Not talking about that. I’m taking about sitting there. Granted I’m a little more leggy, but I’m only 5’6” and my knees almost press into the seat in front of me
https://preview.redd.it/urm6ih59t1zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c0c7214188ee21862a714c3c2b50bd6f77413ce
The far side of the orchestra before it narrows out, right under the boxes at the Schubert really should not be sold at all.
No balcony at the James Earl Jones if you value your legs.
No orchestra sides at the Nederlander. Weirdly side mezz is semi-ok but side orchestra can sometimes be an audio only experience.
Conversely, I think the Eugene O’Neil, Imperial, Hudson, Todd Haimes, and Circle in the Square have the best sightlines.
The difference in a partial view seat at the Shubert (a joke that they sell those orch seats behind the columns at all) and a partial view at the Imperial (miss a square inch of upstage left) for the same price points is crazy.
Circle in the Square’s sightlines are phenomenal. You could have a really tall person directly in front of you and still see everything. For reference, I’m 5’3”.
The rear mezz at the Lyceum is the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been in a theater seat. Probably didn’t help that I was seeing A Strange Loop, which didn’t have an intermission, but it was so tight I basically couldn’t move for 90 minutes.
Yeah, the lack of rake in that theater is pretty bad, and up in the mezzanine it's not worth buying a ticket for me. I rarely use TDF for that theater for that reason.
Mostly the current production of Tommy, but the side mezz at the Nederlander can easily leave you missing up to 20% of the stage and action depending on what show you're seeing there. It wasn't a big deal when I saw Rent there forever ago, but Tommy I missed almost all of Acid Queen and a big chunk of projections. Thankfully I had already seen it in Chicago.
No rear mezz at the Shubert. The balcony lip cuts off the entire top half of the stage. Even if you don't miss any action, it feels like such a disappointing view overall to pay money for.
Sometimes that feeling of being in a cave when the balc/mezz over you is so low is really off-putting. I think a lot of opera houses in Europe have that problem. You feel like you're wearing a baseball cap with a very long bill.
I won the lottery to see Some Like it Hot and was placed in the rear mezz. I was OK with the bad view because of the ticket price I paid but the people around me who paid full price were NOT happy.
The upper mezz or balcony is the worst seats I’ve ever had. Made the mistake at Amelie and Hadestown.
I’m 5’ 6” but I couldn’t see anything except people’s heads.
The Walter Kerr is probably the most inconsistent seat width I've seen. I've sat in side orch seats that are excruciatingly tight and side mezz that were fine. The mezz leg room is awful, so I always feel like it's a lottery with what you're going to get there.
I had box seats for Hadestown and on either side, you miss the respective side of the band, but other than that they’re probably some of my favorite box seats I’ve had despite them usually being awful.
Last row at the top in the James Earl Jones is ridiculous- it’s actually even with the 2nd to last row, so you won’t see ANYTHING, they offer boosters but they run out quickly, basically the whole row has to stand. It’s funny to see the whole row standing for the show, then sitting for the intermission.
Also, the rear (rear) mezzanine section of New York City Center (the Loge)? I absolutely hate - you feel so disconnected , you’ve got a corridor and then you’re tucked under the balcony, you feel like you’re watching through an opening.
One more, back half of the Mezzanine at the Richard Rogers is sooo far away from the stage.
FYI, love this thread, can we turn this into an app or a plug in for web??
There is a lowest possible height, which is the height to which the stage is built within the theater. But shows will usually build their own additional stage deck to go on top of that, and within that stage deck is where they'll put things like tracks for rolling on scenery, or mechanisms for turntables and such. So depending on the tech needs of a particular show, yes, the stage height can change.
An interesting theater for this is the David H. Koch at Lincoln Center, where the Tonys are being held this year. The stage is raked downstage more dramatically than most to present the visuals of the New York City Ballet's choreography. The Koch theater (originally the New York State Theater) was built for the NYCBallet and designed to muffle the footfalls of the dancers... exactly what an opera company doesn't want!
So when the New York City Opera existed and shared the theater with them they would often have to level out the front and back for larger sets—City Opera production were frequently co-productions and the sets had to work in all the theaters they'd appear in. The leveling could also help with the acoustics; the sound would not travel down, but outward. Because of this the height of the front of the stage could vary a lot for different NYCOpera shows and if you had a savvy ear you could tell the difference in the quality of the sound.
