[

] (left) and St. James Theatre (right), 2007.]]
The
St. James Theatre is located at 246 W. 44th St.
Broadway,
New York City,
New York. It was built by
Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and a founding member of the
Theatrical Syndicate, on the site of the original
Sardi's restaurant. It opened in 1927 as The Erlanger. Upon Erlanger's death in 1930, control of the venue was taken over by the Astor family, who owned the land on which the theatre stood. The Astors renamed it the St. James Theatre. The fully staged Broadway revival of
Finian's Rainbow begins performances there on October 8, 2009.
The theatre was purchased by the
Shuberts in the late 1930s. They were forced to sell it to
William L. McKnight in 1957 following the loss of an
antitrust case. McKnight renovated the St. James and reopened it in 1958. In 1970, McKnight then transferred the theatre to his daughter Virginia and her husband
James H. Binger, who had formed the
Jujamcyn Amusement Corporation