Curtain Calls from Beyond: Broadway’s Most Haunted Theatres for Halloween
New Amsterdam Theatre in New York
A different kind of light lingers in the heart of the Great White Way (the glittering nickname for New York City’s Broadway theater district). One bulb remains glowing center stage when the curtain falls and the applause fades. It’s called the ghost light, and while it serves a practical purpose, it also honors what cannot be seen.
Every theater keeps one burning. A single bulb on a metal pole is left onstage after everyone leaves. The official reason is safety: protection against the steep drops, heavy rigging, and hidden gaps that haunt any darkened theater. One oft-told story says the tradition began after a burglar, creeping through a pitch-black playhouse, fell into the orchestra pit. The ghost light became a safeguard against both accidents and the unexpected.
Yet for the theater’s faithful, it means more than protection. Some say it keeps restless spirits calm. Others believe it gives them the light they need to perform once more. Either way, the message is clear. As long as the ghost light burns, the theater is never truly closed. It remains open to memory and energy, alive with echoes of applause and unseen movement in the wings.
And on Broadway, some of those echoes have names.
Olive Thomas: The Flapper Ghost of the New Amsterdam
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The New Amsterdam Theatre opened in 1903 as the crown jewel of the Ziegfeld Follies — a palace of feathers, sequins, and champagne dreams. Among its brightest stars was Olive Thomas, a small-town girl who became a sensation almost overnight. After winning a beauty contest at nineteen, she modeled for magazines, caught the eye of Florenz Ziegfeld, and dazzled audiences with her charm and daring performances. When she moved to Hollywood, she was a full-fledged film star — and the first actress to ever play “the flapper” onscreen.
But in September 1920, her story took a tragic turn. While on a second honeymoon in Paris with her husband, actor Jack Pickford, Olive mistakenly drank from a blue bottle of mercury bichloride — a poison meant for topical use. She was just twenty-five years old. The death was ruled accidental, though rumors of heartbreak and scandal soon followed.
Not long after, Olive was again seen at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Stagehands told of a woman in a green, beaded Follies dress holding a small blue bottle, wandering near the old rooftop garden. When Disney restored the theater in the 1990s, sightings began anew. A security guard once reported seeing her onstage late at night; when he called out, she vanished through a wall. He still insists it wasn’t his imagination.
To this day, the tradition remains: everyone who enters the New Amsterdam greets her kindly. “Good morning, Olive,” they say, before stepping into the spotlight. Her portrait hangs backstage, a reminder that some stars never fade.
David Belasco and the Blue Lady of 44th Street
Another Broadway legend made his mark a few blocks away — and perhaps never left. The Belasco Theatre, built in 1907 and named for the brilliant showman David Belasco, was a marvel of innovation. Belasco revolutionized lighting and sound, insisting on realism and emotion long before such things were fashionable. He lived in a Gothic-style duplex above his theater, filled with memorabilia, secret rooms, and an air of mystery that matched his priest-like attire. The industry called him “The Bishop of Broadway.”
Belasco died in 1931, but those who work in his theater swear he’s still there. Actors have seen a man in a dark cassock sitting quietly in the balcony box seats on opening nights, as if blessing the performance. Others hear footsteps pacing above in his old apartment, where dust never seems to settle. His ghost, they say, behaves just like he did in life — watchful, exacting, and always present.
He isn’t alone. Another spirit, the Blue Lady, is said to haunt the Belasco. Legend claims she was one of Belasco’s lovers who fell to her death in a faulty elevator shaft during the 1920s. Her name is lost to time, but her image endures: a blonde woman in a flowing blue dress, gliding silently through the balcony or appearing as a cool, blue mist.
Actress Laura Linney once recounted seeing this ghost seated in the balcony during a performance. Others tell of a disconnected elevator rattling to life during rehearsals or dressing rooms bathed in a faint blue glow. Out of respect — or superstition — costume designers sometimes include a blue dress in every Belasco production, a quiet offering to keep her spirit content.
Mrs. Leslie Carter at the New Victory Theatre
David Belasco’s influence stretched beyond his namesake. Just down the block, at the New Victory Theatre (once briefly known as the Belasco Theatre), his former leading lady, Mrs. Leslie Carter, may still be taking her bow. Famous for her daring performances and public scandals, Carter’s collaboration with Belasco made her one of the most talked-about actresses of her time.
Even after she died in 1937, theater staff say her presence lingers. A production manager, Colleen Davis, once told of a missing bow tie that mysteriously reappeared just before curtain time. The bow tie had tumbled from an overturned bin no one had touched. The crew thanked Mrs. Carter in good humor and carried on with the show.
The Palace Theatre: Where the Show Never Ends
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If Broadway has a crown jewel, it’s the Palace Theatre. Since 1913, its stage has hosted the giants of vaudeville — Harry Houdini, Bob Hope, Judy Garland, and countless others. But beneath its bright marquee, whispers of ghosts persist.
One tale tells of Louis Bossalina, a trapeze artist who supposedly fell to his death mid-performance. His spirit is said to swing through the rafters, unseen but heard, accompanied by the faint creak of phantom rigging and sudden chills in the mezzanine.
Backstage, the energy is stranger still with a number of ghostly occurrences. Dressing Room №6 is notorious for cold spots and that eerie sense of being watched. Creepier still are the two red chairs near the auditorium, which have an odd habit of “reclaiming” themselves… sit down, and you may feel compelled to stand up, as if someone else wants the seat. And one staff member swears she saw a man in a three-piece suit sitting on the balcony. When she blinked, he was gone.
