The theatre was the first in New York to be lit entirely by electricity, popularized the chorus line and introduced white audiences to African-American shows. It originally seated approximately 875 people, however the theatre was enlarged and rebuilt in 1905 after a fire, and then seated 1,300. It hosted a number of long-running comic operas, operettas and musical comedies, including Erminie, Florodora, The Vagabond King and The Desert Song.