Cadillac Palace Theatre

Despite the popularity of such acts, audiences in the late 1920s and early 1930s had begun to lose interest in vaudeville, and in 1931 the theatre was converted into a movie palace, initially presenting films with live stage shows, and then eventually showing only movies. When movie audiences began staying at home to watch television in the 1950s, the theatre managers, hoping to attract larger audiences, booked occasional Broadway shows into the theatre, such as GENTLEMAN PREFER BLONDES starring Carol Channing. During the late 1950s, the Palace was fitted with special equipment to show films in Cinerama. During the mid-1970s, the management of the Bismarck Hotel transformed the auditorium into a banquet hall by removing the seats on the orchestra level and bringing the floor flush with the stage. In 1984, the theatre, now renamed the Bismarck Theatre, was converted into a rock venue. Sporadically used during the 1990s, the venue was completely restored and renovated during 1999, and reopened as the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

The restored theatre was reopened during the fall of 1999, with the premiere of Elton John and Tim Rice’s AIDA. Since then, the Cadillac Palace has been the home to several pre-Broadway hits including THE PRODUCERS – THE NEW MEL BROOKS MUSICAL and MAMMA MIA!, long-run engagements of Disney’s THE LION KING and Oprah Winfrey presents THE COLOR PURPLE, plus the national tour premieres of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh present MARY POPPINS and Dreamworks’ SHREK THE MUSICAL. In 2017, the Cadillac Palace Theatre hosted the national tour premiere of Disney’s ALADDIN.