brazilian soap opera Amor à Vida. Mars performed the song on The Moonshine Jungle Tour (2013–14) and on the 24K Magic World Tour (2017–18). The song won "Favorite Hit" at the 2013 Premios Juventud and was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

## Writing and production

While working on the album, Bruno Mars said: "I'm never singing another ballad again," but that came from the gut – it's the most honest, real thing I've ever sung," he says. "When there are no safe bets, that's when I feel my blood move." He also shared how important the lyrics to this song are for him when he posted a photograph of Unorthodox Jukebox's artwork via his Twitter account. "Soon you guys will hear a song I wrote called When I Was Your Man. I've never been this nervous. Can't explain it," he tweeted. Philip Lawrence explained the inspiration of the song: "I think Bruno and I are both huge fans of older music, like Billy Joel and Elton John. We always loved those moments where you can sit at the piano and emote. Those intimate moments when an artist is so naked and vulnerable; you can't help but be drawn to it. We always wanted to find a stripped down song like that, which is how that song came to be. The subject matter was real life; Bruno had experienced that, so we tried to say it in the best and catchiest way we could."

"When I Was Your Man" was written by Mars, Lawrence, Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt, while production was handled by the former three production-team, the Smeezingtons. Mars played the piano, while the recording was done by Levine at Levcon Studios in Los Angeles, California. Charles Moniz was responsible for providing additional engineering to the recording. It was mixed at Larrabee Sound Studios in Hollywood by Manny Marroquin. It was mastered by David Kutch at The Mastering Place.

## Composition and lyrics

"When I Was Your Man" is written in the key of C major. Mars's vocals range from the low note of G3 to the high note of C5 with chord progressions Am–C–Dm–G–G7–C (verse) and F–G–C (chorus). The pop piano ballad finds Mars singing about a pre-fame heartbreak as he regrets letting his woman get away. It starts with a rolling piano riff; unto a nearly scat "vocal cadence": "Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now / Our song on the radio but it don't sound the same", as he laments the "single state" he created for himself. Next, he sings of his failings; to do right by his woman, "I shoulda bought you flowers / And held your hand / Shoulda gave you all my hours / When I had the chance". Its title phrase re-emerges in the final chorus, juxtaposed by Bruno from all the things he "shoulda" done, into things he hopes his ex's new man will do; concluding: "Do all of the things I should have done / When I was your man". In an interview to Rolling Stone, Mars revealed, while reluctant, that he wrote the song for his girlfriend, model Jessica Caban, when he was worried about losing her. In contrast with the song, Mars and Caban stayed together. Mars also said, in the interview, that he finds it difficult to perform the song; saying: "You're bringing up all these old emotions again," and that: "It's just like bleeding!"

For Andrew Unterberger of Pop Dust, the song "starts out dangerously close to 'Drops of Jupiter' territory, but luckily, there are no fried chicken or soy latte lyrics to be found here." He also noted that "'When I Was Your Man' goes minimal with the musical accompaniment, featuring just Bruno and his piano, sounding halfway between an Alicia Keys ballad and Prince’s "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"." Andy Gill of The Independent called it a "McCartney-esque piano ballad." Melinda Newman of HitFix thought that the song "sounds like a cross between Stevie Wonder and Elton John," also seeing "a touch of Michael Jackson" in his delivery. Sam Lansky of Idolator agreed, writing that "while evoking Elton John, the track sounds like it was recorded live in a piano bar, with audible background noise, like the spooling of film on a projector." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy said that Mars lists everything he should have done for the one he loved before she broke up with him. The lyrics find Mars regretful of not giving attention to his ex, as he "should have bought her" flowers and treated her better, as he reflects on their past relationship wishing for her new man to treat her better.

## Release

"When I Was Your Man" was released as the third and final promotional single taken from Unorthodox Jukebox, on December 3, 2012. Later, it was reported by Mars that "Young Girls" was scheduled to be the second single from the album. However, a week later, while performing "When I Was Your Man" on a TV show, he announced that it would be the second official single from the album. To confirm the news, Mediabase also published that the song will be soon released to radio stations.

Atlantic Records serviced "When I Was Your Man" to contemporary hit radio in the United States on January 15, 2013. The single was released on the United Kingdom on February 10, 2013, via digital download. On March 8, 2013, Warner Music Group sent the song for radio airplay in Italy. It was released as a CD single in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland on April 5, 2013.

## Reception

### Critical

The song has received generally positive reviews from most music critics. Sam Lanksy of Idolator gave the song a favorable review, calling it "an emotional ballad that shows off Mars’ sweet vocals." Lansky also praised it, naming it "another exceptional offering from Unorthodox Jukebox, which is shaping up to be one of the year's best pop releases." Andrew Unterberger of Pop Dust gave the song a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, commenting that 'When I Was Your Man' is "a much more satisfying, less ostentatious ballad than 'Young Girls'— though maybe the lyrics are a little too clichéd to result in a classic soul ballad the way Bruno seems to be going for." However, he praised Mars, which according to him, "nobody puts a song like this over quite like him, and when he hits the big high note on the song's bridge, it's about as striking a moment as you're likely to hear on a pop record this year. It might be a little too perfect to be as devastating as a song like 'Someone Like You', but it might be a big hit just the same, and it's guaranteed to absolutely slay in a live set." Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly was positive, writing that "Old-school charm still gets Mars the furthest, and the best thing here is the classic torch song 'When I Was Your Man', which finds him at the piano listing all the ways he wronged an ex. 'Caused a good, strong woman like you to walk out my life,' he cries in his Sinatra-smooth tenor, oozing charm. Maybe he's a jerk. But he's the jerk that girl's going home with tonight."

Jon Caramanica of The New York Times commented that "The piano tells it all on this song, which is one of the most certain on the album." Later, he stated, "If this isn't the beginning of the Billy Joel comeback, people should lose their jobs." Jason Lipshut of Billboard wrote that "it will make for a killer lighters-in-the-air moment in concert. Although it's not quite an Alicia Keys-esque powerhouse, 'When I Was Your Man' smartly allows Mars to momentarily remove his fedora and bare his soul." The Arizona Republic's Ed Masley viewed "When I Was Your Man" as one of Unorthodox Jukebox best tracks and described it as "stripped-down soul". Jim Farber of New York Daily News wrote that in the ballad, "he matches his bravura performance to a tune stirring enough to inspire aspiring stars on the 'X Factor/Idol' axis for years to come." Melinda Newman of HitFix called it a "beautiful piano ballad," writing that "There's not a lot of embellishment, there are no samples and there is not a wasted note." Sandy Cohen from the Associated Press wrote that "Mars is at his best on the bare piano ballad 'When I Was Your Man'." Andrew Chan of Slant Magazine gave a mixed review for the song, writing that "his melody and lyrics end up sounding as slight as they did before— an embarrassment for an artist who's staked so much of his image on sturdy, old-fashioned songcraft." Digital Spy's Robert Copsey preferred "Locked Out of Heaven" to "When I Was Your Man", despite being "a kind gesture and all".

### Awards and recognition

In 2013, "When I Was Your Man" won "Favorite Hit" at the 2013 Premios Juventud. It was nominated for Break-Up Song at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards and for That's My Jam at the 2013 NewNowNext Awards. In 2014, the ballad received a nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards and it was also nominated for Favorite Song at the 2014 People's Choice Awards. The single was one of the several winners of the 2014 ASCAP Pop Music Awards for Most Performed Songs, as well as, one of the Top 10 Gold International Gold Songs at the RTHK International Pop Poll Awards. It was the fourth most played song on radio, the eighth most played on Top 40 and on Adult Contemporary radios, according to Nielsen SoundScan Mediabase ranked the song as the 15th most played on Top 40 radio stations in 2013. In the UK, "When I Was Your Man" was the tenth pop track most played in 2013.

## Commercial performance

### North America

"When I Was Your Man" was released on iTunes as a promotional single, leading the song to debut at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "When I Was Your Man" entered the top 10 the week of February 13, 2013, charting at number nine, becoming Mars's 10th top 10 single. At that time, "Locked Out of Heaven" was at number two, and thus Mars became the first male artist to place two titles as a lead act on the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 simultaneously since "Grenade" and "Just the Way You Are" doubled up for eight consecutive weeks. On February 27, 2013, the song jumped from number 8 to number 3 on the Hot 100 with "Airplay Gainer" honors for a seventh week in a row, tying it with Rihanna's "Rude Boy" (2010), T-Pain's "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')," featuring Yung Joc (2007), and Beyonce's "Baby Boy," featuring Sean Paul (2003), for the longest streak dating to the award's 1985 launch. The song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, in its 16th week after being discounted to 69 cents on the iTunes music store, making it Mars's slowest-peaking single. It also became the second number one song in the charts to feature exclusively piano and vocals after Adele's "Someone like You" in 2011. With "When I Was Your Man" topping the Billboard Hot 100, Mars reached the same mark as Diddy, Ludacris, Prince and Lionel Richie. Elvis Presley was the only male who reached five leaders more quickly than Mars. It stayed at number one for one week.