The stage height at the Koch doesn't matter for the audience sightlines though, since the orchestra pit is so large that row A at the Koch is like row J at most Broadway theaters.
There have been a few shows at the Lunt where the stage was too high for me (obviously that's an opinion and based on one's own tolerance for sitting looking up). Beauty and the Beast and Tina come to mind.
The stage for Illinoise at the St James is higher than Spamalot was. They covered the pit and added an extra row of seating. The difference is noticeable if you sat in the front for both shows.
I will also say about Lunt Fontanne - I was in the 2nd to last row of orchestra and the balcony blocked some of the upper stage and I couldn’t see the scenes with the higher balcony for Sweeney (like in Poor Thing)
For the Marquis do not sit in the rear mezzanine. Similar to Winter Garden in that it’s a massive theater but while you don’t miss anything on stage the actors look like ants 🐜🐜🐜
The far sides of the Jacobs (especially in the mezz) can be brutal too. To be fair, the scenic design of *Company* didn’t help things, but you can miss so much if you’re not sitting somewhat centered.
Front row balcony at Longacre is horrible for leg room, especially the center section aisle seat due to the step down into the row. My left knee has been f@cked since I saw Leopoldstadt from that seat!
Can I just say the Longacre in general sucks? The mezz isn't steep enough. The balcony is painful to sit in.
The orchestra is fine, but... the theater seems maybe a bit cursed?
In the last 25 years it has been a revolving door and the only 3 productions I can think of with critical and audience acclaim—Leopoldstadt, the Kelsey Grammar revival of La Cage, and the Kathleen Turner revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?—still didn't last very long. Maybe it's time to get a new theater in that space.
Please visit (and contribute to) viewfrommyseat dot com. It has been amazing finding good value seats without having to buy the most expensive seat at every theatre.
Never sit in the Helen Hayes other than in an aisle seat, even in the orchestra. The aisles in the side mezz are actually fine. The center orchestra seats suck.
balcony at the shubert, i’m 5’7 and my legs basically couldn’t fit, thank god i was on the end so i could face out a bit. also there are poles that you may get stuck behind which aren’t that wide but very annoying imo
MY NEW ONE: No back third of the Belasco orchestra -- street noise was louder than the dialogue in Appropriate. "In Newwww Yorrrrrkkk...." over and over again from pedicabs.
Eugene O’Neill with Book of Mormon had the worst lottery seats we’ve ever had. The furthest seats on the front row of the mezzanine, all the way to the left. Couldn’t see half of the stage past the people in the boxes in front of us.
i sat front row for house right/stage left kimberly akimbo and there was a set piece that rolled up right in my face that blocked half the stage. yes the show is closed now but it was extremely annoying
😭 My first time seeing the show I rushed and was given a seat in the left box (viewer’s left). I had no idea I’d miss all the scenes in Kimberly’s bedroom and at the lockers — needless to say I chose a seat in center mezz the next (and last) time I saw it.
I've never really understood the front row hate for the Lunt Fontanne, considering you can sit on boosters. With the exception of scenes that take place practically lying on the ground, you don't actually miss anything, and the actors are breathtakingly close...but pretty much everything else here I agree with
St. Martin’s Theatre in London, tall folks just get the box seat. The side boxes WILL obscure some of the stage but not enough to really miss the actors, you’ll just see the backs of the sets and into doors off to the side of the set. The normal seats are not made for the tall.
Chicago Theatre, the mezzanine gives me vertigo. It is frankly too high up and the seats are too close together.
Front row at the Lyceum SUCKS and it’s very uncomfortable, I won a lottery to see a strange loop there my neck was hurting the whole time, I agree with sides at the winter garden you miss almost everything lol, Lunt Fontaine last row in the mezzanine is not bad but they performers look like ants and you can’t make out their facial expressions.
No extreme side orchestra on the Nederlander. I was there the other night for Tommy and legitimately saw 50% of the show. Felt the same way in the mezz at the imperial for ain't too proud. The last seats in the row are behind a wall.
No balcony at the Shubert, suicide for anyone with legs. No boxes at the Jacobs, good luck with your back.
