The upper levels contain offices formerly occupied by the Shubert brothers, and the stage house to the north is shared with the Booth Theatre.

[9] It adjoins six other theaters: the Majestic and Broadhurst to the west; the John Golden, Bernard B. Jacobs, and Gerald Schoenfeld to the northwest; and the Booth to the north.

[18] Shubert Alley's presence not only allowed the theaters to meet fire regulations[19][20] but also enabled the structures to be designed as corner lots.

[22] The Broadhurst and Schoenfeld were also built as a pair, occupying land left over from the development of the Shubert and Booth; these too are designed with curved corners facing Broadway.

[25][26] The Shubert and Booth theaters are within separate buildings and differ in their interior designs and functions,[7][27] although they have adjacent stage areas near the center of the block.

[38] At ground level, the 44th Street elevation contains a tall water table of painted stone, above which is a band with rusticated blocks of terracotta.

The brick section of the facade is surrounded by a stucco band of sgraffito decorations, which is painted white and contains bas reliefs of classical-style foliate ornamentation.

The extreme left (west) and right (east) ends of the facade contain vertical sequences of terracotta quoins; they have Corinthian-style capitals that are decorated with motifs of rams, lions' heads, and acanthus leaves.

Like the elevations on 44th Street and at the southeast corner, the left side of the auditorium facade contains vertical quoins topped by a Corinthian capital.

[43] The stage house section, shared with the Booth Theatre to the north, is simpler in design, being made mainly of brick in English cross bond.

[58] The Shubert offices had a large safe for storing money, in the days when the theatrical industry operated mainly as a cash business, though this was subsequently converted to a storage area for drinks.

[57][85][86] The larger theater was known as the Sam S. Shubert Theatre, in memory of Lee's late brother, while the smaller one was named after actor Edwin Booth.

[86][87] Documents indicate that several architects were consulted for the theaters' design, including Clarence H. Blackall, before the Shuberts hired Henry B. Herts for the job.

[92] Further delays occurred when Ames requested several changes to the Booth's design in mid-1912; Herts said this would require the plans to be completely redone, while J. J. Shubert believed the changes were superficial.

[40] By August 1913, British actor Johnston Forbes-Robertson and his wife Gertrude Elliott had announced their plans to open the new Shubert Theatre with a season of plays in repertory.

[27][38] The first event at the new Shubert Theatre was a reception for Forbes-Robertson on September 29, 1913, with Julia Marlowe, Augustus Thomas, and DeWolf Hopper making speeches.

[110][112][113] The Sigmund Romberg operetta Maytime opened later that year, featuring Wood and Charles Purcell;[114][115] its success prompted the Shuberts to simultaneously stage the production at the 44th Street Theatre.

[110] This was followed in 1918 by the drama The Copperhead with Lionel Barrymore,[116][117] as well as the Rudolf Friml musical Sometime with Francine Larrimore, Mae West, and Ed Wynn.

[118][119] The musicals Good Morning Judge and The Magic Melody both had several-month-long runs at the Shubert in 1919,[120] and Julia Marlowe and E. H. Sothern presented a four-week-long program of Shakespeare plays later that year.

[121][122] The Shubert hosted the drama The Blue Flame with Theda Bara in 1920,[117][123] followed the next year by the play The Trial of Joan of Arc with Margaret Anglin.

[129][130][131] The Shakespeare play Othello with Walter Hampden opened at the theater in 1925,[132][133] followed the same year by the revue Gay Paree with Charles "Chic" Sale.

[138][140] Zoe Akins's play The Furies with Laurette Taylor was a flop in 1928,[138][141] and Ups-a-Daisy had a short run the same year, with the then-little-known actor Bob Hope in the cast.

[159] Among these was Sidney Howard's play Dodsworth, which opened in February 1934 and featured Fay Bainter and Walter Huston;[160][161] the show took a brief hiatus in mid-1934[162] and continued for several months afterward.

[167] Next was Maxwell Anderson's The Masque of Kings, featuring Dudley Digges, Leo G. Carroll, Henry Hull, and Margo, which opened in 1937[168] and was a flop.

[186][187][188] A revival of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The Rivals opened in 1942 with Mary Boland, Bobby Clark, Helen Ford, and Walter Hampden;[186][189][190] and the Rodgers and Hart musical By Jupiter launched the same year with Ray Bolger.

[193][194][195] The Shubert's productions in 1944 included the play Catherine Was Great with Mae West,[186][196][197] as well as Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg's musical comedy Bloomer Girl.

[206][207] The Maxwell Anderson play Anne of the Thousand Days with Rex Harrison then opened at the Shubert in late 1948,[200][208][209] and Lunt and Fontanne appeared the next year in I Know My Love.

[228] Next, the Theatre Guild presented Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Jule Styne's musical Bells Are Ringing in 1956, featuring Judy Holliday and Sydney Chaplin;[215][229] it ran for two years,[230] relocating only because of a booking conflict.

[253] The musical Golden Rainbow, originally scheduled to open at the Shubert in November 1967,[254] instead premiered the following February with Marilyn Cooper, Eydie Gormé, and Steve Lawrence.

[336] Aaron Sorkin's play To Kill a Mockingbird opened in December 2018[337] and ran until all Broadway theaters temporarily closed on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.