The palace continues its renovations and is lifted above the street to make room for new shops below. Some wonder whether disturbing its foundations might also stir whatever — or whoever — still resides within.
The Gentle Ghost of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
At the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck, another spirit seems to keep quiet watch. Since the theater’s name was changed in 2003, strange occurrences have been whispered about a possible protest from Martin Beck himself.
In one instance, during Into the Woods, actress Joanna Gleason noticed her makeup rearranged week after week. However, no one else had been in her dressing room. Then, the letter “M” appeared on her mirror. She wiped it away, but it returned. Each time, just the same. Was Beck trying to send a message, or was it just a coincidence?
Unlike Broadway’s rowdier ghosts, this one isn’t mischievous. It feels more like a soft presence. Like it’s an admirer of the craft, still enchanted by the glamour of the stage. Sometimes, when vanity bulbs flicker or brushes shift independently, cast members smile and whisper, “Hello, M.”
Eugene O’Neill Theatre: Whispers and Wake-Up Calls
At the Eugene O’Neill Theatre — now home to The Book of Mormon — stories of ghosts have been part of backstage lore for decades. During the 2006 run of Sweeney Todd, actors began noticing strange happenings: props falling from shelves, hair pulled mid-scene, and voices whispering their character names. A faint scent of lilacs would drift through the air without flowers.
Donna Lynne Champlin once lost her stage whistle, only for it to reappear weeks later in the basement costume rack. Patti LuPone’s dressing room doors opened and closed by themselves. Once, she even apologized after stepping backward, thinking she’d bumped someone’s foot, only to find no one there.
Perhaps the most charming encounter belongs to actor Merwin Foard. One evening, before the show, he jokingly asked the empty room for a wake-up call. At exactly 6:30, he woke to a firm slap on the soles of his shoes. No one else was in the room. Horrifying, yet helpful, no doubt.
Other Cameos from the Afterlife
Broadway’s ghostly roster doesn’t end there. At the Lyric Theatre, witnesses in 1909 swore they saw playwright Clyde Fitch take a bow onstage months after his death — a sighting so vivid it sent several audience members fainting. This is a ghost story that doesn’t get talked about nearly as much as it should. Just think, an entire theatre witnessed this apparition!
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The Hudson Theatre, Broadway’s oldest still operating venue, is also rumored to be haunted. Stories swirl that an actress who ended her life there over a century ago still echoes in her sorrow through cold drafts and flickering lights.
Likewise, at the Lyceum Theatre, the oldest continuously running house, whispers are said to belong to none other than Bob Fosse himself. His favorite balcony seat is rumored to creak, as though he’s returned to watch the choreography one last time.
Final Bow: A Curtain Call from the Other Side
As the final spotlight fades and the velvet curtains fall, we leave behind Broadway’s haunted corridors and creaking catwalks with echoes of stories too powerful to die. From Olive Thomas’s eternal flapper spirit at the New Amsterdam to the Blue Lady drifting through the Belasco, and Mrs. Leslie Carter’s playful pranks at the New Victory, these ghosts remind us that the theater is never truly empty.
Maybe they linger out of love or out of habit. Maybe they are just persistent rumors and stories that have survived decades of revolving plays and performers. Or maybe the stage refuses to let go of its stars. Whatever the reason, Broadway remains alive with energy, both past and present intertwined under one endless glow.
So, listen closely next time you find yourself in a darkened theater, waiting for the curtain to rise. That whisper behind you, that flickering bulb in the corner, might be someone making their entrance.
Until next time, keep the ghost light burning.
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References
Bates Museum of Art. (n.d.). David Belasco. Bates College. https://www.bates.edu/museum/exhibitions/david-belasco-biography/
Boroughs of the Dead. (n.d.). Olive Thomas, Broadway’s flapper ghost. https://boroughsofthedead.com/olive-thomas-broadways-flapper-ghost/
BroadwayScene.com. (n.d.). Olive Thomas, Broadway’s New Amsterdam ghost. https://broadwayscene.com/olive-thomas-broadways-new-amsterdam-ghost/
Collins Bandes, P. (2022). Why the ghostlight? Theatrical superstition, ritual, and sacred space [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2596057543
Marker, L.-L. (2015). David Belasco: Naturalism in the American theatre. Princeton University Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=44l9BgAAQBAJ
Shakespeare Theatre Company. (2022, October 26). Feeling superstitious: Ghost lights and whistling backstage. https://www.shakespearetheatre.org/watch-listen/feeling-superstitious-ghost-lights-and-whistling-backstage/
Viagas, R. (2022). Good morning, Olive: Haunted theatres of Broadway and beyond. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=UYh0EAAAQBAJ
NY Ghosts. (n.d.). Hudson Theatre — Echoes in Broadway’s oldest venue. https://nyghosts.com/belasco-theatre
Dolan, T. (n.d.). The ghosts of Broadway. New Victory Theatre. https://www.newvictory.org/stories/the-ghosts-of-broadway/
CBS News Pittsburgh. (2023, October 30). The Palace Theatre in Greensburg shares its ghost stories. https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/the-palace-theatre-in-greensburg-ghosts-stories/
Shubert Organization. (n.d.). The Belasco Theatre. https://shubert.nyc/theatres/belasco/
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