On the Radio Songs chart, "When I Was Your Man" peaked at number one, becoming Mars's fifth number-one on the chart. Among men, Mars tied 50 Cent and trailed Usher, Ludacris and Kanye West, the latter two with six number-ones and the former with seven, since the chart's 1990 start. At that time, Mariah Carey led the list with 11 songs peaking at number one on the chart. On the Mainstream Top 40 chart, "When I Was Your Man" peaked at number 1, giving Mars the highest total among solo males of number one songs (six) on the chart (only Katy Perry and Rihanna lead all acts with eleven number one's each). After a year, Justin Timberlake's "Not a Bad Thing" passed Mars for most number one songs on the Mainstream Top 40. It became the ninth best-selling song of 2013 in the US with 3,928,000 downloads. As of January 2014, it has sold over 4,123,000 copies in the US. It was certified eleven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

On the Canadian Hot 100 chart, the song peaked at number 3 and spent 32 weeks on the chart. "When I Was Your Man" topped the Canadian CHR/Top 40 and Hot AC charts. It was certified nine times platinum by Music Canada (MC).

The popularity of "When I Was Your Man" resurged in January 2023, after Miley Cyrus released the single "Flowers", which lyrics interpolated the song's chorus. In the week ending on January 19 the song rose from 4.5 million to 5.3 million in weekly streams in the United States, a 19.5 percent gain.

### International

"When I Was Your Man" peaked at number 2 in the United Kingdom and it was certified three times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). On the Danish Singles Chart, the single debuted at number 23 on February 15, 2013 and reached a high point of number four on March 8, 2013, and on March 22, 2013. It was certified double-platinum by the IFPI Denmark, indicating streams of 3,600,000. "When I Was Your Man" entered the New Zealand Singles Chart at number 26 on January 1, 2013. After three weeks the song entered the top ten, at its highest peak, number four, remaining for two non-consecutive weeks. It has received a double-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), denoting sales of 30,000 copies. In Australia, the song debuted at number 44 on the ARIA Charts week of December 23, 2012. In its fifth week, the song peaked at number six, becoming his sixth top-ten single in Australia. It was certified six times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In South Korea, the track peaked at number 7 on the "International Download Chart". It was the eighth best selling digital single of 2013 with sales of 8.3 million copies.

## Music video

### Development and synopsis

The music video of the song was directed by Cameron Duddy and Mars, and was released February 5, 2013. The video portrays the taping of a TV special, in which Mars is playing a lonely balladeer on the ivories while sitting in front of a piano with sunglasses donned and a half-full glass of whiskey atop his instrument, wearing a suit with a carnation boutonnière, while he keeps reminding himself of what he could have done to keep his lover. The video is based on 70's vibe and retro effects. The set and the idea of the video is similar to one used for "Love in the Key of C", a 1997 Belinda Carlisle minor hit.

### Reception

Rolling Stone, called the video "powerful" and a found "the final crescendo reaching a breaking point of true sorrow". Chris Payne, from Billboard called the music video "somber". Nicole Sia of Spin praised "the song's visual". According to Lansky of Idolator, "the clip, which is basically just Mars...sitting and singing at the piano...works". He continued, "While he certainly could have gone for something a little more high-concept, the clip's elegant framing just draws attention to...the song".

## Live performances

"When I Was Your Man" was performed live for the first time on the season three finale of US The Voice. Mars performed the song back by two piano players. Rap-Up considered that Mars "rocked the stage" during his performance, while EW's Hillary Bussis found the crowd to "go crazy" because of his lyrics or persuading Mars "to ditch those Cee Lo shades". He also performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on January 10, 2013. The performance had Mars with piano accompaniment. Kyle McGovern of Spin wrote that "he swells and contracts with every new regret and heartbroken epiphany." McGovern also stated, "Mars might still be locked out of heaven, but it sounds like he's getting closer to the angels." "When I Was Your Man" was performed at The Jonathan Ross Show after an interview, on March 3, 2013. The song was performed at season five the finale of Let's Dance for Comic Relief, on March 9, 2013. On April 3, 2013, Mars performed the song live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Carl Williott called the performance "flawless".

It was sung on the show Vivement Dimanche, on April 7, 2013. On May 26, 2013, the single was performed at the Radio 1's Big Weekend. "When I Was Your Man" was sung on The Moonshine Jungle Tour (2013–2015), on his debut concert residency, Bruno Mars at The Chelsea, Las Vegas (2013–2015), and during the 24K Magic World Tour (2017–2018). The song was part of the setlist of An Evening With Silk Sonic at Park MGM (2022), a concert residency performed by Mars with Anderson .Paak, as Silk Sonic. They performed it as a medley of "Put on a Smile" of Silk Sonic's debut studio album An Evening With Silk Sonic (2021), and "Make It Better", a song included on .Paak's fourth studio album Ventura (2019) featuring Smokey Robinson.

## Cover versions and usage in media

In 2013, The Voice UK contestant Mike Ward performed the song during the competition. A studio version of his performance was released and peaked at number 60 in the UK Singles Chart. Country singer Thomas Rhett recorded a cover of the song as a 'thank-you' to fans. The song was released for sale on February 3, 2015 and it debuted at No. 27 on the Hot Country Songs chart and despite failing to reach the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked inside of the Bubbling Under Hot 100, which acts as an extension of the former chart, peaking at number 7 there.

"When I Was Your Man" was included on the soundtrack of the Brazilian soap opera Amor à Vida. In January 2023, American singer Miley Cyrus issued the single "Flowers", which chorus is a paraphrase of the chorus of "When I Was Your Man". However, editors of Billboard noted that songs' similarities are not based on sampling, thus writers of the aforementioned song did not need to be credited as co-writers of "Flowers".

## Track listing

## Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Unorthodox Jukebox.

- Bruno Mars – lead vocals, songwriting, piano
- Philip Lawrence – songwriting
- Ari Levine – songwriting, recording
- Andrew Wyatt – songwriting
- The Smeezingtons – production
- Charles Moniz – additional engineer
- Manny Marroquin – mixing
- David Kutch – mastering

## Charts

### Weekly charts

### Year-end charts

## Certifications

## Release history

### Promotional release

### Single release

## See also

- List of best-selling singles
- List of best-selling singles in Australia
- List of best-selling singles in the United States
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2013 (U.S.)
- List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 2013 (U.S.)
- List of Adult Top 40 number-one songs of the 2010s
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 2013 (U.S.)

2013 single by Bruno Mars

Song recordings produced by the Smeezingtons

Songs written by Philip Lawrence (songwriter)


Village East by Angelika

Village East by Angelika (also Village East, originally the Louis N. Jaffe Art Theatre, and formerly known by several other names) is a movie theater at 189 Second Avenue, on the corner with 12th Street, in the East Village of Manhattan in New York City. Part of the former Yiddish Theatre District, the theater was designed in the Moorish Revival style by Harrison Wiseman and built from 1925 to 1926 by Louis Jaffe. In addition to Yiddish theatre, the theater has hosted off-Broadway shows, burlesque, and movies. Since 1991, it has been operated by Angelika Film Center as a seven-screen multiplex. Both the exterior and interior of the theater are New York City designated landmarks, and the theater is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Village East's main entrance is through a three-story office wing on Second Avenue, which has a facade of cast stone. The auditorium is housed in the rear along 12th Street. The first story contains storefronts and a lobby, while the second and third stories contained offices, which were converted into apartments in the 1960s. The main lobby connects to another lobby along 12th Street with a promenade behind the auditorium. The auditorium consists of a ground-level orchestra and one overhanging balcony with boxes. The balcony remains in its original condition, but the orchestra and former stage area have been divided into six screens.

