BWW Exclusive: Counting Down to Jennifer Ashley Tepper's THE UNTOLD STORIES OF BROADWAY, VOLUME 2 - The Circle in the Square Theatre

To celebrate the publication of The Untold Stories of Broadway, Volume 2 on November 18 by Dress Circle Publishing, Jennifer Ashley Tepper will be sharing three short excerpts about each of the Broadway theaters featured in the book-countdown style! Today: The Circle in the Square Theatre!

The second book in a multivolume collection examines eight Broadway theaters and over 70 years of theatrical history through the voices of such Broadway greats as Jason Robert Brown, Joanna Gleason, Jonathan Groff,Jeremy Jordan, Laura Linney, Joe Mantello, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robert Morse, Harold Prince, Charles Strouse, Alex Timbers, Julie Taymor, Robert Wankel, George C. Wolfe and more. The eight Broadway theaters featured in the second book are the Palace Theatre, the Barrymore Theatre, the Gershwin Theatre, the Circle in the Square, the Shubert Theatre, the Criterion Center Stage Right, the Vivian Beaumont Theatre and the Nederlander Theatre.

Have you ever wanted to sneak behind the curtain of some of Broadway's greatest hits, including Wicked, Rent, and A Chorus Line? Do you wonder what secret Tom Bosley told Robert Morse about Sardi's or what Patti LuPone revealed to Raúl Esparza about Broadway dressing rooms? Are you dying to know what Laura Linney learned as a young understudy, watching Stockard Channing on stage each night?

From opening nights to closing nights. From secret passageways to ghostly encounters. From Broadway debuts to landmark productions. Score a front row seat to hear hundreds of stories about the most important stages in the world, seen through the eyes of the producers, actors, stage hands, writers, musicians, company managers, dressers, designers, directors, ushers, and door men who bring The Great White Way to life each night. You'll never look at Broadway the same way again. The Untold Stories of Broadway, Volume 2 is the second book in a multi-volume series that will tell the stories of all of the Broadway houses.

The Circle In The Square Theatre

Did You Know:

There's A Reason Why Broadway Shows Are Open On Holidays?

Laura Linney, Actor

Broadway rarely closes, and we had enormous blizzards during the run of Holiday. I have memories of getting out of the subway and trying to make my way to Circle in the Square in four feet of snow. I had a conversation with the box office treasurer during that time that totally changed the way I look at a theatre schedule. We had performances on Christmas Eve and Christmas and I went to him and asked, "Is anyone really coming? Does anyone go to the theatre on Christmas?" And he told me, "Yes, and let me tell you something. Most of them are single seats. We are two-thirds full for both performances, in single seats." I never feel bad about performing on a holiday now. I look at it very differently.

Did You Know:

Circle in the Square and the Gershwin Have Been Attached To A Few Legendary Restaurants?

Unlike most other theaters, Circle in the Square has no formal stage door. Actors exit through the right side of the upper lobby, and stanchions are often put up outside to create a stage door-like area. As box office treasurer Diane Heatherington told me, "Circle in the Square was exciting to work in. Since they played shows in rep while I was there, the casts were always changing, and the front door is also the stage door so everyone said hello to me when they came and went. It was nice to work like that!" In cases where stars need to sneak out, there is a door on the right side of the mid-level lobby that leads to the Paramount building. In the 1980s, actors would use this private hallway to get to Luchow's for opening night parties.

Luchow's is one of the most legendary Manhattan restaurants of all time. The German establishment lit up 14th Street near Union Square from 1882 to 1982-for exactly a century! The epitome of the American dream, Luchow's was created by an immigrant named August Luchow who bought the restaurant where he started out as a waiter. Since Union Square was a hub of the entertainment industry (Luchow's neighbors were the Academy of Music and Steinway Hall) the restaurant became the center of the action, frequented by every major actor, writer, musician, producer, composer, and other creative personality who came through New York City. Victor Herbert is said to have founded ASCAP at Luchow's, and it was a dining spot for everyone from Sigmund Romberg to Theodore Roosevelt to Kurt Vonnegut to Florenz Ziegfeld. The German dishes were delectable, the imported beer flowed (except during Prohibition!) and the opulent décor and boisterous music engendered an atmosphere of celebration year-round. By 1982, Union Square had changed significantly, and Luchow's was forced to close. The building was demolished and NYU's University Hall went up in its place.

Luchow's, intending to capitalize on its theatrical clientele, moved uptown to the theatre district and relocated, for the first time in a century, to the lower level of the 51st Street and Broadway corner of the Uris/Paramount Plaza building, where the Pub Theatrical had once stood. Confident advertisement proclaimed: Luchow's Opens On Broadway! Many Circle in the Square and Uris productions had their opening night parties at Luchow's-and Singin' in the Rain even had a barbecue in the Luchow's courtyard! Luchow's advertised relentlessly and even created partnerships with several Broadway shows whereupon ticket buyers could get a package that included tickets and dinner. Despite all of this, Luchow's uptown location closed quietly in the late 1980s.

Mars 2112, an outer space-themed restaurant opened in the spot in 1998 and closed in 2012. The tourist attraction was notorious for welcoming its customers with a simulated journey through space. The venue, occupying 35,000 square feet in the heart of Times Square, is currently empty and waiting for its next tenant.

Did You Know:

Walking Through Shubert Alley Is An Important Part Of An Actor's Day?

Raúl Esparza, Actor

In theatre, you are engaging with audience members who are right in front of you, and you feel them. Whether it's a show like Rocky Horror Show where they are responding vocally and physically, or a show where they're quietly listening, there's a human connection happening. And you can meet that person afterward at the stage door. You can see them walking down the block. Theatre is unlike anything else for that reason-and Broadway is that, plus it's this incredible conglomeration of multiple spaces that house so much human energy every single night. You know that within ten or so blocks, so many people are having the same experience at the same time. The buildings seem to have a history of their own that the walls hang onto. I think each theater feels haunted-in a good way-by the shows that came before.

During Rocky Horror Show, Jarrod Emick said to me, "If you want to get psyched and remember why you're here, walk through Shubert Alley every day on your way to work." I did, and every day, I would see those posters of which shows were happening simultaneously with ours. I'd see people going to every show on Broadway, audience members and theatre folks. I was in some way part of all of that, even though I wasn't in all of those shows. Every night I would remember that I was in a part of town where theatre had been done for over a century-that's a lot to live up to! And while there are walls dividing us, every night at 8:05, all the curtains go up and all of these different stories are happening at once.

The Untold Stories of Broadway, Volume 2 can be pre-ordered by visiting Dress Circle Publishing and will officially release on November 18, 2014. For more information please visit www.dresscirclepublishing.com.

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