Sheridan Square Playhouse
Encyclopedia
The Sheridan Square Playhouse was an Off-Broadway
theatre in New York City
that was active from 1958 through the early 1990s. Closed as a theatre in 1996, the theatre was located at 99 7th Avenue South in Greenwich Village
.
frequented by people such as Lionel Barrymore
, Jimmy Durante
, Eddie Cantor
, and Mae West
. The building was originally built as a garage, on the foundations of a church demolished in 1917 for the construction of the IRT 7the Avenue line.
The Sheridan Square Playhouse opened on May 06, 1958 with a production of Jacinto Benavente
's Bonds of Interest. It soon hosted the two-year revival of Leave It to Jane
. The theatre became the home of the Circle Repertory Company
in 1972, hosting their plays through the 1993-1994 theatre season, after which the company relocated to the Circle in the Square Theatre
's former home on Bleecker Street.
The last production to be held at the theatre was Graydon Royce and Geoffrey C. Ewing's Ali in 1992. The building is now a restaurant and jazz club under the name "Garage."
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
theatre in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that was active from 1958 through the early 1990s. Closed as a theatre in 1996, the theatre was located at 99 7th Avenue South in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
.
History
Prior to being a theatre, the building was host to The Nut Club, a famous nightclubNightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
frequented by people such as Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore was an American actor of stage, screen and radio. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul...
, Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
, Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
, and Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
. The building was originally built as a garage, on the foundations of a church demolished in 1917 for the construction of the IRT 7the Avenue line.
The Sheridan Square Playhouse opened on May 06, 1958 with a production of Jacinto Benavente
Jacinto Benavente
Jacinto Benavente y Martínez was one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922....
's Bonds of Interest. It soon hosted the two-year revival of Leave It to Jane
Leave It to Jane
Leave It to Jane is a musical in two acts, with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, based on the 1904 play College Widow, by George Ade. The story concerns the football rivalry between Atwater College and Bingham College, and satirizes college life in a...
. The theatre became the home of the Circle Repertory Company
Circle Repertory Company
The Circle Repertory Company, originally named the Circle Theater Company, was a theatre company in New York City that ran from 1969 to 1996. It was founded on July 14, 1969, in Manhattan, in a second floor loft at Broadway and 83rd Street by director Marshall W...
in 1972, hosting their plays through the 1993-1994 theatre season, after which the company relocated to the Circle in the Square Theatre
Circle in the Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre in midtown Manhattan on 50th Street in the Paramount Plaza building.The original Circle in the Square was founded by Paul Libin, Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in 1951 and was located at 5 Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village...
's former home on Bleecker Street.
The last production to be held at the theatre was Graydon Royce and Geoffrey C. Ewing's Ali in 1992. The building is now a restaurant and jazz club under the name "Garage."