Signs abound at Walt Disney World. Many are informational or instructional, while others entertain and amuse us. And there are a few that have a story buried within them. One in particular comes to mind and that’s what this blog is all about.
We’re all familiar with the backdrop at the end of New York Street at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here, artists try to fool our mind and eye into believing that an actual city exists when in reality, it’s nothing more than a two-dimensional painting.
When the Disney/MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989, a sign on one of the backdrop buildings read, Hotel Pouilly.
That’s me in October, 1989.
A few years ago, this sign was changed and it now reads, New Amsterdam.
And the reason for that change can be found below.
The New Amsterdam Theatre opened in New York City on 42nd Street in November 1903. It was designed in the Art Nouveau style and for many years was home to the Ziegfeld Follies.
The depression hit Broadway hard and many of the theatres fell into disrepair during this period — and the New Amsterdam was no exception. In 1937 the building was converted into a movie house. In the decades that followed, the deterioration continued.
In 1993, Disney Theatrical Productions signed a 99-year lease for the property and started an estimated $34 million renovation of the theater. When completed, critics and audiences applauded their efforts. Disney had brought this once grand venue back to its glory days.
In the spring of 1997, the New Amsterdam officially reopened. On November 13th of that same year, “The Lion King” premièred and went on to win a Tony Award for best musical in 1998.
In June 2006, “The Lion King” was moved to the Minskoff Theatre to make room for another of Disney’s movie-to-Broadway shows. On October 16, 2006, Mary Poppins began previews at the New Amsterdam Theatre and officially opened one month later on November 16th.
The New Amsterdam Theatre has the distinction of being one of the oldest surviving legitimate theatres in New York City, sharing this honor with the Lyceum Theatre which was also built in 1903.
So the next time you’re on New York Street at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can see a little bit of history on the cityscape backdrop.
We had the honor of touring the New Amsterdam in a very early stage of renovation. At that point the building had been stabilized, the roof repaired and debris cleaned up. All the seats had been removed and they were doing color tests in various parts of the theatre, trying to determine the original color scheme.
Backstage was off limits as it was still too dangerous. We were able to go up to the balcony (or mezzanine, I don’t remember which) but told to be very careful. Even in this condition, the theatre was stunning.
We attended Lion King in previews and were blown away by the transformation (and the show). Quite an incredible theatre.
Just wondering if there is any significance to the name Hotel Pouilly?
Jack’s Answer – sort of:
I have to believe there is significance in the name Hotel Pouilly. The Imagineers always have a reason for everything. But couldn’t find anything in my search. It could be someone’s last name — but that’s just a guess.
Reader? Anyone know?
Jack,
You finally got me to write!! I think you can now add mindreader to list of amazing skills :)I was reading a guest blog on the Mary Poppins show and was just thinking “I wonder if anyone has a picture of the insides of this theatre?” and ta daa!! like magic there you are. Thank you for this, It’s as beautiful as I thought it would be and thank you for including us in your amazing world 🙂
Barb
I had the pleasure of seeing The Lion King at the New Amsterdam, and one word… AMAZING! I literally had tears in my eyes after the first entrance song. It was that great!