Broadway Show Girls

The Broadway House Guide

Circle in the Square Theatre

  • 776 seats
  • 1level
  • Thrust stage
  • Opened 1972

Imani's take

The audience wraps the stage on three sides, so there's no 'mezzanine' to argue about — just which side you're on. Actors will play to every side at some point, which means some of the night you're watching backs. Worth it: nobody on Broadway is closer to the work.

— Imani Carter, spectacle editor

Where to Sit at the Circle in the Square Theatre

Single level around a thrust stage. A intimate house.

The stage comes to you

Seats wrap the stage on three sides, so the question isn’t orchestra versus mezzanine — it’s which side. Center sections see the show the way it was staged most of the time; side sections trade some faces-on moments for being startlingly close.

Our rule of thumb

At 776 seats this is one of Broadway’s small rooms, so there is no truly distant seat. Spend on center over close, and don’t be afraid of the cheapest tier.

Still torn? Carmen's orchestra vs. mezzanine vs. balcony breakdown and our cheap-tickets playbook apply to every house.

Good to Know

  • One of only two Broadway houses with a thrust stage (the other is the Vivian Beaumont)
  • Below street level in Paramount Plaza; reached by escalators and stairs
  • Originally designed with only ten rows of seats

Getting There

235 West 50th Street, New York, NY.

  • CE50 St (8 Av) · about a block away
  • 150 St (Broadway) · about 0.1 mi away

Distances are straight-line from the station's mapped center; big complexes like Times Square have many entrances, some closer. Check the MTA for service changes.

Schematic map of Broadway theaters, 41st to 54th StreetEach dot is a Broadway house placed by its street address, almost all between Sixth and Eighth Avenues. North is up.54535251504948474645444342418th Ave7th Ave6th AveBroadwayTimes SqAl Hirschfeld Theatre — 1,404 seatsAmbassador Theatre — 1,125 seatsAugust Wilson Theatre — 1,225 seatsBelasco Theatre — 1,016 seatsBernard B. Jacobs Theatre — 1,100 seatsBooth Theatre — 800 seatsBroadhurst Theatre — 1,218 seatsBroadway Theatre — 1,763 seatsCircle in the Square Theatre — 776 seatsCircle in the Square TheatreEthel Barrymore Theatre — 1,058 seatsEugene O'Neill Theatre — 1,108 seatsGerald Schoenfeld Theatre — 1,079 seatsGershwin Theatre — 1,933 seatsHayes Theater — 597 seatsHudson Theatre — 970 seatsImperial Theatre — 1,457 seatsJames Earl Jones Theatre — 1,092 seatsJohn Golden Theatre — 800 seatsLena Horne Theatre — 1,069 seatsLongacre Theatre — 1,077 seatsLunt-Fontanne Theatre — 1,505 seatsLyceum Theatre — 922 seatsLyric Theatre — 1,622 seatsMajestic Theatre — 1,681 seatsMarquis Theatre — 1,612 seatsMinskoff Theatre — 1,710 seatsMusic Box Theatre — 1,025 seatsNederlander Theatre — 1,235 seatsNeil Simon Theatre — 1,467 seatsNew Amsterdam Theatre — 1,702 seatsPalace Theatre — 1,648 seatsRichard Rodgers Theatre — 1,400 seatsSamuel J. Friedman Theatre — 650 seatsShubert Theatre — 1,502 seatsSt. James Theatre — 1,709 seatsStephen Sondheim Theatre — 1,055 seatsStudio 54 — 1,006 seatsTodd Haimes Theatre — 740 seatsWalter Kerr Theatre — 975 seatsWinter Garden Theatre — 1,600 seatsN ↑ · Vivian Beaumont: Lincoln Center, W 65th St (off map)

Accessibility

We have no sourced detail on this house’s accessible routes yet. Broadway houses must offer wheelchair and companion seating, and assistive-listening devices are widely available; book accessible seats directly with the official seller or through Circle in the Square (independent).

Circle in the Square Theatre FAQ

How many seats does the Circle in the Square Theatre have?
About 776 seats, on a single level surrounding the stage. Exact capacity can shift slightly from production to production.
Where is the Circle in the Square Theatre?
235 West 50th Street, in Manhattan's Theater District. It is operated by Circle in the Square (independent).
What subway stop is closest to the Circle in the Square Theatre?
50 St (8 Av) (C, E trains), about a block away; 50 St (Broadway) (1 trains), about 0.1 miles away.
When did the Circle in the Square Theatre open?
It opened in 1972. Architect: Allen Sayles.

Nearby Houses

All 41 Broadway theaters →

Pack for the Upper Levels

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Sources

Facts checked 2026-10-09. Seat counts are approximate and can change with each production's configuration. The opinions are Broadway Show Girls'; spot an error?Tell us.