246 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
- Dolly: An True Original Musical
Dolly: A True Original Musical is the story only Dolly Parton could tell, in her own words and through the songs that shaped her life. From the top of the Smoky Mountains to the top of the world, Dolly captures how she dreamed, dared, stumbled and soared.
Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate, constructed the St. James Theatre. It stands on the location of the original Sardi’s restaurant. In 1927, it opened as the Erlanger Theatre with a production of Merry Malones. In 1930, Erlanger died and the theatre was taken over by the Astor family as they owned the land on which the theatre was built. They renamed it the St. James. In the 1930s, the Shuberts purchased the theatre. In 1957, they involuntarily sold it to William L. McKnight after they lost an antitrust case. In 1958, McKnight renovated and reopened the venue. In 1970, McKnight passed the theatre on to his daughter Virginia and her husband James H. Binger, who had founded the Jujamcyn Theaters.
