Broadway NewsDave Chappelle Will Make Broadway Debut in JulyDave Chappelle Live on Broadway will play the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
By
Andrew Gans
June 12, 2019
Dave Chappelle
Shutterstock.com
Comedian and actor Dave Chappelle will make his Broadway debut this summer with a limited run at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Dave Chappelle Live on Broadway will be presented July 9–13. The engagement is produced by Live Nation, The Araca Group, and EBG (Entertainment Benefits Group).
In 2017, Chappelle released four specials on Netflix: The Art of Spin, Deep in the Heart of Texas, Equanimity, and The Bird Revelations. All four were released as double-feature albums and received Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album in 2018 and 2019. He captured his second Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special with Equanimity in 2018.
Beginning June 18, tickets will be sold via Ticketmaster Verified Fan presale to those who have registered and received a unique Access Code. Ticketmaster Verified Fan registration opens June 12 at 1 PM ET and close June 16 at 10 PM ET. Tickets will go on sale to the general public June 21 at 10 AM ET through TicketMaster.com.
The Lunt-Fontanne is currently the home of the In Residence on Broadway series, a collaboration between Live Nation, The Araca Group, and Entertainment Benefits Group. The series continues with Tony winner Mel Brooks June 17–18, Regina Spektor June 20–26, and illusionist Criss Angel set for July 2–7. Barry Manilow will play the Broadway venue July 26–August 17.
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Step Inside Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Step Inside Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Inside the Theatre, the photo feature series that documents Broadway’s historic playhouses, continues with the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
20 PHOTOS
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre marquee
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre box office
Portraits of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
Originally named the Globe after Shakespeare’s theatre in England, the theatre opened on January 10, 1910, built by producer Charles B. Dillingham.
Marc J. Franklin
The theatre was designed by famed architects Carrère and Hastings, and featured a large stage, a compact auditorium, Italian Renaissance decor with draperies of Rose du Barry and walls of old gold, blue, and ivory white. According to the New York Dramatic Mirror, the theatre was a “ complete novelty in American theatrical design.”
For its debut, Dillingham chose Old Town, a lavish musical for two of that era’s most popular musical-comedy stars, Dave Montgomery and Fred Stone, which was greeted with rave reviews.
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre auditorium
Marc J. Franklin
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre auditorium
In 1957, Roger Stevens and Robert W. Dowling of the City Investing Company purchased and restored the theatre. Dowling chose to redo the theatre in an elegant 18th-century style. A new stage was built, the second balcony removed, and a cantilevered mezzanine added. Blue damask walls, crystal chandeliers, and a hundred-foot ceiling mural depicting the theatrical muses added to the house’s new opulence.
In addition to a restored design, the theatre was renamed the Lunt-Fontanne in honor of America’s foremost husband/wife acting couple, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
On May 5, 1958, the theatre re-opened with The Visit, a stark, harrowing drama of revenge by Friedrich Duerrenmatt.
Throughout its history, the theatre ushered in the Broadway debut of iconic shows such as The Sound of Music and Titanic.
In addition, the theatre saw performances from theatre legends including Carol Channing, Richard Burton, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre lobby
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre lobby
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre lobby
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre lobby
Photos of the theatre's history line the lower lounge.
Portrait of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Next year, Carnegie Hall's house band will perform Bernstein’s “Kaddish” Symphony, unfinished works by Schubert, and the final concert of Conductor Bernard Labadie.
