Park Square Theatre (Boston) Explained

The Park Square Theatre was a theatre in Park Square in Boston, Massachusetts, designed by architect Clarence Blackall. It opened January 19, 1914, as the Cort Theatre, named for impresario John Cort. It was his first theatrical venue in Boston.^[1]

In August 1915 the Cort Theatre was purchased by Archibald and Edgar Selwyn and renamed the Park Square Theatre.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} In 1921 it was renamed the Selwyn Theatre, one of many Selwyn theatres in the United States. In time the building was replaced by a parking garage.^[6]

Shows

The Cort Theatre opened Monday, January 19, 1914, with the musical comedy, When Dreams Come True. Joseph Santley starred,^[1] reprising his role in the Broadway production.^[7] Other shows include the following:

• Twin Beds^[8]
• James Forbes' The Show Shop, with George Sidney and Zelda Sears^[9]
• Roi Cooper Megrue's Under Fire, with William Courtenay^[10]
• Edgar Selwyn's Rolling Stones^[10]
• Jane Cowl and Jane Murfin's Lilac Time^[10]
• Avery Hopwood's Fair and Warmer^[11]
• The Naughty Wife, with Charles Cherry^[12]
• George V. Hobart's Buddies^[13]
• Edgar Selwyn and Channing Pollock's The Crowded Hour, with Wilette Kershaw^[14]
• Eugene Walter's The Challenge, with Holbrook Blinn^[13]
• Nightie Night, with Francis Byrne^[15]
• Roi Cooper Megrue's T for 3, with Arthur Byron^[16]
• The Right Girl, with Charles Purcell^[17]

Gallery

External links

• Library of Congress. Drawing of Selwyn's Park Sq. Theatre, formerly Cort Theatre, Providence St. and Park Sq., Boston, Massachusetts. 1922.
• Bostonian Society:
  • Photo of Selwyn Theatre, Park Square, Boston, ca.1925
  • Photo of Selwyn Theatre, Columbus Avenue and Park Square, Boston, ca.1925
  • Photo of Selwyn Theatre, Park Square, Boston, ca.1925

Notes and References

1. News: January 11, 1914 . What Is Going On in Boston's Theatres This Week . Boston Sunday Post. 24 .
2. "Park Sq. Theatre renamed Selwyn after its owners." Boston Globe, June 11, 1921
3. Blue Book of Cambridge for 1917. Boston Register and Business Directory, 1918, 1921
4. American Architect, March 31, 1915
5. "In August 1915, New York's Selwyn Group took over the Cort, renaming it the Park Square Theatre."
6. King. 2005
7. Web site: When Dream Come True . . 2018-03-09 .
8. Boston Evening Transcript, Nov. 20, 1915
9. Boston Globe, Dec. 19, 1915
10. Boston Globe, Feb. 4, 1916
11. Boston Globe, May 22, 1917
12. Boston Globe, Feb. 2, 1918
13. Boston Globe, Oct. 22, 1919
14. Boston Globe, Jan. 24, 1919
15. Boston Globe, Aug. 30, 1920
16. Boston Globe, Feb. 10, 1920
17. Boston Globe, June 13, 1921