Theatre at Westbury
In 1954, Radio broadcaster Frank Ford and nightclub owner Lee Guber were returning home with their wives after attending a 1954 musical performance presented in a tent.Together with Shelly Gross, a television news anchor who had become disenchanted with his profession, the three raised $100,000 to lease the Devon, Pennsylvania site of what they named the Valley Forge Music Fair, which brought in profits exceeding $50,000 in its inaugural season in 1955.The building continued the theater in the round format used in the original tent, which offered clear and close views from all seats and a more intimate proximity to performers, while keeping down production costs as sets could be minimally designed.[9] New York Community Bank purchased naming rights in May 2010, with the theater being known as the NYCB Theatre in Westbury starting July 2010 - March 2024.Among the stars and groups who performed at the suburban theater were The Doors, The Who, Alanis Morissette, The Supremes, The Pointer Sisters, Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Chicago, Peter Cetera, Linda Ronstadt & the Stone Poneys, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, Eric Burdon & the Animals, Roger Whittaker, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, George Carlin, Ray Charles, Bill Cosby, Johnny Carson, Sammy Davis Jr., Sergio Franchi, Alan Jones, Connie Francis, The Carpenters, Bobby Sherman, Steve Vai, Sam Kinison, Britney Spears, 'N Sync, Judy Garland, Bob Hope, Jonas Brothers, Liza Minnelli, Don Rickles, George Maharis, Vivian Blaine, Frankie Valli, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, John Serry Sr., Frank Sinatra, Jim Norton, Bruce Springsteen, Mike Tyson, Lena Horne, Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, Bob Weir, RatDog, Chris Isaak, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Saget, James Hunter, Styx, Vince Gill, Helen Reddy, Joan Rivers, Olivia Newton-John, Vanessa Williams, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Mitzi Gaynor, Barbara Eden, Dom DeLuise, Paul Anka, Engelbert Humperdinck, Howie Mandel, Weird Al Yankovic, The Wiggles & Video Games Live among others.