The Circle Star Theatre was a performing arts venue in San Carlos, San Mateo County, California. Its name is based on it being a theater in the round, featuring a rotating circular stage with none of its 3,743 seats further than 50 feet (15 m) from the stage. Unlike similar venues across the United States, the Circle Star Theatre stage had the ability to rotate in either direction without limit, thanks to the slip ring and brush system that supplied electrical/audio to and from the stage. The theatre's address was 2 Circle Star Way, San Carlos, CA 94070.
Its original concept when it opened in the early 1960s was a dinner theater similar to the Hyatt House Theatre in nearby Burlingame. Lewis & Dare productions hosted many Broadway touring shows, such as The Odd Couple, with Ernest Borgnine and Don Rickles.
In 1971, the theatre was purchased by Marquee Entertainment, run by Don Jo Medlevine of the famed Chicago nightclub Chez Paree. Marquee Entertainment booked Las Vegas acts such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, and Liberace, among many others. In the mid-1970s the theatre was kept solvent by booking Motown acts to increase its diversity.
Fate
Don Jo Medlevine sold the Circle Star Theater to Leonard Bloom. Bloom later sold the theater to a local car dealer. The new ownership did not have the same elite relationships with the top entertainers as Bloom had, so it was closed in December 1993. The building caught fire on April 18, 1997, damaging much of the backstage area, though by this time plans had already been made for its demolition. The theater was ultimately demolished to make way for the Circle Star Center, a complex containing two four-story office buildings and a small hotel, since 2015 or 2014 Softbank owns the buildings and uses them as offices. The hotel is now an Extended Stay America.
Performers
The following musicians, actors, and comedians are among those who appeared at the Circle Star:
Air Supply
Al Green
Ray Charles
Exposé
Chet Atkins
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters
The Beach Boys
Jack Benny
Red Skelton
Jimmy Durante
George Benson
Chuck Berry
Sonny & Cher
Ella Fitzgerald
Cheech and Chong
En Vogue
Bread
Bonnie Bramlett
James Brown
Cameo
George Carlin
Moody Blues
Robert Palmer
Louis Anderson
Rita Rudner
Johnny Carson
The Carpenters
Johnny Cash
Chicago
Judy Collins
Miss Pat Collins, The Hip Hypnotist
Bill Cosby
Sammy Davis, Jr. DeBarge John Denver Chris LeDoux New Edition Miami Sound Machine Mel Tillis The Animals
Slim Whitman
Boxcar Willie
The Kingston Trio
Roseanne Barr
The Limelighters
Don Ellis
The 5th Dimension
Neil Diamond
Kenny G
Garry Shandling
Foreigner
The Rascals (Reunion Tour) Marvin Gaye The Gap Band Herbie Hancock *Jeffrey Osborne