New Amsterdam Theatre

"Shall we their fond pageant see? Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

And so went the opening of New Amsterdam Theatre's doors in 1903 with a revival production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. "The House Beautiful," as many have called this Art Nouveau-style theater, enchants audiences with its beautifully gilded walls and ceiling, its flashy marquee and of course, characters every bit as memorable and beguiling as Shakespeare's Puck.

Between 1913 and 1936, the New Amsterdam Theatre played host to the Ziegfield Follies, a Broadway revue with a hint of high-class Vaudeville, from which many young stars emerged. Due to the poor economy during the Great Depression, the stage closed in 1936 and reopened a year later as a movie theater. In an intriguing twist, the first film screened at New Amsterdam was Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, starring Mickey Rooney as Puck.

After several changes in ownership, a legal battle, and a plan for massive restoration, the New Amsterdam Theatre was eventually leased to the Walt Disney Company in 1993. In hopes of returning the theater to its original stature and elegance, the overhaul cost several million dollars and a few years to complete. The premiere event occurred in 1997 with the stage version of Disney's The Lion King. The musical was an immediate sensation and ran continuously at the New Amsterdam Theatre for nine years. The show moved to the Minskoff Theatre down the street to free up New Amsterdam for the next Disney Broadway show, Mary Poppins in 2006.

The staged version of the Disney classic—which is based on the tales of P. I. Travers—includes all of the original songs from the Disney film with some new tunes thrown into the mix. The show is produced jointly by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, the former producer of The Phantom of the Opera and Cats, and is appropriate for a general audience, but Disney recommends ages six and up. The musical, like the movie, tells the story of an uncanny nanny and the children she has been assigned to watch. Whether it's caused by the spritely Puck or the flying Mary Poppins, there certainly seems to be a bit of magic happening at New Amsterdam Theatre.

- Callie Worsham