The Broadway Theatre is a modern three-storey theatre which was built from a former cinema in the basement under the Broadway arcade of the palace of the same name between Na Prikope and Celetna streets. One of the largest functionalist new buildings in Prague's Old Town, it was built on the site of older houses in 1936-1938, designed by Bohumir Kozak (1885-1978) and Antonin Cerný (1896-1976). The palace was built by the Italian insurance companies Assicurazioni Generali and Moldavia Generali, and before the war the palace also housed the Czechoslovak branch of Metro Goldwyn Mayer. It was a magnificent work for its time. Jiří Hilmera (1925-2008) a Czech art historian specialising in theatre architecture and scenography described the Brodway Cinema as a space of 'anachronistically elongated proportions with frontally facing boxes in the background of the stalls, but again with boxes on the balcony arms oriented transversely and brought up to close to the side edges of the projection screen. It is perhaps the last of Prague's cinema halls where the orchestra pit was still being designed (at the time of the full spread of sound film)." Other original equipment of the cinema was also above standard. In its auditorium, luxurious leather armchairs, hot air heating and hearing aids were installed. The cinema had state-of-the-art projection and sound equipment. In 1941 the cinema was renamed UFA-Victoria to commemorate the victorious battles of the Third reich. After the end of the war, the course was reversed and the cinema was named Sevastopol. In 1957 it became a preview cinema and in the 1980s it was the most visited cinema in Prague.
Divadlo Broadway, Inc. completely renovated the former cinema in 2001 and built the modern, three-story Broadway Theatre. Jaromir Pizinger was the architect of the auditorium and stage, which features dark blue seats complemented by dark wood elements.
The Broadway Palace consists of two six-storey wings on street fronts, separated from another wing in the middle of the plot by two courtyards. All parts are connected internally by a curved passage with glass towers covering the courtyards. There are three basement levels under the whole complex with a large theatre space under both courtyards and the central wing. The arcade corridor retains the original metal framing of the storefronts and the metal doors of the shops and cinema. The architects inserted three elongated islands with staircases and the theatre box office.
The staircases descend first to the balcony level in the first basement. The adjoining first basement area houses the operating rooms and the bar. The ground floor of the auditorium is on the second basement level.
The rectangular auditorium has rounded corners at the back and is surrounded on three sides by a semicircular wide backstage with dressing rooms. The auditorium is covered from above by a segmental shell vault with recessed rectangular bays (originally glazed with overhead lighting), and the walls of the hall are rhythmed by pillars of reinforced concrete construction. There are 594 seats in 26 rows on the rising floor. The original row of front boxes below the balcony has been removed. The auditorium is entered through four doors on either side of the hall.
A balcony wraps around the auditorium, with seven rows of seats against the back wall.
The stage has the shape of a trapezoid and dimensions of about 13 (forbin width)×11 m. There are three orchestra lifting tables and two turntables with regulated running: the inner turntable with a radius of 2.15 m has a drop, the outer turntable with a radius of 3.25 m creates a so-called intermediate ring with the possibility of synchronised running with the inner turntable. In the adjacent areas, after the reconstruction, there are operating rooms - dressing rooms, make-up room, cloakroom, etc. Other technical facilities are located in the third basement.
Part of the Prague Broadway Palace is also the Broadway passage /in its original state and still modern/, which connects Na Prikope Street with Celetna Street. The arcade houses the main entrance to the Broadway Theatre and the ticket office for advance ticket sales. Sevastopol Palace is listed as a listed building.
