Golden Gate Theater

Category: Arts, Science, Museum

In 1922, when the Golden Gate Theatre first opened, its president Martin Beck stated, "The Golden Gate is a good theatre. It will stand where it is for a long time. It is built of the best materials and it will be conducted to please the people who patronize it." On March 22, 1922, the Golden Gate Theater opened with much fanfare, including lines that wrapped around the block. Protocol necessitated that gentlemen wear top hats and that ladies be dressed in formal gowns when attending the Golden Gate. The grand opening was a highlight on the social calendar in San Francisco. As a key player in the Best of Broadway seasons since 1979, the Golden Gate Theatre has hosted show-stopping musicals like A Chorus Line, which re-opened the theatre on December 27, 1979 followed by Camelot with Richard Burton, Sweeney Todd with Angela Lansbury, My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, Woman of the Year with Lauren Bacall, 42nd Street, Cabaret, Zorba with Anthony Quinn, Fiddler on the Roof with Topol, Stomp, Grease, Tap Dogs, Chicago and Rent, among many more. A theatre with a grand and complicated past has survived numerous renovations and uses to emerge as a house full of theatrical memories.