The Louis N. Jaffe Art Theatre was originally used by the Yiddish Art Theatre and largely served as a Yiddish playhouse from 1926 to 1945. It opened on November 17, 1926, with The Tenth Commandment. The Yiddish Art Theatre moved out of the theater after two seasons, and it became the Yiddish Folks Theatre. The venue was leased by Molly Picon in 1930–1931 and by Misha and Lucy German in 1931–1932. The Yiddish Arts Theatre then performed at the theater until 1934, after which the Yiddish Folks continued for two more years. From 1936 to 1944, the building was a movie theater called the Century Theatre, hosting Yiddish performances during two seasons.

After a decline in Yiddish theater, the Jaffe Art Theatre was renamed the Stuyvesant Theatre in 1946 and continued as a movie theater for seven years. The then-new Phoenix Theatre used the playhouse from 1953 to 1961. The Jaffe Art Theatre then became the Casino East Theatre, which hosted the burlesque production This Was Burlesque for three years before becoming a burlesque house called the Gayety Theatre in 1965. The theater was renamed yet again in 1969, this time operating as the off-Broadway Eden Theatre until 1976, showing the revue Oh! Calcutta!. The venue was then converted into a movie theater, the 12th Street Cinema, before returning to live shows in 1977 under the name Entermedia Theatre (renamed the Second Avenue Theatre in 1985). After closing in 1988, the Jaffe Art Theatre was renovated into Village East Cinema, reopening in 1991. Angelika rebranded the theater in 2021.

## Description

Village East, originally the Yiddish Art Theatre, is at the southwestern corner of East 12th Street and Second Avenue in the East Village of Manhattan in New York City, within the former Yiddish Theatre District. The theater occupies a rectangular land lot of 12,077 square feet (1,122.0 m2), with a frontage of 103 feet (31 m) on Second Avenue and 117.25 feet (36 m) on 12th Street. It is composed of two sections: a three-story office wing with a cast-stone facade, facing east on Second Avenue, as well as an auditorium wing with a brown-brick facade, extending westward along 12th Street. The site is a block north of St. Mark's Church.

The theater was built by Louis Jaffe, a developer and prominent Jewish community leader, for Maurice Schwartz's Yiddish Art Theatre, which presented works in Yiddish. The theater was designed in the Moorish Revival style by Harrison Wiseman, while William Pogany consulted on the interior design. Despite the prevalence of Yiddish theaters in the area in the early 20th century, the Jaffe Art Theatre was the only one in the Yiddish Theatre District that was specifically built for a Yiddish theatrical group. By the 21st century, Village East was the only remaining Yiddish theater building on Second Avenue, the one-time center of the Yiddish Theatre District.

### Facade

On the building's Second Avenue elevation, the first two stories consist of a double-height arcade with seven arches, each corresponding to one bay. The main entrance is in the second-northernmost bay and is taller and wider than the others. This bay contains a large archway surrounded by panels with geometric and foliate decorations. There are four metal-and-glass doors at the ground floor, with a projecting triangular marquee sign above. The marquee was originally rectangular and had decorations at its corners. To the left (south) of the main entrance is a door to the upper office stories, topped by a lintel with the inscribed words "Jaffe Art Theatre Bldg". To the right (north) is a sign board and a cornerstone, containing an inscription of the Gregorian date May 23, 1926, in English and the corresponding Hebrew calendar date in Hebrew. The intrados, near the top of the arch, contains capitals shaped like half-menorahs. Above those, seven Moorish-style openings with medallions are arranged in a semicircle. The top of the entrance bay contains a cornice supported by round corbels.

The other six arches are identical round-arched openings and are separated by paneled pilasters. The top of each pilaster contains a capital with foliate and geometric motifs and birds. The smaller arches formerly contained six storefronts, one in each bay. After the building was converted into a cinema in 1990, the northernmost bay was converted to an interior staircase, while the two bays immediately south of the main entrance became ticket counters. The remaining storefronts in the three southernmost bays contain aluminum storefronts at the first floor, as well as aluminum spandrel panels between the first and second floors. At the third floor, there are two small arched windows in each bay. These are separated by pilasters with guilloche motifs, which are topped by capitals with foliate decorations. The roof above the northernmost bay contains a small dormer unit, while the roof above the southern five bays is a terrace.

The easternmost portion of the 12th Street elevation contains two bays of double-height arches and paired windows, similar to those in the Second Avenue elevation. The steel-framed auditorium structure is clad in brick. The outer portions of the auditorium facade are treated as pavilions. They are slightly taller than the rest of the auditorium and protrude slightly from the central section of the facade. Each outer pavilion contains a metal gate at ground level, above which is an arched opening with a fire stair behind it. The center of the facade contains a cast-stone doorway surrounding five sets of exit doors. There is a carved corbel on either side of the doorway. Above the doors is a blind brick arch, surrounding a panel with pink terracotta quatrefoils. The top of the auditorium facade is made of a band of cast stone. An alley runs to the west of the theater.

### Interior

The interior is decorated in a gold, blue, rose, cream, and silver color scheme. Many of the interior decorations are inspired by the Alhambra in Spain. The decorations also contain elements of Moorish, Islamic, and Judaic architecture. Most decorations resemble their original condition, even though the layout of the theater has been substantially changed. The interior of Village East was used as a filming location for the films The Night They Raided Minsky's in 1968 and The Fan in 1981, as well as a promotional video for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in 1984.

#### Lobbies

The theater has two lobbies. The main one on Second Avenue was a square space (subsequently expanded to a rectangular space), while a secondary lobby on 12th Street provides access to the balcony level. When the theater was converted into a movie theater in the early 1990s, all of the floor surfaces were covered or replaced with a carpet containing red, gold, blue, and gray patterns.

Originally, the main lobby had a floor made of terracotta, with a pattern of white rhombus motifs. The box office was on the north wall, while the south wall contained mirrored panels. Only the original ceiling of the main lobby remains intact. The center of the ceiling contains a medallion; the edges of the ceiling contain a frieze with corbels, as well as decorative rectangular and square panels. During the early-1990s renovation, the lobby was expanded southward, and a concession stand and a wall of poster boards were installed. The lobby also contains an exhibit about the history of Yiddish theatre.

On the northern side of the theater building, to the right of the main lobby, is the 12th Street lobby. The walls there are buff-colored and are designed to resemble travertine. The exit doors on the north wall contain trefoil arches, corbels, and Moorish exit signs. The ceiling has three circular chandeliers and is ornately designed with floral symbols and circles. The 12th Street lobby connects to a pair of segmentally arched alcoves, inside which are stairs descending to the basement.

On the north wall of the 12th Street lobby, two curved staircases with wrought-iron railings lead up to a narrow promenade behind the balcony-level seating. The underside of the balcony promenade (immediately above the 12th Street lobby) contains three medallions, each of which contains six-pointed arabesques, as well as recessed lighting fixtures and a decorative border. Above the promenade are four rectangular panels and one square panel, each with cartouches at its center, in addition to recessed lighting. Small staircases at the western and eastern ends of the promenade lead up to the top of the balcony-level seating.

#### Auditorium

The auditorium has an orchestra level, a balcony, boxes, and a proscenium arch that originally had a stage behind it. The auditorium is oriented toward the south, with the rear wall and 12th Street lobby being to the north. The original auditorium contained 1,143, 1,236, 1,252, or 1,265 seats. The orchestra level was initially raked, sloping down toward an orchestra pit in front of the stage. The stage originally measured 30 by 36 feet (9.1 by 11.0 m) across.

In 1990, the theater was multiplexed, being split into a seven-screen movie theater. Most of the original decorations remain intact, although the seating at orchestra level was raised to the height of the original stage. Screens 1 through 5 are within the original auditorium, while screens 6 and 7 are within the stage area. In all seven screens, the seats are 21 to 22 inches (530 to 560 mm) wide, larger than similar theaters. The balcony level is the largest and most ornate screen; it originally had 500 seats. Below the balcony are four additional screens: two 200-seat venues within the original orchestra level, a 175-seat venue in a former basement restaurant, and a 75-seat venue in a sidewalk vault. The stage area was divided into two screens, one above the other. The lower screen is at the level of the original stage, while the upper screen is about 60 feet (18 m) above the ground, within the former fly loft.

