New York’s PlayStation Theater to Close (EXCLUSIVE)
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New York’s PlayStation Theater, a 2,100-capacity venue located in Times Square and operated by Bowery Presents, will close at the end of 2019, a source close to the situation tells Variety.
The venue will close with a New Year’s series of shows from the Disco Biscuits.
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The theater, which is located two stories beneath the skyscraper that houses Viacom and MTV’s headquarters, is closing because its existing lease is up, but its location — in the middle of the always-crowded Times Square and the Theater District — and slightly awkward design meant it was never one of the city’s most popular venues; concertgoers must ride down two long escalators to reach the theater. It also changed its name twice due to sponsorship deals: It was the Nokia Theater upon its opening in 2005, then Best Buy Theater, and since 2015, PlayStation Theater.
However, Ariana Grande, Rihanna and even U2 — as part of a MusiCares event honoring their bassist Adam Clayton — have all performed there over the years, and it remained a popular spot for awards shows (the Libera Awards were held there for a couple of years), conferences and other events. The recent opening of the similarly sized Sony Hall just a few blocks away did not improve its commercial prospects.
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