Fisher Theatre History
Remodeled as a live theatre in 1961 under the management of the Nederlander Theatrical Corporation, the Fisher is now adorned with marble, Indian rosewood and walnut paneling, and crystal and bronze decorative work. The original 3,500 seats were scaled down to 2,089 to ensure an intimate atmosphere and optimal sightlines.
Over the last 60 years, the Fisher Theatre has been a favorite venue of many of Broadway’s brightest stars, like Mary Martin, Carol Channing, Joel Grey, Bernadette Peters, and Lynn Redgrave, and hosted the world premieres of HELLO DOLLY, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, SWEET CHARITY and GOLDEN BOY.
THE FISHER THEATRE OPENED AS A MOVIE AND VAUDEVILLE HOUSE ON NOVEMBER 11, 1928. IT FEATURED MEXICAN-INDIAN ART, BANANA TREES, A GOLDFISH POND AND WANDERING MACAWS THAT AUDIENCE MEMBERS FED BY HAND.
THE NEDERLANDERS
The Nederlander theatre legacy began with David Tobias (D.T.) Nederlander, son of a Detroit cigar maker. Beginning in 1912, D.T. managed the Detroit Opera House on Cadillac Square, where the brightest stars of the era appeared, including the Barrymores, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, and the Ziegfeld Follies. He later operated the Shubert and Cass theatres, featuring such headliners as Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Gloria Swanson, Rex Harrison, and Bette Davis.
In 1961, D.T. and his sons began managing and booking productions for the newly redesigned Fisher Theatre, which was a success from the start. There, they built the country’s largest subscription audience and hosted many shows that were on their way to Broadway.
THE AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP
In March 2021, The Ambassador Theatre Group acquired the iconic Fisher Theatre from The Nederlander Company, as well as Broadway programming at the Detroit Opera House and Music Hall in Detroit and the operation of Golden Gate Theatre and Orpheum Theatre, both in San Francisco.
Founded in 1992, Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is the world’s number one live theater company with the vision of helping great shows to find the largest audiences. ATG operates over 50 venues in Britain, North America and Germany. It is an internationally recognized award-winning theater producer with productions in the West End and on Broadway and touring productions in the U.K., North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. ATG is also the market leader in theater ticketing services through ATG Tickets, LOVETheatre and Group Line.
ATG operates the renovated Lyric Theatre, home to the acclaimed Tony Award winner Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and the oldest theater on Broadway, the beautifully restored Hudson Theatre. ATG manages and operates the Saenger and Mahalia Jackson theaters in New Orleans; the Majestic and Empire theaters in San Antonio; the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, Texas; the magnificent Kings Theatre in Brooklyn; and the wonderfully refurbished Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, which re-opened in the summer of 2018 with the critically-acclaimed world premiere of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. ATG also operates San Francisco’s Curran, Golden Gate, and Orpheum Theatres.
ATG’s current Broadway producing credits include Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite starring Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker and the upcoming return engagement of the critically acclaimed hit David Byrne’s American Utopia. Other recent producing credits in the U.S. include Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, Sea Wall/A Life, Burn This, Dear Evan Hansen, Pretty Woman: The Musical, A Doll’s House Part 2, Sunday in the Park with George, and Lincoln Center Theater’s The King and I.