The Hudson Theatre, built in 1903 by Broadway producer Henry B. Harris and still in operation, has proven itself more unsinkable than the fateful HMS Titanic, which claimed the life of Harris and left widow Rene' Harris to run the theatre.

Discovering the Hudson by Ward Morehouse III details the theatre's long and varied history. The author, son of a famous Broadway theatre critic and an actress, lived across the street from the Hudson as a child. Accordingly, he offers a first-hand look at the people and stories that made the Hudson theatre's past so rich with drama. He recalls this colorful history with a combination of nostalgia and reverence.

With the 1903 opening of Cousin Kate, starring Ethel Barrymore, the Hudson Theater became home to the first Broadway production two blocks north of 42nd Street, the Lyceum Theatre following quickly at its heels on 45th Street. Following Henry and Rene' Harris, the theatre's ownership passed through many, varied hands. Its structure likewise underwent a series of physical renovations that reflected its often-changing nature of operations.

Up until the 1960's, with breaks in the 30's and 50's, the Hudson was a legitimate playhouse hosting greats including famed Broadway producer George M. Cohan and music legend Louis Armstrong. Like many small, "intimate" theatres of its kind, the Hudson often struggled to find shows to fill its seats to capacity and keep business afloat. Therefore, theatre owners at times were forced to adapt operations at the Hudson according to the greatest public demand. "It had many lives," Morehouse explains, and "always seemed to be resurrected."

CBS, during the 1930's, used the theatre as a radio house, and during the 1950's Jack Parr and Steve Allen laid the foundation for television variety/talk shows with the beginnings of NBC's "Tonight Show". The theatre even had a short-lived stint as a porno film house in the 1970s, after which it remained closed or rarely in operation until it's resurrection by Millennium Hotels in the 1990s. Today the Hudson's day job is hosting a variety of corporate functions, and its night job is hosting a variety of charity functions, private events, and occasional concerts.

The painstakingly meticulous renovations of the Hudson's beautiful plasterwork and glass mosaics, spearheaded by Millennium Hotel's Chairman Kwek Leng Beng, have reversed years of wear and remodeling and restored the house to its original luster. It was "like an archeological dig," "like [discovering] King Tut's tomb," Morehouse admits. "The Hudson has really been blessed." At one point the Hudson was slated to become a parking garage. Luckily, the theatre was able to elude such a dismal fate, unlike many other theatres of its time that are forever "gone with the wind." According to Moorehouse, "some became garages and some were just demolished."

All of Times Square's old Broadway houses, including the Hudson, have now been officially landmarked, with the Shubert Organization, owner of most, preserving them for years to come. Morehouse concludes that "the theatre is in very safe hands" and that "it might be better if [the Hudson] remained a showcase to the history of Broadway" for future generations.

by
Alex Herrald