Walk down West 50th Street and you might miss it. Honestly, if you're looking for the typical neon-drenched, marble-pillared palace of the Gilded Age, you're going to be confused. Circle in the Square Theatre NYC doesn’t look like its neighbors. It’s tucked away, subterranean, and frankly, a bit of a rebel. Most Broadway houses are "proscenium" stages—basically a giant picture frame where the actors stay on one side and you stay on the other. This place? It’s a literal pit.
It’s one of only two Broadway houses that uses an "in-the-round" or "thrust" configuration. This means the stage is at the bottom, and the seats rise up around it like a surgical theater from the 1800s. You aren't just watching a play; you're breathing the same air as the actors. If an actor cries, you see the tear hit the floor. If they sweat, you might want to duck. It’s intimate. It’s claustrophobic in the best way possible.
The Gritty Off-Broadway Roots
People forget this wasn't always a Broadway powerhouse. It started in 1951. Theodore Mann and José Quintero, along with some others, took over an old nightclub in Greenwich Village. That original spot was at 5 Sheridan Square. They were basically broke.
They didn't have the money for a fancy stage, so they just used the floor. That’s how the "theatre-in-the-round" vibe started—out of necessity. Their 1952 production of Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams is legendary because it basically put Geraldine Page on the map and proved that Off-Broadway could be just as "serious" as the Great White Way. It was a vibe shift for the whole industry.
Eventually, they moved uptown. In 1972, they landed in the basement of the Paramount Plaza building. That’s where it sits today. It’s weird to think about a world-class theater being underneath a massive office tower, but that’s New York for you.
What It’s Actually Like Inside
Let’s talk about the seating. There are only about 600 seats. In Broadway terms, that is tiny. For comparison, the Majestic holds about 1,600. Because of the U-shaped seating, there isn't a bad seat in the house, but there are different seats.
📖 Related: Gwendoline Butler Dead in a Row: Why This 1957 Mystery Still Packs a Punch
If you sit on the long sides, you get the profile views. If you’re at the "head" of the U, you see the stage like a traditional play, but from a distance. Actors have to constantly rotate. They call it "clocking." They can’t stay in one spot too long or half the audience just sees their back for twenty minutes. It’s a technical nightmare for directors, but for us? It’s visceral.
The Design Challenges
Think about the set design. You can’t have massive walls or backdrops. If you put a wall in the middle of the stage, nobody can see anything. Designers have to get creative with floors, trapdoors, and lighting.
- Once on This Island (2017): They filled the entire stage with actual sand. There was a goat. A real goat. And a pool of water.
- Oklahoma! (2019): They turned the whole place into a community hall. Plywood everywhere. They even served chili to the audience during intermission.
- An Enemy of the People (2024): They used the space to make the audience feel like they were part of a town hall meeting, blurring the line between the "actors" and the "citizens."
Why the "Circle" Matters for Actors
Actors love and hate this place. There is nowhere to hide. You can’t "cheat" your performance toward the front of the house because there is no front.
Phyllis Frelich won a Tony here for Children of a Lesser God. Al Pacino has graced this stage. Vanessa Redgrave, too. When you see a star at Circle in the Square, you’re often less than ten feet away from them. You can hear their jewelry jingle. You can hear them catch their breath. It demands a level of realism that you just don't get at the Gershwin or the New Amsterdam.
The theater also operates its own professional workshop, the Circle in the Square Theatre School. It’s the only accredited training program linked to a Broadway theater. Students are literally walking the same halls as the Tony winners every single day. It keeps the place feeling like a laboratory rather than a museum.
👉 See also: Why ASAP Rocky F kin Problems Still Runs the Club Over a Decade Later
Real Talk: The Logistics of Visiting
If you’re heading there, keep a few things in mind. The entrance is on 50th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue. You go through a long hallway that feels like you’re entering a subway station, then you take an escalator down.
- The Bathrooms: Honestly? They aren't great. They’re small and the lines at intermission are a disaster. Plan accordingly. Go before the show or find a nearby hotel lobby if you're desperate.
- Legroom: It’s better than some of the older 1920s houses, but it’s still New York. If you’re 6’4”, you’re going to be cozy with your neighbor.
- The "Vomit" Entrances: That’s the actual technical term. The aisles where the actors run in and out are called "voms" (short for vomitoria). If you have an aisle seat, don't put your bag in the aisle. An actor might trip over it while sprinting into a scene.
The Economic Reality
Running a 600-seat house on Broadway is risky. Broadway shows are expensive to produce. If you only have 600 tickets to sell, you have to charge more, or the show has to be relatively "small" in terms of cast size. This is why you often see "limited engagements" here.
They also struggle because they can’t host the "megamusicals" like Wicked or The Lion King. Those shows need fly space (the area above the stage for hanging scenery) and massive wings. Circle in the Square has almost none of that. It’s a place for intimate dramas and experimental revivals. But that’s exactly why it survives. It offers something the big barns can't: a soul.
Finding Your Way to 1633 Broadway
The address is technically 1633 Broadway, but the theater's "front door" is the marquee on 50th. If you’re taking the subway:
- The C/E to 50th Street drops you almost at the door.
- The 1 train to 50th Street is just a block away.
- The N/R/W to 49th Street is a short walk.
Don't bother driving. Parking in Midtown is a scam that costs more than the theater ticket itself. Use a rideshare or the train.
✨ Don't miss: Ashley My 600 Pound Life Now: What Really Happened to the Show’s Most Memorable Ashleys
Actionable Tips for Your First Visit
If you’re ready to check out a show at Circle in the Square Theatre NYC, do it right. Check the seating chart before you buy. If you want to be "in" the action, go for the first three rows on the long sides. If you want a full "picture" of the choreography, sit a bit higher up.
Keep an eye on the box office for "rush" tickets. Because the theater is small, they don't always have a ton of discounted seats, but when they do, they’re the best deal in the city.
Most importantly, keep an open mind. You might walk in and think, "This is it?" But once the lights go down and the actors are standing three feet away from you, you’ll get it. It’s not about the gold leaf or the chandeliers. It’s about the raw, unfiltered connection between a performer and a witness. In a world of CGI and giant screens, that’s becoming a rare thing.
Next Steps for Your Broadway Adventure:
- Check the current production at Circle in the Square—they usually host one or two major shows per year.
- Visit the Circle in the Square Theatre School website if you’re interested in the history of the actors who trained there.
- Look for "In the Round" seating specifically when booking on Telecharge to ensure you aren't surprised by the configuration.