Wang Center for the Performing
Arts
270 Tremont St.
617-482-9393
Official Website
 What's
New?
Boasting a grand lobby modeled after the Palace of Versailles,
the Wang Center for the Performing Arts was hailed as "The
Wonder Theater of the World" when it opened in 1925. Known
then as the Metropolitan Theatre, the 3,700-seat performance
hall was decked in finery from top to bottom. Encompassing seven
floors under an expansive domed ceiling, the decor featured
Italian marble columns, crystal chandeliers, gold leaf detail,
and ornate murals.
Created by architect Clarence T. Blackall and developer Max
Shoolman, the Metropolitan Theatre quickly a reputation as
"the people's palace for vaudeville and film" where
patrons from all walks of life flocked to performances - movies,
ballet, symphony, vaudeville - where they paid an admission fee
of just three dollars a head. Re-named the Music Hall in the
1940s, the theater continued to enjoy widespread popularity into
the 1970s
when its owner - New England Medical Center - arranged for its
management as a not-for-profit organization called The
Metropolitan Center. Following a period of renovation that cost
more than $7.5 million, the Metropolitan Center re-opened in
1980 as the preferred Boston venue for touring Broadway
productions - a status it enjoyed until a ceiling collapse in
1982 threatened to shut the historic theater down.
That's when Wang Laboratories founder Dr. An Wang road to the
historic structure's rescue with a $1 million donation and a
challenge to the Boston community to raise another $3 million to
repair and re-open the grand theater. Renamed The Wang Center
for Performing Arts in recognition of Dr. Wang's generous
contribution, the theater re-opened in December 1983. Although
theater repairs paved the way for performances to resume, the
structure was not fully restored until almost a decade later
following the completion of an extensive multi-million dollar
restoration and modernization project.
Recognized today as one of the top cultural venues in the United
States, the Wang Center for the Performing Arts encompasses both
the original Metropolitan Theatre and its neighbor across
Tremont Street - The Shubert Theatre. Dating to 1910, the
smaller Shubert Theatre was designed by architect Thomas James.
It's associated with the Wang Center for Performing Arts under
the terms of a 1996 40-year lease and management agreement. Both
theaters serve as performance venues and learning space for
Young at Arts, a nationally-recognized educational outreach
program designed to introduce students at community schools to
performance art.
Hours:
Box Office
Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed Sundays
Admission/Fees:
Varies by performance
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