The side walls of the auditorium are made of textured plaster and were initially painted in a buff color, though it was subsequently repainted blue-gray. The front of the balcony is decorated with rosettes and round-arched panels, atop which are a parapet and railing. After the original auditorium was multiplexed, a lower balcony was created in front of the original balcony, connected to it by double staircases. The lower balcony has an exit to the promenade, directly below the original balcony, as well as a ramp leading to an exit on the north wall. There are 40 seats within the lower balcony. On either side of the proscenium arch is a wall section with one box at the balcony level. The boxes are each recessed within a pointed Moorish arch, which is framed by vermiculated quoins and topped by voussoirs. The inner reveals of the boxes contain colonettes, above which are lambrequin arches. The fronts of the boxes contain rosettes and round-arched panels, which wrap around to the front of the balcony. Next to the boxes is a flat proscenium arch, which is surrounded by floral and geometric decorations. The proscenium opening has been bricked up, and a movie screen for the balcony-level seats has been installed within the proscenium.

The middle of the ceiling contains a shallow circular dome measuring 40 feet (12 m) across. At the center of the dome is a medallion with the Star of David, which is enclosed within a larger six-pointed star with trefoils at its "points". A metal chandelier with two tiers hangs from the center of the dome. The outer border of the dome is decorated with wrought-iron grilles and motifs of the Star of David. There are also fascia panels around the dome, some of which have been modified to accommodate projection equipment and ventilation openings. Outside of the dome, the ceiling contains ornate gilded plaster moldings. The decoration is intended to resemble a honeycomb and contains rosettes, eight-pointed stars, and strapwork. There are ducts near where the ceiling intersects with the walls. The ceiling is actually made of 3-by-3-foot (0.91 by 0.91 m) panels suspended from the roof via iron bars.

#### Other spaces

Above the stage were twelve dressing rooms, as well as access to the space above the dome. Under the stage were offices, storage rooms, and access to the orchestra pit. In addition, the theater's restrooms, lounge, and administrative offices were in the basement behind the auditorium (near 12th Street). The lounge contained busts of prominent playwrights and performers in Yiddish theatre, such as Abraham Goldfaden, David Kessler, Jacob Pavlovich Adler, Jacob Gordin, and Sholem Aleichem. The basement also included a restaurant and cabaret/nightclub.

The second and third stories along Second Avenue contained rehearsal rooms. These were accessed from the third bay from north, just left of the main entrance. These floors also contained offices. The Russian Art Restaurant took up one of the storefronts for several years. Among the building's office tenants were the Jewish National Workers Alliance, Yiddisher Kultur Farband, and Jewish Folk Schools. The offices were converted into apartments in the 1960s. The residents included actress Jackie Curtis, photographer Peter Hujar, and painter David Wojnarowicz.

## History

During the 1880s, New York City's Jewish immigrant population started moving to the East Village and the Lower East Side in large numbers; many immigrants were Ashkenazi Jews who spoke Yiddish. The Yiddish Theatre District was developed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to provide entertainment for the growing Jewish population. While most early Yiddish theaters were south of Houston Street, many producers moved north along Second Avenue in the early 20th century. One of them was Maurice Schwartz, who came from Ukraine and founded the Yiddish Art Theatre in 1918. The theatre company was originally housed in several theater buildings. Developer and lawyer Louis N. Jaffe had watched one of the Yiddish Art Theatre's shows at Madison Square Garden and was so impressed that he decided to build a dedicated building for the company.

### Development and opening

In May 1925, Jaffe acquired a site on 12th Street and Second Avenue, formerly part of the Stuyvesant Farm. He hired Harrison G. Wiseman to design a building with a 1,200-seat theater for Schwartz's company. The theater would be designed in what media described as an "old Jerusalem" style. In addition to being the Yiddish Art Theatre's home, the building would contain offices for the theatre company's staff and the Jaffe Art Film Corporation; a gymnasium; and a theatrical library. The theatre company would lease the theater at a nominal price. The demolition of Madison Square Garden had forced the Yiddish Art Players to relocate to the Nora Bayes Theatre in the midtown Theater District. Initially, the project was to have been completed in December 1925.Wiseman filed plans with the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) at the end of May 1925, shortly after Jaffe acquired the site. The building was to cost \$235,000. The DOB initially objected to the project because of its location within a residential neighborhood, the lack of exits to the west, and the absence of a setback along Second Avenue. Site-clearing began the next month, and five old houses were torn down to make way for the theater. Olga Loev, widow of Sholem Aleichem, laid the theater's cornerstone at a ceremony on May 23, 1926. Playwright Herman Bernstein said that the event was "of magnitude for Jews in America", given the Yiddish Art Theatre's success in spite of early difficulties. Portraits of Abraham Goldfaden (the "father of the Yiddish theatre movement") and Peter Stuyvesant (the owner of the Stuyvesant Farm) were placed inside the cornerstone. Jaffe said he wanted the theater to be "a permanent monument to prove that the Jewish immigrant to [the United States] is a useful citizen and makes a definite contribution to the country", responding to anti-Semitic comments that Stuyvesant had made three centuries prior.

By mid-1926, the Jaffe Art Theater was expected to open that September, but it remained closed past that date. Schwartz then planned to open the theater on November 11 with The Tenth Commandment, his adaptation of Goldfaden's play Thou Shalt Not Covet. Before the theater opened, the New York Herald Tribune called it "a lasting monument to Yiddish art", while The New York Times said the theater building "will be the most attractive amusement structure in that locality". The Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater opened on November 17, 1926, with The Tenth Commandment. In the opening-night program, Schwartz described the theater's opening as the "culmination of a lifelong dream". The opening-night visitors included theatrical personalities such as Daniel Frohman, Owen Davis, and Robert Milton, as well as non-theatrical notables such as Otto Kahn and Fannie Hurst. The theater, which cost \$1 million to construct, was not officially completed until January 8, 1927.

### Yiddish shows

The Jaffe Art Theatre was one of the last Yiddish theaters to open on Second Avenue, having been completed just as Yiddish theater was starting to decline. From 1926 to 1945, the Jaffe Art Theatre largely hosted Yiddish productions, though it changed names several times based on whichever company appeared there. It hosted not only straight plays but also revues, musicals, and operettas. Notable performers during this era included Joseph Buloff, Celia Adler, Luba Kadison, Ludwig Satz, Molly Picon, Menasha Skulnik, Joseph M. Rumshinsky, Ola Lilith, and Jacob Ben-Ami. Yiddish theatre historian Nahma Sandrow referred to the theater as "a temple" for Yiddish theatre, saying: "It was more than just a physical building; it really existed in people's cultural consciousnesses".

#### 1920s

For the rest of the 1926–1927 season, the Jaffe Art Theatre was occupied by limited runs of six productions: Mendele Spivak in 1926 and Her Crime, Reverend Doctor Silver, Yoske Musicanti, Wolves, and Menschen Shtoib in early 1927. After a summer hiatus, the theater then reopened the 1927–1928 season with the play Greenberg's Daughters in September 1927. The season also featured the play The Gardener's Dog, the first American production by Boris Glagolin's Moscow Revolution Theater. Other plays of that season included The Gold Diggers and On Foreign Soil in late 1927, as well as Alexander Pushkin and American Chasidim in early 1928. Schwartz appeared in many of these plays. Despite high expectations, the theater performed worse than expected in its first two seasons. Among the reasons for this were the rise of talking pictures, negotiations with performers' unions, and a decline in Jewish immigration.

In April 1928, Jaffe leased the theater to the Amboard Theatre Corporation, headed by Morris Lifschitz. The next month, the Louis N. Jaffe Art Theatre Corporation sold the theater to a client of Jacob I. Berman. The Yiddish Art Theatre moved out after two seasons because Schwartz had severed his agreement with Jaffe. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) stated that the Jaffe Art Theatre remained vacant for the 1928–1929 season, but contemporary news reports indicate that the Yiddish Folk Theatre occupied the building during that season, starting with a dance recital in September 1928. The Yiddish Folks Theatre gave at least two other performances at the theater, both directed by Ludwig Satz. His Wife's Lover opened in October 1929, followed by If the Rabbi Wants that December.

#### 1930s

The comedienne Molly Picon leased the Jaffe Art Theatre in June 1930, and it was renamed Molly Picon's Folks Theatre. Isaac Lipshitz acquired the theater in a foreclosure proceeding that August, and the play The Girl of Yesterday opened the next month, starring Picon. This was followed in January 1931 by the play The Love Thief, also starring Picon. Prosper Realty Corporation was recorded as taking ownership of the theater that February. Misha and Lucy German (also spelled Gehrman) leased the theater in May 1931, and the theater was rebranded yet again as the Germans' Folks Theatre. Under the German family's ownership, the theater hosted at least four performances: One Woman in 1931 and In a Tenement House, Pioneers, and Wedding Chains in 1932.

