A new exhibition at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Reanimating Theater: The Photography of Friedman-Abeles, opening on Friday, March 15, showcases images of Broadway hits from 1954-70, by the titular studio, which photographed a majority of the plays and musicals of the era, including the original productions of Camelot, West Side Story, and Bye Bye Birdie. But instead of selecting a single shot from each of the shows, these images are being presented in a unique way.
While the Studio was familiar to theater fans and historians for its black-and-white images, the artists also photographed many shows in color, which the Library received as a donation in the form of color slides. The prohibitive cost of reproducing those images in the pre-digital era meant that, aside from a few selections on magazine covers or in record album liner notes, most of the iconic photos have never been seen before by the public.
Over the last three years, the Library digitized all of the negatives from dozens of shows, along with most of the color slides in the collection, using the analog-printing technology of lenticular printing to simulate animations of several of the sequential photos. The project, made possible through the support of the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Estate of June Reig Maxwell, The Schloss Family Foundation, and the Frederick Loewe Foundation, Inc., gives a sense of the movement of the original theatrical production and reveals details that would be impossible to notice in a static image.
The exhibition runs through September 25, and is free and open to the public during regular Library hours (Monday and Thursday 10:30-8 pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 10:30-6 pm; closed Sunday).
In addition to Reanimating Theater, theater lovers can also enjoy the full-length video recording of The Broadway Sitzprobe Experience! DREAMGIRLS!, an open rehearsal with Seth Rudetsky’s Stars in the House, hosted on stage by The Library for the Performing Arts on February 23, 2024. To watch the free video, go online. Tax-deductible donations are welcome, to support the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly the Actors Fund) and its services. If you’d like to contribute to the non-profit organization, click here.
Reanimating Theater: The Photography of Friedman-Abeles runs March 15-September 25, 2024, at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, Shelby Cullom Davis Museum, Plaza Corridor Gallery, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza (entrance at 111 Amsterdam Avenue, between 64th and 65th Streets), NYC. Admission is free; tickets are not required.
