Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre Marks 125 Years of Entertainment

A historic Boston theatre is marking its 125th anniversary this year. 

The Emerson Colonial Theatre, owned by Emerson College, opened in 1900 with Ben-Hur on stage. It featured chariots and a nightly onstage chariot race performed by eight horses.

From its early days, the Emerson Colonial Theatre has long served as a launching pad for pre-Broadway productions. Classics such as Oklahoma!, Carousel, Porgy and Bess, Anything Goes, and Moulin Rouge! are some of the examples of performances that have graced its stage. More recently, the theatre has hosted a 2025 revival of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

In 1943, the theatre played a role when Rodgers and Hammerstein crafted a new opening number for Away We Go!, which later became Oklahoma! According to NewsCenter 5, the cast famously learned the title song on the theatre's staircase.

The theatre has plenty of lesser-known charms. For example, the building is home to a rare 1900 Onyx Lounge table used by Bob Fosse for a late‑1970s tap choreographic moment in Dancin', according to General Manager Joey Riddle.

The theatre narrowly avoided conversion to a dining hall in the mid-2010s, when Steven Sondheim and preservation advocates secured ATG's (formerly Ambassador Theatre Group) renovation and restoration of the historic space.

Learn more about Emerson Colonial Theatre on its website.