The Yiddish Art Theatre returned to the theater after Schwartz leased it for the 1932–1933 season. The company opened the season with Yoshe Kalb, which ran for 235 performances at the theater and was then performed on Broadway in English, for a total of 300 performances. Other Yiddish plays performed in 1932–1933 included Chayim Lederer, Legend of Yiddish King Lear, Bread, and Revolt. Schwartz also leased the theater for the 1933–1934 season, when he hosted Wise Men of Chelm, Josephus, and Modern Children. The theatrical company departed in April 1934, and the venue again became the Yiddish Folks Theatre, since Schwartz owned the rights to the "Yiddish Art Theatre" name. Under the direction of Joseph Buloff, the New York Art Troupe leased the theater for the 1934–1935 season, hosting eight plays there.

Menasha Skulnik and Joseph M. Rumshinsky signed a lease for the theater in April 1935, then announced plans to lease the theater as a movie house "until the fall". One newspaper proclaimed that the Yiddish Folks Theatre would become the world's first movie theater that hosted films exclusively in Yiddish, though it is unknown whether this ever happened. The first live show that Skulnik and Rumshinsky hosted at the theater was Fishel der Gerutener (English: "The Perfect Fishel"), which opened in September 1935. The men hosted three other shows: Schlemiehl in September 1936, Straw Hero in November 1936, and The Galician Rabbi in 1937.

#### Decline and film conversion

By the late 1930s, the popularity of Yiddish theatre was starting to wane. Various reasons were cited for the decline, including a slowdown in the number of Jewish immigrants after World War I and the fact that younger Jews were blending in with American culture. In addition, the city's Jewish population dispersed from the Lower East Side and East Village. By March 1937, just ten years after the Yiddish Folks Theatre had opened, independent film operators Weinstock and Hertzig planned to lease the theater for movies. Saulray Theatres Corporation leased the theater the next month, and it became a movie theater called the Century. The conversion occurred as similar Yiddish venues in the East Village and Lower East Side had become movie houses. Shortly after the Century reopened, its sound equipment was replaced. The theater went into foreclosure by September 1937 and was taken over by the Greater New York Savings Bank.

In June 1940, the Yiddish Folks Theatre leased the Century for one season. The Yiddish Folks Players then presented Sunrise that October, followed by Sixty Years of Yiddish Theatre, a musical in honor of Rumshinsky, in January 1941. The troupe's manager Jacob Wexler died in the middle of the 1940–1941 season, and Ola Lilith took over the troupe's management. The third and final Yiddish show of the season was A Favorn Vinkel ("The Forsaken Nook") in February 1941, with a special performance in honor of Ludwig Satz. The Century's operators announced that March that they would return the theater to a film policy, showing three American feature films every day. After a renovation, the Century screened the feature film Gone with the Wind that April. In addition, O'Gara & Co. Inc. was hired to lease out the office space on Second Avenue.

In 1942, the Greater New York Savings Bank leased the theater to the Century Theatre Company for ten years. The bank then leased the Jaffe Art Theatre in January 1944 to Benjamin Benito, who planned to stage Italian opera and vaudeville there. The Raynes Realty Company acquired the theater from the bank that September and discontinued Benito's lease. Jacob Ben-Ami's New Jewish Folk Theater leased the theater during the 1944–1945 season, operating it as the Century Theatre. Ben-Ami presented two shows, The Miracle of the Warsaw Ghetto by H. Leivick and We Will Live by David Bergelson, in what was the theater's last season as a Yiddish theatrical venue. By then, many Yiddish speakers had been murdered in the Holocaust, further contributing to the decline in Yiddish theatre. The Jaffe Art Theatre then reopened as a 1,082-seat movie theater, the Stuyvesant Theatre, around March 1946. The theater continued to screen films until 1953.

### Off-Broadway use

#### Phoenix Theatre era

In October 1953, Norris Houghton and T. Edward Hambleton formed the Phoenix Theatre company and leased the Jaffe Art Theatre, initially for a series of five plays. The Phoenix Theatre was a pioneering project in the development of off-Broadway, with a different approach to legitimate theatre than found on Broadway. Houghton and Hambleton had wanted a theater away from Broadway's Theater District. The Jaffe Art Theatre had appealed to them because it was newer than most Broadway venues and also because it was close to Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village, which had 30,000 residents. The group planned to charge a relatively cheap \$1.20 to \$3.00 per ticket; in return, performers would not be paid more than \$100 per week, and each show would have a four-week limited run. A writer for Variety described Phoenix's formation as "one of the most important off-Broadway developments of recent years".

Phoenix's first production was Sidney Howard's play Madam, Will You Walk?, which opened in December 1953 with Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. Other notable shows of the 1953–1954 season included Coriolanus, 'The Golden Apple', and The Seagull. The troupe's first season was successful; The Golden Apple transferred to Broadway, while The Seagull was sold out through its limited run. This prompted Houghton to renew his lease on the theater. The 1954–1955 season included the plays Sing Me No Lullaby, The Doctor's Dilemma, and The Master Builder, as well as the revue Phoenix '55. The theater also started hosting Sideshows, a set of "programs of diverse entertainment", on Monday nights during that season. Additionally, air-conditioning was installed in the theater around 1955 so shows could be presented there during the summer. The presence of the Phoenix Theatre and other off-Broadway companies on Second Avenue contributed to a revival of the former theatrical hub there.

During the 1955–1956 season, Phoenix presented plays from aspiring directors at the Jaffe Art Theatre as part of an experimental program. The regular season also included the plays Six Characters in Search of an Author, The Adding Machine, Miss Julie and The Stronger in repertory, and A Month in the Country. For the 1956–1957 season, Phoenix changed its policy to present exclusively revivals of 18th- and 19th-century works. The shows during this season included Saint Joan, Diary of a Scoundrel, The Good Woman of Setzuan, Measure for Measure, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Duchess of Malfi. After the season ended, Phoenix was reorganized as a nonprofit in an attempt to solve its financial troubles, and Theater Incorporated took over the theater building. After Phoenix's reorganization, the theater hosted several shows during the 1957–1958 season, including Mary Stuart, The Makropulos Secret, The Chairs and The Lesson in repertory, The Infernal Machine, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Broken Jug, La Malade Imaginaire, and three Molière plays in repertory. Phoenix continued to lose money and had a relatively small 3,000 subscribers during 1957–1958.

For the 1958–1959 season, Phoenix decided to book plays by Nobel Prize-winning writers such as T. S. Eliot. The plays during that season included The Family Reunion, Britannicus, The Power and the Glory, The Beaux' Stratagem, and Once Upon a Mattress. After launching a drive to enroll new subscribers in April 1959, the theatrical company enrolled 9,000 subscribers and obtained \$150,000 in subsidies by that June. This enabled Phoenix to pre-select all of the plays in a season, rather than booking plays as the season progressed, for the first time in the troupe's history. The theater then hosted plays such as Lysistrata, Peer Gynt, and part 1 and part 2 of Shakespeare's Henry IV during 1959–1960. Phoenix's last full season at the theater, in 1960–1961, consisted of H.M.S. Pinafore, She Stoops to Conquer, The Plough and the Stars, The Octoroon, and Hamlet. The company relocated to the much smaller 74th Street Theater in late 1961 after The Pirates of Penzance, the first play of the 1961–1962 season, was staged at the Second Avenue theater. This move was prompted by the fact that, after its first season, Phoenix had consistently operated at a loss and could not fill the Jaffe Art Theatre.

#### Burlesque and nude era

In November 1961, Michael Iannucci and Milton Warner leased the Jaffe Art Theatre for one year, with an option to renew for another year. The next month, the theater was renamed the Casino East Theater and reopened with a Yiddish-language show, Gezunt un Meshuga ("Hale and Crazy"). By then, it had 1,150 seats. In March 1962, Casino East hosted the satirical burlesque production This Was Burlesque starring Ann Corio. During this time, Iannucci managed the front of house, or the publicly accessible parts of the theater. Corio oversaw the stage and backstage operations, with a speaker in her dressing room that allowed her to hear everything on stage. The revue was successful, ultimately lasting 1,509 performances at the Casino. This Was Burlesque ultimately relocated to the Hudson Theatre on Broadway in March 1965. Corio said that tourists could not find Casino East and that ticket sellers could more easily sell tickets to the show if it were on Broadway.

