This Week at Home: On Broadway
As summer begins to wind down, the theater season is just getting started. Here are some Broadway-inspired picks, from a classic theater that recently received a modern makeover to some buzz-worthy new productions.
Someone Who Inspired Us
Earlier this year, architect David Rockwell reimagined the Helen Hayes Theater, a 106-year-old landmark building on West 44th Street in New York City. He transformed the 589-seat auditorium with a pixelated mural over blue gradient walls and copper-colored velvet seats. “It’s such an honor to be a part of the history of Broadway theaters,” Rockwell told Surface magazine.
Add It to Your Wishlist
These striking “lighting objects” by London-based Child Studio were inspired in part by avant-garde theater director and playwright Robert Wilson, whose sets are often imaginative and surreal. The lights, which feature an illuminated glass sphere that appears to be rolling down a lacquered base, are intended to explore the “perception of reality and fantasy.”
Check It Out 
The fall season gets underway on Aug. 13 when Gettin’ the Band Back Together opens at the Belasco Theater. Directed by the Tony Award-winning director John Rando, the musical-comedy follows Mitch Papadopoulos as he gets fired from his banking job, moves back in with his mother and then takes one last shot at his dream of being a rock star. On Aug. 16, Pretty Woman: The Musical opens at the Nederlander Theatre under the direction and choreography of two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell and with an original score by Grammy-winner Bryan Adams.
Know Your Stuff
This New York Times guide outlines “everything you need to navigate Broadway” from what to see and how to score tickets to what to wear (“jeans are fine”) and how to get an autograph. It also covers where to dine pre- and post-theater, from authentic Mexican fare at Los Tacos No. 1 to contemporary French food at Benoit.
Home Goals
174 East 95th Street was formerly owned by the famed Hollywood and theatrical icon Elia Kaza. Eliza was an Academy Award- winning producer, writer and director of “Death of a Salesman,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” just to name a few. This incredible Carnegie Hill townhouse was built in 1899 and has since undergone a meticulous renovation blending prewar details with gracious elements of modern day living.
174 East 95th Street is represented by Sharon Baum, John Gasdaska, and Jonathan Conlon.
Photos in order of appearance: via Unsplash; The Helen Hayes Theater from the Rockwell Group; Lighting objects via the Child Studio website; Pretty Woman: The Musical by Matthew Murphy via PR Newswire; via Unsplash.
