New Amsterdam Theatre

This beautiful theatre was built in 1903, making it one of the three oldest surviving theatres on Broadway. Its interior is one of the first examples of Art Nuevo in NY. It is one of the largest of the Broadway landmark theatres with 1702 seats.

From 1913 until 1937, the theatre was the home of the Ziegfeld Follies. It converted to a movie theatre in 1937, closed completely in 1985 and was renovated in 1997 by Disney. It is Disney’s flagship theatre for live productions on Broadway. Both the interior and the exterior of the building are landmarks and the building is also on the National Registry of Historic Places.

It also has a very active ghost, named Olive Thomas. She was an extraordinary beauty who was in the Ziegfeld Follies. She died in 1920 and has been hanging out at the theatre ever since. She wears a beaded costume. She has flirted with stagehands, been seen blowing kisses, and it is said that she created mischief with the turntable for A Lion King (which was the theatre’s longest running show). She is particularly active when any other surviving Follies Girls are in the theatre. During the renovation, she flirted so brazenly with the night watchman, that he quit on the spot. Just in front of the stage door, there is a portrait of Olive. As the cast and crew leave the theatre at night, they say, “Good night, Olive” and blow her a kiss. It seems to keep her happy.