 It was located on the south side of Shaftesbury Avenue, just east of Gerrard Place.The theatre's first big hit was "The Belle of New York" produced by the prominent Broadway producer, George W. Lederer, which opened on 12 April 1898 and ran for an extremely successful 697 performances.In 1908–09 H. B. Irving became the lessee and manager of the theatre and presented a successful season of plays.