Upstairs at the Downstairs

Upstairs at the Downstairs was a cabaret nightclub and Off-Broadway theatre located in Manhattan that was active from 1943 through 1974. It was founded as The Playgoers, renamed Upstairs/ Downstairs, and ultimately retitled Upstairs at the Downstairs when moving to new premises at 37 West 56th Street in 1958 where it remained until closing in 1974.[1] It should not be confused with its sister club/theatre Downstairs at the Upstairs.[2]

History

Upstairs at the Downstairs was co-founded by Irving Haber and his wife, Doris Dreyfus,[2] in 1943 as The Playgoers.[1] It was originally located at Sixth Avenue and 57th Street. It went through several name changes before settling on Upstairs/ Downstairs. It became Upstairs at the Downstairs when it moved to new premises at 37 West 56th Street on July 22, 1958.[1] It became a well known venue for satirical revues produced by Julius Monk.[2] It also presented musicals; often featuring well known performers like Joan Rivers, Lily Tomlin, Madeline Kahn, Janie Sell, Vaughn Meader, Mort Sahl, and Linda Lavin among others.[1][3]

Partial lists of musicals premiered at Upstairs at the Downstairs

  • Four Below (1956, conceptualized by Julius Monk; many writers and composers)[4]
  • Demi-Dozen (1958, conceptualized by Julius Monk; many writers and composers)[5]
  • Four Below Strikes Back (1960, conceptualized by Julius Monk; many writers and composers)[6]
  • Dressed to the Nines (1960, conceptualized by Julius Monk; many writers and composers)[7]
  • No Shoestrings (1962, conceptualized by Ben Bagley and directed by Dorothea Freitag; many writers, lyricists, and composers)[8]
  • ... And in this Corner (1964, lyrics by Allison Roulston, Michael McWhinney, and Rod Warren; music by Jay Foote, Jerry Powell, and Rod Warren; playwright, Treva Silverman)[9]
  • Graham Crackers (1963, created by Ronny Graham, Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire)[10]
  • The Game is Up (1964; conceptualized by Rod Warren; many composers, writers, and lyricists)[11]
  • Below the Belt (1966, lyrics by Lesley Davison, David Finkle, Howard Liebling, Michael McWhinney, James Rusk, and Rod Warren; music by Lesley Davison, Marvin Hamlisch, Jerry Powell, James Rusk, Rod Warren, and Bill Weeden; writers, Dee Caruso, Bill Kaufman, Paul Koreto, Bill Levine, Gayle Parent, Treva Silverman, Rod Warren, and Kenny Solms)[12]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Gent, George (January 23, 1974). "Upstairs at Downstairs Ends Its 30 Years of Fun". The New York Times. p. 30.
  2. ^ a b c "Irving Haber, 66, Nightclub Owner". The New York Times. April 9, 1975. p. 46.
  3. ^ Balliett, Whitney (March 30, 1992). "Régisseur: A pioneering cabaret director recalls a vanished New York of supper clubs, shimmering revues, and the performers whose careers he shaped". The New Yorker.
  4. ^ Hischak 2011, pp. 37–38.
  5. ^ Hischak 2011, pp. 43–44.
  6. ^ Hischak 2011, p. 60.
  7. ^ Hischak 2011, pp. 66–67.
  8. ^ Dietz 2010, p. 319.
  9. ^ Dietz 2010, p. 18.
  10. ^ Hischak 2011, pp. 82–83.
  11. ^ Dietz 2010, p. 159.
  12. ^ Dietz 2010, p. 42.

Bibliography

  • Dietz, Dan (2010). Off Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007: Casts, Credits, Songs, Critical Reception and Performance Data of More Than 1,800 Shows. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786457311.
  • Hischak, Thomas S. (2011). Off-Broadway Musicals Since 1919: From Greenwich Village Follies to The Toxic Avenger. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810877726.

40°45′48″N 73°58′35″W / 40.7634°N 73.9765°W / 40.7634; -73.9765

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