The José Quintero Theatre was an

off-off-Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway theatre, Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commerc ...

theater located in

Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The 93-seat theatre existed inside a former

brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Ty ...

house that was constructed in 1887. In 1923 the building was converted to a nightclub, the Sleepy Owl Club, which operated until 1954. The theatre was used as a comedy venue during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1980 it was purchased by Linda Gelman and Paul Zuckerman of the improvisational theatre company

Chicago City Limits Chicago City Limits (CCL) is an improvisational theatre company in New York City. History Chicago City was founded in New York City in 1977. George Todisco started the group in Chicago with actors participating in the workshop program at The ...

, and opened as the Chicago City Limits Theatre that summer. Producer Martin R. Kaufman purchased the theatre in 1987, and it operated as the Martin R. Kaufman Theatre until Kaufman's death in 1996. The Kaufman Theatre opened with a celebrated revival of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

'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. The Kaufman Theatre was host to several plays, musicals, and cabaret events; including performances featuring Kaye Ballard,

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lifeboat (194 ...

, Wesla Whitfield, Julie Wilson, Steve Ross, and Jo Sullivan Loesser. In September 1998 the theatre was purchased by actress and producer Angelina Fiordellisi who rechristened the theatre as The Seven Sisters. After the death of

Circle in the Square Theatre The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, within the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. The current Broadway theater, completed in 1972, i ...

founder José Quintero, the theatre was renamed the José Quintero Theatre in his honor on May 2, 2000. In 2006 the theatre was demolished and replaced by a neo-brutalist residential building.

References

{{reflist Off-off-Broadway Former theatres in Manhattan 2006 disestablishments in New York City 1923 establishments in New York City