Afterward, Casino East became the Gayety Theater, the only burlesque theater in Manhattan. The venue was operated by Leroy Griffith, who had opened the burlesque venue there following the success of Corio's show. The operator charged \$4 admission, higher than at the Hudson Theatre. The off-Broadway production Oh! Calcutta!, a revue in which all the cast members were nude, was announced for the theater in April 1969, upon which point the venue was renamed the Eden Theater. The revue's producer George Platt explained the renaming by saying, "We're not doing a burlesque show, we're doing a legitimate show." Oh! Calcutta! opened at the theater in June 1969. While the Eden was as large as a standard Broadway theater, Oh! Calcutta! used an off-Broadway contract that limited the audience to 499 seats; nonetheless, the show made a profit at the Eden. The revue moved to Broadway's Belasco Theatre in February 1971 after running for 704 performances.

#### Yiddish revival and legitimate shows

In March 1971 the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha moved from the Martin Beck Theatre to the Eden. La Mancha operated under a Broadway contract, which allowed all of the Eden's seats to be used; the musical moved to Broadway's Mark Hellinger Theatre after three months. That June, Jacob Jacobs leased the Eden with plans to host Yiddish shows there. Next, the rock musical Grease opened in February 1972 under a Broadway contract that allowed all seats to be used. The musical moved to the Broadhurst Theatre that June and later became Broadway's longest-running musical. By then, Jewish Nostalgic Productions was raising funds for a series of Yiddish plays at the Eden.

The revue Crazy Now opened at the Eden in September 1972, followed the next month by a revival of Yoshe Kalb. In early 1973, the theater also hosted a dance special by Larry Richardson and the Broadway musical Smith, the latter of which relocated to the Alvin Theatre. Jewish Nostalgic Productions staged several more shows, of which three had more than 100 performances. For the 1973–1974 season, the Eden was occupied by Aleichem's play Hard To Be a Jew. This was followed in the 1974–1975 season by another Aleichem play, Dos Groyse Gevins ("The Big Winner"), as well as a short run of A Wedding in Shtetel. Senyar Holding Company, a firm owned by Martin Raynes, took ownership of the theater in March 1975. During the 1975–1976 season, the Eden hosted Sylvia Regan's musical The Fifth Season. The theater had become the 12th Street Cinema by mid-1976, but this use only lasted a short time.

By September 1977, the Jaffe Art Theatre was known as the Entermedia Theater. The theater reopened the next month with The Possessed, a dance special by Pearl Lang. Its operator Entermedia presented not only films but also dance, experimental legitimate shows, and other events. Among the Entermedia's early shows was the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which opened in 1978 and subsequently transferred to Broadway, as well as the musical God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater in 1979. The theater also hosted events such as an independent film festival, a jazz showcase, and a samurai film festival. The musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which later transferred to Broadway, opened at the Entermedia in 1981 and was so successful that its audience was allowed to use all the seats. Other popular shows at the theater were the 1982 play Lennon and the 1983 musical Taking My Turn. The Jaffe Art Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 19, 1985. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission also considered protecting the theater as a landmark in 1985 and 1986 but did not make a decision.

Entermedia left the theater in 1985, and the venue was leased to M Square Productions, which renamed it the Second Avenue Theater. It was one of M Square's three off-Broadway houses. M Square's managing director Alan J. Schuster said the company wanted "to have a legitimate theater and a film theater at the Second Avenue" without incurring the exorbitant costs of Broadway theatre contracts. The movie theater would have been above the legitimate theater, but these plans never materialized. The Second Avenue hosted Zalmen Mlotek and Moishe Rosenfeld's bilingual revue The Golden Land, which opened in November 1985 and ran for 277 regular performances. For the 1986–1987 season, the theater staged the musical Have I Got a Girl for You!, which opened in November 1986, and the musical Staggerlee, which opened in March 1987. The theater also hosted a tribute to the late off-Broadway actor Charles Ludlam in mid-1987. The Chaim Potok play The Chosen opened in January 1988 but flopped with just six regular performances.

### Village East use

The failure of The Chosen had been particularly devastating for M Square, which had spent three years creating the play and could no longer afford to continue operating the Second Avenue Theater. The venue was the only surviving Yiddish theater building on Second Avenue, as well as one of the few off-Broadway houses in the East Village. In 1988, M Square leased the theater to City Cinemas, a branch of Reading International, for use as a movie theater called Village East. City Cinemas converted the auditorium into a seven-screen multiplex. Averitt Associates preserved the balcony but split the orchestra and backstage areas into six screens. The renovation had to conform with historic-preservation guidelines because Village East was still being considered for city-landmark designation. The architects used archival photos to restore the theater's design features.

The project ultimately cost \$8 million. Village East Cinemas opened on February 22, 1991, initially with only five screens in operation. The LPC designated the exterior and interior of the theater as a landmark in 1993. Since then, it has shown a mixture of Hollywood productions and indie films. The Village East Cinema also shows films that originally opened at the Angelika Film Center, an arthouse chain that is also an arm of Reading International. The multiplex also hosted movies that were screened as part of the annual New York International Children's Film Festival.

EverGreene Architectural Arts restored the theater at the beginning of 2015. The work involved replacing some of the historical design features that had deteriorated over the years. The theater closed temporarily in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. When the theater reopened on March 5, 2021, it was rebranded as Village East by Angelika. After Village East reopened, several movies were screened in 70 mm. A new bar and kitchen were announced for the theater in late 2021. By 2022, the theater generally screened newly released films, though it sometimes showed revivals as well. Among these is the premiere of Tommy Wiseau's second film Big Shark, which is set to take place at the theater in August 2023.

## Notable productions

Productions are listed by the year of their first performance. This list only includes theatrical shows; it does not include films, burlesque shows, or other types of live performance.

- 1954: Coriolanus
- 1954: The Golden Apple
- 1954: The Seagull
- 1954: Sing Me No Lullaby
- 1955: The Doctor's Dilemma
- 1955: The Master Builder
- 1955: Marcel Marceau
- 1955: Six Characters in Search of an Author
- 1956: The Adding Machine
- 1956: Miss Julie/The Stronger
- 1956: A Month in the Country
- 1956: Saint Joan
- 1956: Diary of a Scoundrel
- 1956: The Good Woman of Setzuan
- 1957: Measure for Measure
- 1957: The Taming of the Shrew
- 1957: The Duchess of Malfi
- 1957: Mary Stuart
- 1957: The Makropulos Secret
- 1958: The Chairs/The Lesson
- 1958: The Infernal Machine
- 1958: The Two Gentlemen of Verona
- 1958: The Broken Jug
- 1958: La Malade Imaginaire
- 1958: Evening of Three Farces
- 1958: The Family Reunion
- 1958: Britannicus
- 1958: The Power and the Glory
- 1959: The Beaux' Stratagem
- 1959: Once Upon a Mattress
- 1959: Lysistrata
- 1960: Peer Gynt
- 1960: Henry IV, Part 1
- 1960: Henry IV, Part 2
- 1960: H.M.S. Pinafore
- 1960: She Stoops to Conquer
- 1960: The Plough and the Stars
- 1961: The Octoroon
- 1961: Hamlet
- 1961: The Pirates of Penzance
- 1969: Oh! Calcutta!
- 1971: Man of La Mancha
- 1972: Grease
- 1978: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
- 1979: God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
- 1981: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

## See also

- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th Street

Movie theater in Manhattan, New York

Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan


2003 Food City 500

The 2003 Food City 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on March 23, 2003, before a crowd of approximately 160,000, in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol Motor Speedway, a short tracks that holds NASCAR races. The 500-lap race was won by Kurt Busch of the Roush Racing team after starting from ninth position. Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing finished in second and Joe Gibbs Racing's Bobby Labonte placed third.

Entering the event, Kenseth led the Drivers' Championship by 57 points over Tony Stewart in second position. Although Ryan Newman won the pole position with the fastest recorded lap time in qualifying, he was immediately passed by Jeff Gordon at the start of the race. Twenty-eight laps later Rusty Wallace became the leader of the race. Gordon reclaimed the lead on lap 34 and led the most laps with 174. Jimmy Spencer passed Gordon for the lead on lap 161, and kept the position for a total of 139 laps. After the final pit stops, Busch became the leader of the race and maintained the position to lead a total of 116 laps, and to win his first race of the season. There were seventeen cautions and eleven lead changes among seven different drivers during the course of the race.

