Regional Theater of the Week: Fisher Theatre in Detroit, MI

BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theatre site on the Internet, is excited to announce a new feature to its comprehensive regional coverage - the Featured Regional Theater of the Week! Each week, BWW will introduce its readers to a regional theater located in one of our (over 130!) coverage cities. By exploring these different venues, their history and showcasing the production seasons, BWW continues its commitment to expand our presence in communities and cities across the United States.

This Week's Featured Regional Theater: Fisher Theatre in Detroit, MI

The Fisher Theatre opened as a movie and vaudeville house on November 11, 1928. It featured Mexican-Indian art, banana trees, a goldfish pond and wandering macaws that audience members fed by hand.

Remodeled as a Live Theatre in 1961 under management of the Nederlander Theatrical Corporation, the Fisher is now adorned with marble, IndIan Rosewood and walnut paneling, and crystal and bronze decorative work. The original 3,500 seats were scaled down to 2,089 to ensure an intimate atmosphere and optimal sightlines.

Over the last 40 years, the Fisher Theatre has been a favorite venue of many of Broadway's brightest stars, like Mary Martin, Carol Channing, Joel Grey, Bernadette Peters and Lynn Redgrave, and hosted the world premieres of HELLO DOLLY, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, SWEET CHARITY and GOLDEN BOY.

The Nederlander Family
The Nederlander theatre legacy began with David Tobias (D.T.) Nederlander, son of a Detroit cigar maker. Beginning in 1912, D.T. managed the Detroit Opera House on Cadillac Square, where the brightest stars of the era appeared, including the Barrymores, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson and the Ziegfeld Follies. He later operated the Shubert and Cass theatres, featuring such headliners as Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Gloria Swanson, Rex Harrison and Bette Davis.

In 1961, D.T. and his sons began managing and booking productions for the newly redesignEd Fisher Theatre, which was a success from the start. There, they built the country's largest subscription audience and hosted many shows that were on their way to Broadway. Today the Nederlander family owns and operates theatres in Detroit, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose and London, England.

The Fisher Theatre celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2011. Check out the video!

The current production, MISS SAIGON, is now playing through October 6, 2013.

A classic love story is brought up-to-date in one of the most stunning theatrical spectacles of all time. In Miss Saigon, the creators of LES MISERABLES bring Puccini's Madame Butterfly to the modern world in a moving testament to the human spirit.

In the turmoil of the Vietnam War, an American soldier and a Vietnamese girl fall in love, only to be separated during the fall of Saigon. Their struggles to find each other over the ensuing years end in tragedy for her and a fighting chance for the child he never knew he had. An international sensation, Miss Saigon is an epic musical masterpiece with a thrilling score.

The rest of the season lineup includes: MAMMA MIA, 50 SHADES THE MUSICAL, ELF THE MUSICAL, War Horse, AMERICAN IDIOT, THE MUSIC OF Andrew Lloyd Webber, PORGY AND BESS, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, WE WILL ROCK YOU, SISTER ACT, and WEST SIDE STORY.

For tickets or more information about the Fisher Theatre, visit: http://www.broadwayindetroit.com/index.cfm

Know of a theater we should feature? Contact christina@broadwayworld.com.

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