The Next Studio 54 Chapter Starts on an Old Page

By Michael Gonik

For a certain era of New York nightlifer, uttering the name of Studio 54 might invoke hazy memories of disco, drugs, and fame on the dance floor. But in its next of many lives and configurations since opening nearly a century ago, the iconic nightclub is taking a note from its very first iteration as a space dedicated to elevated productions of performance art.

A planned renovation of the 54th Street theater—which still bears the club’s name at its entrance and, in its 1977-1980 heyday, guest-listed mononymous Hollywood and downtown darlings of fashion, entertainment, and the art world like Warhol, Cher, Bowie, and Halston—would be something of a return to form, according to the New York Times. The Roundabout Theatre Company, which took over the building in 1998 and has staged plays and musicals in the space ever since, is hoping to secure $100 million in financing for a full-scale rehab that would bring the theater—originally opening as The Gallo Opera House in 1927, but down an orchestra pit since its short-lived stint as a 1950s TV studio and a proper stage since its club conversion in the 70s—up to date and code. The renovation calls for upgrades to sound and lighting, the creation of a permanent stage, and the removal of 10 of its worst seats in the house. Basically, making it a full-service theater operation that no longer requires building a stage for every run of shows.

So far, Roundabout has raised $45 million for the project and is hoping the city and state will kick in another $30 million toward its goal, per Christopher Nave, an executive at the theater company. The plan also calls for a new Roundabout blade sign to hang out front, but will keep the Studio 54 banner across its marquee.