The race victory was Busch's first win in the 2003 season, as well as fifth of his career. The result advanced Busch from joint fifth with Ricky Craven to second in the Drivers' Championship, one hundred and thirty-eight points behind Kenseth, and nine ahead of Stewart, who fell to third. Ford maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, eight ahead of Chevrolet, and eighteen ahead of Pontiac, who demoted Dodge to fourth place, with thirty races of the season remaining.

## Background

The Food City 500 was the sixth scheduled stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, out of 36, and the 2000th in Winston Cup Series history. It was held on March 23, 2003 in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol Motor Speedway, a short track that holds NASCAR races. The standard track at Bristol Motor Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.533 miles (0.858 km) long. The track's turns are banked from twenty-four to thirty degrees, while both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch are banked from six to ten degrees.

Before the race, Matt Kenseth led the Drivers' Championship with 760 points, with Tony Stewart in second place with 703 points. Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were third and fourth with 698 and 634 points respectively, with Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven were tied for fifth place with 617 points. Dave Blaney, Jimmie Johnson, Joe Nemechek and Johnny Benson Jr. rounded out the top ten. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Ford was leading with 36 points, five points ahead of their rivals Chevrolet. Pontiac, with 24 points, was five points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third place. Busch was the race's defending champion.

Ahead of the event, Speedway Motorsports unveiled an extended backstretch grandstand which added 43,826 to the track's capacity. Spectators at the track also planned a "patriotic rally" which showed support to troops serving in the Iraq War. This caused Speedway Motorsports to employ extra security during the event. NASCAR subsequently announced that a contingency plan was being prepared that included arrangements for travel and extra security for the next three races in the season. The United States Government gave its consent to NASCAR and the other professional sporting associations to resume with their normal schedules.

## Practice and qualifying

Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—one on Friday and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 120 minutes, while the second and final sessions ran for 45 minutes. Jeff Gordon was fastest in the first practice session with a time of 15.149 seconds, ahead of Sterling Marlin in second and Ryan Newman in third. Ken Schrader (with a lap of 15.178) was fourth fastest, and Mike Skinner placed fifth. Busch, Kenny Wallace, Earnhardt, Jimmy Spencer and Nemechek rounded out the session's top-ten drivers. During the session, Jeff Green and Jamie McMurray both made contact with the wall, and both were required to switch to back-up cars for qualifying. Robby Gordon also hit the wall, after spinning sideways.

A total of forty-five drivers were entered in the qualifier on Friday afternoon; according to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, forty-three were allowed to race. Each driver ran two timed laps to determine pole position to 36th. The remainder of the field qualified through the use of provisionals. Ryan Newman clinched the second pole position of his season, and the ninth of his career, with a time of 14.908 seconds. The time beat Jeff Gordon's March 2002 track record, and it became the first sub-15 second lap in the Winston Cup Series. He was joined on the grid's front row by Jeff Gordon who was 0.160 seconds slower than Newman and held pole position until Newman's lap. Schrader qualified third in the highest qualifying position for his team BAM Racing. Rusty Wallace took fourth, and Bill Elliott started fifth. Skinner, Spencer, Earnhardt, Busch and Stewart completed the top ten starters. Positions two through twenty-four were covered by almost two-tenths of a second. Kenseth, Dale Jarrett, Casey Mears, Kenny Wallace, Todd Bodine, Jack Sprague and John Andretti used provisionals to qualify for the event. The two drivers who failed to qualify for the race were Larry Foyt for the second time in the 2003 season and Hermie Sadler. After the qualifier Newman said, "That's the most amazed I've ever been after a qualifying run to go that fast and not anticipate it. We picked up over a quarter of a second from practice, and that's just unheard of at Bristol."

On Saturday morning, Kenseth was fastest in the second practice session with a lap of 15.683 seconds, ahead of Newman in second and Ward Burton in third. Busch was fourth quickest, and Rusty Wallace took fifth. Jeff Burton managed sixth. Kyle Petty, Mark Martin, Sprague and Nemechek followed in the top ten. During the final practice session, Busch was fastest with a time of 15.701. Stewart and Jeff Gordon followed in second and third with times of 15.722 and 15.723. Dave Blaney was fourth fastest, ahead of Earnhardt and Craven. Kenseth was seventh fastest, Martin eighth, Jerry Nadeau ninth, and Ward Burton tenth. The session was temporarily suspended when Marlin spun on the track, but managed to not to collide with the barriers.

### Qualifying results

## Race

The race began at 1:00pm EST and was televised live in the United States on Fox. Commentary was provided by Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, and Darrell Waltrip. At the start of the race, weather conditions were sunny and warm. Reverend Mike Rife, of the Vansant Church of Christ in Vansant, Virginia, began pre-race ceremonies with an invocation. Country music singer Rebecca Lynn Howard performed the national anthem, and representatives of the United States Armed Forces commanded the drivers to start their engines. During the pace laps, McMurray had to move to the rear of the grid because of him changing his engine.

Jeff Gordon accelerated faster than Newman off the line, getting ahead of him by the first turn. Rusty Wallace passed Newman for the second position one lap later. On the third lap, the first caution was given when Robby Gordon made contact with Petty, forcing him to spin sideways. Robby Gordon was cautioned for the collision. Kenny Wallace also made contact with Ricky Rudd, but escaped with minor damage. None of the drivers made pit stops during the caution. Jeff Gordon led the field back up to speed at the restart on lap seven. Jeremy Mayfield made contact with the wall leaving the second turn at around the tenth lap, and suffered a flat front right tire. No caution was given. Four laps later, Michael Waltrip experienced oversteer and collided with Dave Blaney. Jarrett had no room to negotiate through and struck the rear of Waltrip's car. The incident prompted the race's second caution. Waltrip's car suffered heavy damage to the rear end of his car.

Almost immediately after the lap 20 restart, Andretti collided with the slowing Bodine, who in turn, struck Petty. Mears had no space to pass by and struck Andretti. The accident caused the event's third caution. Andretti's car sustained major damage to the front end. The race restarted on lap 29, with Rusty Wallace claiming the lead. One lap later, Busch and Stewart passed Schrader for seventh and eighth respectively. Earnhardt moved into third after passing Skinner on lap 33. One lap later, Jeff Gordon reclaimed the first position. On the 42nd lap, Earnhardt passed Rusty Wallace for second. Thirteen laps later, Tony Raines stopped on track due to an engine failure, and the fourth caution was given as a result. All of the leaders elected to make pit stops during the caution. Jeff Gordon maintained his lead at the restart on the 64th lap, followed by Terry Labonte and Green.

Stewart made contact with Newman, who went up the circuit. Newman then came town the track and crashed into the side of Craven, who went into Bodine, which prompted the fifth caution on lap 68. Behind the trio, Steve Park hit the rear of Johnson, causing the latter to spin sideways. Most drivers stayed on track during the caution, allowing Jeff Gordon to remain the leader on the restart. Skinner fell to eighth after being passed by Busch and Earnhardt on the 75th lap. It was around this lap that Kenseth had advanced to fourth place. Five laps later, Earnhardt passed Busch to claim sixth. On lap 85, Skinner fell from eighth to twelfth position. Kenseth, who started the race in thirty-seventh, had moved up thirty-four positions to third by lap 91. By the 111th lap, Jeff Gordon had maintained a half second lead over Terry Labonte. Thirteen laps later, Spencer and Stewart passed Kenseth for fourth and fifth respectively.

The pace car came out for the sixth caution on lap 136, after Skinner collided with the turn two outside wall due to a failed right-front tire and his car caught fire. During the caution, all of the leaders elected to make pit stops. Jeff Gordon led on the restart, followed by Nemechek and Spencer. On the 149th lap, the seventh caution came out, after Sprague spun 180 degrees when he attempted to pass Benson on the inside and the two made contact. Jeff Gordon led on the lap 154-restart, although he was passed by Skinner on lap 161. After starting the race in twenty-eighth, Kevin Harvick moved to sixth position by lap 169. Twelve laps later, Sprague spun sideways in the fourth turn and crashed against the inside barrier on the front stretch, prompting the eighth caution. Sprague was able to continue driving. During the caution, some of the leaders chose to make pit stops. Jeff Gordon led on the restart on the 187th lap.

