José Quintero Theatre
Martin R. Kaufman Theatre; The Seven Sisters; Chicago City Limits Theatre; Sleepy Owl Club
Address534 West 42nd Street
New York City
United States
Coordinates40°45′36.3″N 73°59′49.4″W / 40.760083°N 73.997056°W / 40.760083; -73.997056
OwnerAngelina Fiordellisi
TypeOff-off-Broadway
Capacity93
Construction
Demolished2006
Years active1923-2006

The José Quintero Theatre was an off-off-Broadway theater located in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. The 93-seat theatre existed inside a former brownstone house that was constructed in 1887.[1] In 1923 the building was converted to a nightclub, the Sleepy Owl Club, which operated until 1954.[1] The theatre was used as a comedy venue during the 1960s and 1970s.[1] In 1980 it was purchased by Linda Gelman and Paul Zuckerman of the improvisational theatre company Chicago City Limits, and opened as the Chicago City Limits Theatre that summer.[2][3]

Producer Martin R. Kaufman purchased the theatre in 1987, and it operated as the Martin R. Kaufman Theatre until Kaufman's death in 1996.[4] The Kaufman Theatre opened with a celebrated revival of Cole Porter's Gay Divorce in March 1987; a production which earned actor Joaquin Romaguera a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical.[5] The Kaufman Theatre was host to several plays, musicals, and cabaret events; including performances featuring Kaye Ballard, Tallulah Bankhead, Wesla Whitfield, Julie Wilson, Steve Ross, and Jo Sullivan Loesser.[1]

In September 1998 the theatre was purchased by actress and producer Angelina Fiordellisi who rechristened the theatre as The Seven Sisters.[1] After the death of Circle in the Square Theatre founder José Quintero, the theatre was renamed the José Quintero Theatre in his honor on May 2, 2000.[6] In 2006 the theatre was demolished and replaced by a neo-brutalist residential building.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kenneth Jones (November 6, 1998). "Cherry Lane Owner Fiordellisi Buys OB Kaufman Theatre With Plan for New Voices". Playbill.
  2. ↑ Chicago City Limits Theatre. September 8, 1980. p. 90. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ Andrew Fans (December 14, 2004). "Founding Chicago City Limits Cast Members to Return for New Year's Eve Shows".
  4. ↑ "Martin R. Kaufman, Theater Producer, 35". The New York Times. April 13, 1996.
  5. ↑ Dan Dietz (2010). Off Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007: Casts, Credits, Songs, Critical Reception and Performance Data of More Than 1,800 Shows. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786457311.
  6. ↑ Sheila Hickey Garvey (2020). Circle in the Square Theatre: A Comprehensive History. McFarland & Company. p. 346. ISBN 9781476670584.
  7. ↑ Michael Minn. Martin R. Kaufman Theater / Jose Quintero Theater. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
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