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23-500: The theatre opened on August 26, 1913 with a production of The Merry Countess , a Shubert musical. In 1916 Jake Wells installed a movie screen and projector, although theatrical bookings continued to occupy most of the theatre's schedule. Many of America's leading performers appeared at the Wells, among them John Drew , Maude Adams , Otis Skinner , John Philip Sousa , Billie Burke , Fred and Adele Astaire and Will Rogers . Throughout

46-607: A segregated balcony "For Negro Audiences Only," and with had its own entrance and box office. A system of stairs made inside access easy, allowing waiters from Wong Ping's Chinese Restaurant to serve theatre patrons on the second floor roof garden before and after performances. The downstairs Trustees Lobby facing Tazewell Street housed Doumar's Cones and BBQ 's first location in Norfolk. The brothers would eventually operate 42 theatres in nine states. In Norfolk, Wells operated The Granby, Academy, Colonial, NorVa , Strand, New Wells and

69-631: A burlesque house when he was bought out by the Minskys. In 1936 the police closed the burlesque show at the Gotham Theatre at 125th street in New York, the start of a move to clean up entertainment in New York. On 1 May 1937 New York fourteen burlesque theaters were forced to close when their licenses were not renewed. Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia said "This is the beginning of the end of incorporated filth." On 3 May 1937 Herk, then owner of

92-1008: A producer. In May 1915 the Columbia circuit transferred its No. 2 circuit, the former Western wheel, which had forty theaters and thirty-four touring companies, to a new subsidiary corporation called the American Burlesque Association, or American wheel. Gus Hill was named president of the new entity. Herk was put in charge of the American wheel, set up to provide an illusion of competition. The American wheel played raunchier shows than its owner, with runways, hootchy-kootchy dancers and risqué comedians. Herk pointed out that "We're not producing Sunday school shows." The American circuit faced competition from stock burlesque theaters like Minsky's Burlesque National Winter Garden, whose shows went farther than Columbia would allow, and had to close in 1922. Herk wanted to move into

115-682: The Gaiety Theatre in Times Square , proposed a compromise where the shows would be cleaned up. For a few years the three remained houses were allowed to run under a system of self-censorship. Herk's show at the Gaiety Theatre finally closed in 1941, marking the end of burlesque on Broadway. In 1942 Herk and the Shuberts co-produced a Broadway show called Wine, Women and Song , starring Jimmy Savo and Margie Hart . The show

138-724: The 1970s after a hiatus. The company was reorganized in 1973, and as of 2016 owned or operated seventeen Broadway theaters in New York City, two off-Broadway theaters — Stage 42 and New World Stages — and the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia . It leases Boston's Shubert Theatre to the Citi Performing Arts Center . Shubert Ticketing, which includes Telecharge, handles tickets for 70 theaters. Several former Shubert-owned theaters across

161-578: The American Theatre. Otto managed their entire theatrical enterprise from Norfolk with multiple ticker-tape machines that allowed him to calculate each theatre's box office earnings. [REDACTED] Media related to Wells Theatre, Norfolk, Virginia at Wikimedia Commons The Shubert Organization The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres based in Manhattan , New York City . It

184-665: The American circuit, and when that closed down back to the Mutual circuit. At the Mutual Herk cut costs, paid low salaries and eliminated elaborate costumes and scenery. Performers for the Mutual wheel became the first to expose their breasts. Billboard said the Mutual "polluted public morals". Herk said it was not musical comedy, but was the "jazz of American entertainment." Herk claimed that these were "clean working class entertainments". The Mutual grew fast. With headquarters in New York, it began to buy up Columbia theaters across

207-669: The Eastern and Western wheels were consolidated into the Columbia Amusement Company , headed by Samuel Scribner and Isidore Herk. The combined operation put on fairly clean shows, as had the Eastern Wheel. During World War I (1914–18) Hirk staged burlesque shows for the Empire circuit such as Pacemakers , which featured a game of strip poker played on stage. However, Herk was primarily a manager rather than

230-606: The Great Depression, the Wells continued to stage vaudeville shows and movies. Burlesque was added to the theatre's repertoire around the beginning of World War II , which provided a steady source of income by attracting thousands of sailors stationed in Norfolk. Throughout the 1940s and 50s the theatre continued to operate as a movie house also. In the 1960s the Wells shared in the general decline of downtown Norfolk by converting to an X-rated movie house and occasionally staged live burlesque shows. The backstage area became

253-647: The Jamaican Room, one of Norfolk's infamous gin mills and brothels. The poured-in-place, steel-reinforced concrete structure was technologically advanced for the period. The New Wells' ornate decoration made the theatre the flagship of Wells Amusement Enterprises, and continues today as a well-preserved example of Beaux-Arts neoclassicism . It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The theatre originally had 1,650 seats with 12 boxes and three balconies. The top balcony served as

