Contents:
- LOST WASHGTON: THE GAYETY THEATER
- GAYETY THEATER
- GAYETY THEATRE
- GAYETY THEATRE
- GAYETY THEATER
- GAYETY THEATER
LOST WASHGTON: THE GAYETY THEATER
The Gayety Theatre, om a postrd the thor’s llectn.
” In the heart of this mi-Tim Square was the fabulo Gayety Theater, where the girls were always kickg their legs up and the edians gunng for endls, easy Gayety, loted at 513 9th Street, NW, was signed by noted theater archect William H. Interr of the Gayety Theater. Allen, by 1912 approximately 70 tourg burlque pani played at one hundred theaters across the untry and employed some 5, 000 early years of the Gayety’s existence—the 1910s and 1920s—were undoubtedly s heyday, a time when burlque was still a gog theatril ncern.
GAYETY THEATER
When the Gayety opened 1907, there weren’t any stripteas, although voluptuo women were always spotlighted. She produced “The Unknown Law” at the Gayety September Williams, om a postrd the thor’s llectn. Instead of s expensive bookgs, theaters like the Gayety ed “stock” burlque shows that were much cheaper to produce and mostly nsisted of striptease January 1929, when was still primarily a theatril venue, the Gayety achieved unual notoriety when produced a midnight benef show for the fai of four imprisoned gamblers.
It seems the uproar fally blew over when officials lost their appete for explorg the extent of rptn the Metropolan Police Gayety always drew s share of Washgton’s officialdom, cludg many members of Congrs, ernment officials, and even a print or two. Although was the largt theater on 9th Street and the only one dited to burlque, the Gayety was surround by other theaters, rtrants and ars.
Immediately to the left of the Gayety was a Gothic-Revival former church buildg origally nstcted 1835 and enlarged 1879. In the 1910s and 1920s hoed the Port Arthur Che Rtrant; later was a bar and fé directly nnected to the Gayety. Two doors down on the right was the Lear Theater, built 1910 wh rative excs to rival the Gayety’s.
GAYETY THEATRE
The 1, 500-seat Gayety, signed for full-sle theatril productns, found was losg money this new world and held s last burlque show Febary 1950. However, the timg turned out to be fortuo, and the theater got an unexpected Gayety Theater at night, 1942. In Febary 1950, an agent for a Broadway show lled “The Barretts of Wimpole Street” learned that the Gayety had closed and cid to see if he uld book for his productn.
Th March 1950, after a most b of renovatn, the Gayety proudly re-opened as a legimate theater wh admtance to all rac. ” His ocsn for wrg was the announcement that much-loved imprar Jimmy Lake (1880-1967), the unofficial “mayor of 9th Street” who had taken over the Gayety Theater 1914 and had prid over s glory days, was fally leavg the area.
After beg evicted om the fé and theater, Lake moved his bs a block south to the old Central Theater buildg, which he nostalgilly re-christened the Gayety. His new place beme a strip jot before was shut down for lack of bs and molished 1976, the Gayety name was moved yet another time, to the former Roosevelt movie theater at 508 9th Street NW, which had been built 1933.
GAYETY THEATRE
This 500-seat theater, which was across the street om the se of the origal Gayety theater, ntued wh a mix of live girls and X-rated films to the 1980s.
Inial plans were for the Washgton Stage Guild to occupy performg arts space on the 8th Street si of the buildg, where the origal Gayety Theater’s stage ed to be, but fundg for that project didn’t materialize. Built the aftermath of the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, the Gayety Theatre opened on Febary 5, 1906—makg this buildg the olst remag burlque theater Baltimore.
GAYETY THEATER
While the theatre terr was subdivid to three separate spac 1985, the Gayety still boasts an elaborate, eye-tchg, and fanciful faça (signed by archect John Bailey McElfatrick) that is a wonrful example of the exuberance of theater sign the perd.
The Gayety is the venerable keystone of “The Block” on Baltimore Street long known as a statn for adult entertament.
The Gayety began after the Great Baltimore Fire stroyed the offic of The German Corrponnt. While some downtown theatr moved to Howard Street after the fire, The Gayety, Lub’s Nickeloon and Vville “duplex” directly across the street, The Victoria (later known as The Embassy) and The Rivoli all remaed the area and fed this stretch of Baltimore Street as a “popular entertament” center, wh an emphasis on burlque and vville.
GAYETY THEATER
By World War I, the Gayety’s neighbors had ma the swch to showg movi.
Burlque ho, such as The Gayety, promoted more risqué acts the effort to give the public somethg that they uldn’t get movi, pecially after the adoptn of the Hay productn 1932, which not only banned nudy but placed Dranian rtrictns on sexual ntent and referenc film. From s heyday the 1910s and 1920s—when The Gayety’s bill clud natnally proment edians such as Abbott and Costello, Phil Silvers, Jackie Gleason and Red Skelton—the Gayety was a “top-of-the-le” burlque hoe.
By the 1960s, The Gayety no longer hosted headle performers, and lol news featur surroundg the taclysmic fire 1969 tend to emphasize nostalgia for s cle.