What he said

Midtown theater's design brings structure smack up to the sidewalks

In his plain-spoken book on how to create vibrant commercial streets through urban design, David Sucher gives only three rules: 

Build buildings to the sidewalk. 

Use windows and doors (not mirrored) to connect the inside of the building to the outside. 

 And prohibit parking lots in front of the building. 

Whether or not they've read "City Comforts: How To Build an Urban Village," the folks who designed the new Playhouse on the Square follow nearly all its principles.

David Sucher didn't devise the principles. He simply observed them and their power, under the right conditions, to generate urbanism.