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276-846: The Majestic Building at 22 West Monroe Street. Originally known as the Majestic Theatre, the Shubert Organization purchased it in 1945 and rechristened it the "Sam Shubert Theatre". The Shuberts sold the theatre to the Nederlander Organization in 1991 and is now known as the CIBC Theatre . In 2016, it sold its longtime headquarters at 1700 Broadway to Ruben Cos for $ 280 million. Notes Further reading Isidore Herk Isidore H. Herk (or Isadore , Izzy ; 1882 – 5 July 1944)

299-695: The Shubert Advanced Vaudeville with Lee Shubert as President and playing two shows per day in Boston, Dayton, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Philadelphia and in September 1921 opening in New York. In April 1922, the Shuberts teamed with Isidore Herk and E. Thomas Beatty formed the Affiliated Theatres Corporation, which would book shows for the chain. Faced with fierce competition from the B. F. Keith Circuit ,

322-711: The Shuberts closed their vaudeville operation in February 1923. By 1929, the Shubert Theatre chain included Broadway's most important venues, the Winter Garden , the Sam S. Shubert , and the Imperial theaters, and owned, managed, operated, or booked nearly a thousand theaters nationwide. The company continued to produce stage productions in New York until the 1940s, returning to producing Broadway productions in

345-678: The United States are still referred to by the Shubert name. One of the most famous is the New Haven Shubert , the second theater ever built by the Shubert Organization. Until the 1970s, major Broadway producers often premiered shows there before opening in New York. It was immortalized in many mid-20th century films, such as All About Eve . Another important regional theater was the Shubert in Chicago, Illinois , located within

368-501: The country. In a few years Herk built up the Mutual to fifty franchises. In 1925 Herk ordered the Mutual houses to not engage any black acts or companies. By the mid-1920s cinemas were providing shows that combined film and live entertainment with ticket prices lower than any burlesque show. Columbia and Mutual merged in 1927 to form the United Burlesque Association. By the 1927–28 season the combined circuit

391-528: The late 19th century in upstate New York , entering into New York City productions in 1900. The organization produced a large number of shows and began acquiring theaters. Sam Shubert died in 1905; by 1916 the two remaining brothers had become powerful theater moguls with a nationwide presence. In 1907, the Shuberts tried to enter vaudeville with the United States Amusement Co. In the spring of 1920 they made another attempt, establishing

414-438: The more respectable vaudeville . In April 1922 Herk left Columbia and joined with the Shubert Organization and E. Thomas Beatty to form the Affiliated Theatres Corporation, which would book Shubert Advanced Vaudeville. Faced with fierce competition from the B.F. Keith circuit, the Shuberts closed their vaudeville operation in February 1923. Herk was left bankrupt. He moved to the newly formed Mutual burlesque circuit , then to

437-572: Was a burlesque manager who played a major role in the evolution of this entertainment before World War II . His show at the Gaiety Theatre, closed in 1941, was the last burlesque show on Broadway. Herk was born around 1880. Herk's first job was treasurer of the Valentine Theatre in Toledo, Ohio . He moved to Chicago and became the personal assistant of the producer Herman Fehr, head of the Empire burlesque circuit, or Western Wheel. In 1913

460-498: Was advertised as a combination of vaudeville, burlesque and Broadway revue, and ran for seven weeks. The revue included striptease, which shocked some of the audiences. Wine, Women and Song was closed by court order in December 1942. Herk was convicted of presenting an indecent show and sentenced to six months in prison. Herk was then aged 59, and was suffering from a heart condition. The Billboard commented that "...his show

483-421: Was certainly clean when compared to the really dirty burly shows that played New York for years. In fact, Wine Women and Song was hardly obscene—it was just plain dull." On 2 January 1943 Herk was released on bail so he could arrange a show similar to that for which he was convicted. The jury could then see the show in the surroundings in which it was presented, rather than rely on a verbal description. In

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506-550: Was founded by the three Shubert brothers — Lee , Sam , and Jacob J. Shubert — in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters in New York and across the United States. Since then it has gone through changes of ownership, but it is still a major theater chain. The Shubert Organization was founded by the Shubert brothers , Sam S. Shubert , Lee Shubert , and Jacob J. Shubert of Syracuse, New York – colloquially and collectively known as "The Shuberts" – in

529-626: Was struggling financially. In 1930–31 the combined wheel decided to revive clean burlesque. The experiment failed and the circuit closed. Despite its low costs, the Mutual could not survive the Great Depression . In the 1930s Herk helped create the Burlesque Artists Association, a union. Around 1932 Herk rented the Central Theater on 42nd street, Manhattan, from the Shuberts. He was planning to open

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