On the 198th lap, Jeff Burton made contact with Earnhardt, collecting Johnson, with all three cars escaping with minor damage. The ninth caution was prompted on the next lap, after Martin was sent spinning sideways from contact with Bill Elliott. Mears spun sideways before the caution was given. During the caution, some of the leaders elected to make pit stops. Harvick was the leader at the restart, followed by Spencer and Terry Labonte. Robby Gordon collided with the wall on lap 210, damaging his car and fell to twelfth position. Four laps later, Sadler passed Marlin for eighth. Spencer passed Harvick to reclaim the lead on the 217th lap. Nadeau was sent into the turn one inside barrier when he spun sideways from making contact with Newman and being struck by Brett Bodine, prompting the tenth caution one lap later.

Spencer maintained his lead at the lap 223 restart. Bobby Labonte slowed and was hit at the rear by his teammate Stewart, just as Kenseth went into the rear of his teammate Busch. Both Bobby Labonte and Busch spun, and these accidents triggered the eleventh caution on the 226th lap. Spencer led when the race restarted on lap 241. Two laps later, a multi-car collision occurred at turn two when Brett Bodine made contact with Terry Labonte, causing Labonte to spin, and collect Kenny Wallace, Robby Gordon, Petty, and Schrader; this would prompt the twelfth caution. Spencer remained the leader at the restart on lap 250. On lap 256, McMurray made contact with Robby Gordon, slowed and was hit by Ward Burton, spinning sideways and causing the thirteenth caution. Stewart also made contact with Rudd, while Bobby Labonte spun sideways and managed to not collide with the barriers. Rudd was pushed by Stewart during the caution, earning Joe Gibbs Racing a warning to calm Stewart down.

The race restarted on lap 263. On lap 265, Earnhardt lost two positions after being passed by Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kenseth. Eighteen laps later, Kenseth passed Jeff Gordon for the fifth position. By the 300th lap, Kenseth passed Johnson for third. On lap 315, Busch moved into the fifth position by passing Jeff Gordon. Green flag pit stops began on lap 327 when Harvick made a pit stop. Competitors who had not made a pit stop beforehand would be required to do so under green flag conditions. Kenseth passed Spencer to claim the first position on the 334th lap. Spencer lost another position to Busch four laps later. On lap 348, Bobby Labonte moved into fifth position after passing Johnson. Eleven laps later, Busch passed Kenseth to claim the lead. On the 367th lap, Earnhardt began to run out of fuel and made a pit stop one lap later. Jeff Gordon entered the backstretch pit lane when his pit stall was on the frontstretch area during lap 371 and lost around two to three seconds worth of time.

Bobby Labonte claimed the first position off Busch seven laps later. On lap 390, the fourteenth caution was prompted, after one of Jarrett's tires went flat; he spun into the turn two inside barrier. Schrader spun before the caution came out and damaged the front of his car. Jarrett stopped at the pit road entrance on the backstretch in his unsuccessful attempt to exit the track. Pit road was closed until cleanup crews removed debris. At the time, just Bobby Labonte, Busch, Marlin, Rudd and Greg Biffle had not made a pit stop under green flag conditions and were expected to make them. Since speeds during caution laps were limited to 35 mph (56 km/h), the five lead teams would be able to make pit stops and avoid falling one or two laps behind than drivers who had made their pit stops under racing conditions. Jimmy Fennig, Busch's crew chief, requested over the radio to Busch that he make a pit stop two laps earlier. When he noticed debris on the track in the second turn due to a legacy of Jarrett's crash, Busch decided not to make a pit stop.

The race restarted on lap 404, with Busch overtaking Bobby Labonte for the lead. On lap 406, the fifteenth caution was given; Petty drove onto the apron and made contact with Nemechek, causing Petty to spin sideways. Busch remained the leader at the restart on the 412th lap, ahead of Bobby Labonte and Rudd. Kenseth passed Biffle for fifth on lap 420. Four laps later, the sixteenth caution was prompted, when Ward Burton made contact with Robby Gordon exiting turn four. Ward Burton struck the inside barrier on the frontstretch and went up the circuit. He made contact with Petty's car, sending Petty spinning 180 degrees backwards driver's-side and struck the turn one outside barrier driver's side. Petty remained in his car until he was extricated by rescue workers. Busch led the field back up to speed on the lap 439 restart. On the 456th lap, Kenseth passed Rudd to claim third position. Nine laps later, Biffle passed Rudd for fourth position. Martin was spun in front of the race leaders on lap 470, but managed to continue.

Two laps later, the pace car came out for the seventeenth and final caution; as competitors ahead of him slowed, Nemechek made rear-end contact with Stewart, (who just before made contact with the slowing Andretti) because of reduced visibility caused by smoke from when Martin spun on track. Stewart sustained heavy damage to the front of his vehicle. Busch remained the leader at the lap 482 restart. Bobby Labonte was passed by Kenseth for second during the same lap. Kenseth damaged his car's right-front fender during the pass; it affected his car's handling until the metal on the fender became worn out. On the 488th lap, Rudd reclaimed fourth position from Biffle. Kenseth was unable to get close enough to effect an overtake on his teammate Busch, who achieved his first victory of the 2003 season, his second successive in the event, and the fifth of his career. Kenseth finished second, ahead of Bobby Labonte in third, Rudd in fourth, and Biffle a then-career best fifth. Only the first six finishers were on the same lap as Busch. There were seventeen cautions and eleven changes of lead among seven different drivers during the race. Jeff Gordon more often than any other driver with 174 laps led during three different periods. Busch led twice for a total of 116 laps.

### Post-race

Busch appeared in victory lane to celebrate his first win of the season in front of approximately 160,000 people who attended the race, earning \$162,790 in race winnings. Afterward, Fennig praised his performance, "Kurt Busch is awesome, so awesome. He gets up on the wheel and drives the hell out of that race car, and he made a call today that won him the race." Kenseth was happy with his second-place finish, commenting, "I feel lucky. Started provisional here at Bristol and coming home second. So, it was a great race. Me and Bobby had to go there a little at the end, and I got my fender knocked in there a little. I was hoping I could make a run at Kurt before that happened. But, it was a good race. It's always physical out there, and we didn't have a scratch on the car there until right at the end, so it was pretty good."

Bobby Labonte was happy with finishing third, commenting, "I got spun out twice and finished third. "It's a great day. How much greater could you want it to get?" Spencer, who led 139 laps of the race, was candid about his performance, "It should have been a first, but the Sirius Dodge boys are doing a good job. I wouldn't trade 'em. We made some mistakes, but we'll get better." Mears, who was involved in the lap 20 collision with Andretti and Todd Bodine, commented, "I don't know what happened. I was just going through the gears taking my time and it looked like somebody up front may have missed a shift or somebody may have got into somebody else." Terry Labonte, who was part of the race's biggest crash when Bodine made contact with him on lap 243, said that, "Any time you're in a race with a Bodine, you're liable to get in a wreck, and I did." Rudd said his team possibly had a car that could have finished between positions four and six that was dependent on alterations and pit stops. Stewart remarked that he had "never been hit so much in one day" and called it "a bad day" for himself.

During the race, Jerry Nadeau and Ryan Newman were involved in a battle for position that resulted in the two colliding on the 219th lap. Once Nadeau returned to pit road, he was talking out of anger to Newman's team personnel about the incident. Once the argument ended, Nadeau commented, "It's a shame. It was a great car for us, the U.S. Army Pontiac. Damn lapped-car can't use his head. I don't know what Ryan (Newman) was thinking. He just kept coming down, kept coming down." Newman argued, "It looked to me like the 11 (Bodine) got into the back of the 01 (Nadeau) on that one deal." Kyle Petty, who was involved in the crash on lap 425, was taken to the circuit's infield medical center, and later taken for a precautionary visit at the Bristol Regional Medical Center to undergo medical evaluations. Petty's crash was measured at 80G, and he suffered injuries to his ribs and abdomen. Petty was released from hospital during the night; he was replaced by former CART driver Christian Fittipaldi for the next round, the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The race result left Kenseth leading the Drivers' Championship with 935 points. Busch, who finished first, moved to second on 797, nine points ahead of Stewart and eleven ahead of Waltrip. Earnhardt Jr. fell to fifth with 749 points. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Ford maintained the lead with 45 points. Chevrolet remained second on 37 points. Pontiac followed with 27 points, four points ahead of Dodge in fourth. Having increased his points lead, Kenseth said that he was happy and he would not change his driving style because of this change. He also added that his team would "have another six to eight months" before they would start to worry about their rivals making a challenge for the championship. The race took three hours, twenty-nine minutes and twenty-two seconds to complete, and the margin of victory was 0.390 seconds.

### Race results

## Standings after the race

March 2003 sports events in the United States