The Lambs Turns 150

New York’s oldest theatrical club turns 150 years old this yuletide season. We have had numerous occasions to mention it, but we are overdue in giving its own dedicated post.

Named after Charles and Mary Lamb, the Lambs has its origins in the short-lived London version, which met from 1869 to 1879. In emulation, a small group of about a dozen New York area actors began meeting in 1874 at various venues around the Union Square area (then the heart of New York’s theatre scene). By the turn of the century 500 members had joined. At its peak a century ago there were 1,700, mirroring the fact that Broadway and the infant medium of cinema were blossoming and vaudeville was still as strong as ever.

From 1905 through 1976 the club occupied an entire fabulous building in the Times Square area, designed by Stanford White. It is now the site of a popular restaurant, which also bought the right to use the brand, making no end of confusion for the actual club, which has made its home at 3 West 51st Street (across from Rockefeller Center) for nearly a half century.

I started out to list the famous Lambs whom I have written about but it quickly proved prohibitive — or at least it’s a dedicated undertaking for another time. Its well into the hundreds. At present, the Shepherd, or club president, is Kevin Fitzpatrick, also well known as the caretaker of all things Dorothy Parker, Algonquin Roundtable, and such like. And of course, I’m a proud member, ecstatic to belong to an association with so many of my heroes. To find out how to join yourself, see their website here.