Opened in 1972, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization and is named after brothers George and Ira Gershwin, who wrote several Broadway musicals.

The American Theater Hall of Fame, which contains inscriptions of the names of over 500 notable theatrical personalities, is placed within the lobby and rotundas.

The Gershwin Theatre is on the second floor of Paramount Plaza, also known as 1633 Broadway, north of Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.

[11][12] At the base of Paramount Plaza is a promenade that connects 50th and 51st Streets, providing entry to the Gershwin and Circle in the Square theaters.

[15] The second floor contains the American Theater Hall of Fame, where the names of notable theatrical personalities are inscribed in gold letters.

[22] Like traditional Broadway houses (and unlike the contemporary Minskoff Theatre), the theater had aisles in the center and along the sides.

[21][25] Backstage, there were eight large dressing suites for lead performers, which were equipped with air conditioning, green rooms, and private bathrooms.

[26] In September 1967, Uris Buildings Corporation leased the site of the Capitol Theatre on Broadway, between 50th and 51st Streets, for 100 years.

[40][41] In April 1968, the CPC scheduled a public hearing to determine whether the Astor and Uris theater permits should be approved.

[39] Six parties testified in favor; the Shubert Organization, the largest operator of Broadway theaters, was the only dissenting speaker.

[46] The New York Daily News subsequently said that the Uris family's decision to name the theater for themselves "became an object of ridicule in theatrical circles".

[58] The next show was Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields's musical Seesaw, which opened in March 1973[59][60] and transferred to the Hellinger that August, ultimately running for 296 performances.

[61] A revival of the Sigmund Romberg operetta The Desert Song premiered at the Uris in September 1973[62][63] but closed after only 15 performances.

[69][72] A New York Times critic said the Uris Building, which had just gone into foreclosure, might be a "monument to its mortality" instead of "a leader in the revitalization of Broadway".

[73] Musicians who appeared in 1974 included Mott the Hoople (performing with Queen[74]); Enrico Macias and his La Fete Orientale Co.; Andy Williams with Michel Legrand; Anthony Newley with Henry Mancini; Johnny Mathis and the Miracles; The 5th Dimension; and Raphael.

[71] The 17th Annual Grammy Awards were presented at the Uris in March 1975,[75] and the Dance Theatre of Harlem performed at the theater that May.

[81] The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company presented three Gilbert and Sullivan operettas at the Uris that May,[82] followed the next month by a concert appearance from Al Green and Ashford & Simpson.

[90][91] The musical The King and I, with Yul Brynner and Constance Towers, opened in May 1977[92][93] and ran for 719 performances, becoming the theater's longest-running show.

[94] Another long-lasting show was Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's musical Sweeney Todd with Angela Lansbury, which opened in March 1979[94][95] and ran for 557 performances over the next year.

[97] The following January, the New York Shakespeare Festival produced Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance,[98][99] which relocated to the Minskoff in August 1981.

[105][106] Next, Nureyev performed with the Boston Ballet in early 1983,[97][107] and the Houston Grand Opera presented Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's musical Show Boat that April.

[118] This time, the theater hosted performances from Shirley MacLaine;[119][120] Twyla Tharp;[121][122] Rudolf Nureyev;[123][124] and Gladys Knight & the Pips with Kashif.

[127] The Royal Shakespeare Company presented Much Ado about Nothing and Cyrano de Bergerac in repertory for ten weeks starting in October 1984.

[148][149] The concert special Bugs Bunny on Broadway appeared briefly in late 1990,[150][151] followed by a revival of the musical Fiddler on the Roof.

[170] The musical The Red Shoes opened that December,[171][172] but it was one of Broadway's biggest flops, closing after three days at a loss of $8 million.

[174] Less than a week after The Red Shoes closed, production company Livent booked a revival of Show Boat for the theater.

[176] The awards ceremonies subsequently relocated to Radio City Music Hall, as that theater was much larger (allowing the public to attend) and did not require shutting down Broadway productions.

[188][189] The New York Shakespeare Festival's production of the musical On the Town opened at the Gershwin in November 1998,[190][191] but it was unprofitable and closed after 65 performances.

[212][213] David Stone, one of Wicked's producers, was initially reluctant to book the Gershwin because of the theater's reputation for short-lived productions, as well as its size.

[214] As part of a settlement with the United States Department of Justice in 2014, the Nederlanders agreed to improve disabled access at their nine Broadway theaters, including the Gershwin.