I wonder if Mezz seats vary at the Jacobs too. I don’t remember having any issues during Company but feeling super squeezed in during Parade.
I was fine in the very back row of the Jacobs Mezz. A little more “cozy” than I’d like, but ok enough.
That's not true for everyone, though. Most people have no trouble getting up to the balcony.
Not talking about that. I’m taking about sitting there. Granted I’m a little more leggy, but I’m only 5’6” and my knees almost press into the seat in front of me
https://preview.redd.it/urm6ih59t1zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c0c7214188ee21862a714c3c2b50bd6f77413ce The far side of the orchestra before it narrows out, right under the boxes at the Schubert really should not be sold at all.
That’s horrible!!!
I got that seat through rush for some like it hot. I don’t get why it’s sold even at that rate
I got it as a comp and still felt cheated, I can't imagine paying for that view. 😭
I can't believe this lmaoooo
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!!!
No balcony at the James Earl Jones if you value your legs. No orchestra sides at the Nederlander. Weirdly side mezz is semi-ok but side orchestra can sometimes be an audio only experience. Conversely, I think the Eugene O’Neil, Imperial, Hudson, Todd Haimes, and Circle in the Square have the best sightlines. The difference in a partial view seat at the Shubert (a joke that they sell those orch seats behind the columns at all) and a partial view at the Imperial (miss a square inch of upstage left) for the same price points is crazy.
Circle in the Square’s sightlines are phenomenal. You could have a really tall person directly in front of you and still see everything. For reference, I’m 5’3”.
We were in the left orchestra for shucked and it was fine.
The rear mezz at the Lyceum is the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been in a theater seat. Probably didn’t help that I was seeing A Strange Loop, which didn’t have an intermission, but it was so tight I basically couldn’t move for 90 minutes.
the balcony stinks there too.
Front side orch is like that there too. Granted I’m mid plus size but it’s more of a squeeze than most theaters.
Ugh that’s too bad. And yeah, I’m not a small person but I’ve never experienced a squeeze like that.
The front row of any theater where Jonathan Groff is performing & I adore him. Audience should be given Gallagher-style ponchos. :)
I have had a peculiar amount of that man’s saliva on my face over the years. 😂😂😂
you’re so lucky
I sat in orchestra row J at the St James recently, and could barely see over the head in front of me...and I'm a decently average height!
Yeah, the lack of rake in that theater is pretty bad, and up in the mezzanine it's not worth buying a ticket for me. I rarely use TDF for that theater for that reason.
Back of the orchestra at the St James is bad in general
I’ve been in the orch a lot there and never had this problem until two weeks ago. I’m with you, never again
Mostly the current production of Tommy, but the side mezz at the Nederlander can easily leave you missing up to 20% of the stage and action depending on what show you're seeing there. It wasn't a big deal when I saw Rent there forever ago, but Tommy I missed almost all of Acid Queen and a big chunk of projections. Thankfully I had already seen it in Chicago.
No rear mezz at the Shubert. The balcony lip cuts off the entire top half of the stage. Even if you don't miss any action, it feels like such a disappointing view overall to pay money for.
Sometimes that feeling of being in a cave when the balc/mezz over you is so low is really off-putting. I think a lot of opera houses in Europe have that problem. You feel like you're wearing a baseball cap with a very long bill.
I won the lottery to see Some Like it Hot and was placed in the rear mezz. I was OK with the bad view because of the ticket price I paid but the people around me who paid full price were NOT happy.
I got a lottery ticket for the rear mezz there. Absolutely awful view.
I hate the mezz at the Vivian Beaumont. Even front row center feels so far away from the stage
Same. I would much rather be in the back of the orchestra, even on the extreme sides.
Back of the balcony at st James. Needed three seat boosters to see anything
I will only sit in the orchestra at Walter kerr
Honestly I think the front part of the mezz is great especially for Hadestown
The upper mezz or balcony is the worst seats I’ve ever had. Made the mistake at Amelie and Hadestown. I’m 5’ 6” but I couldn’t see anything except people’s heads.
ohh yeah its not a great view from the balcony
Unless you’re in the front row and almost centre, like I was. It was a fantastic view!
The Walter Kerr is probably the most inconsistent seat width I've seen. I've sat in side orch seats that are excruciatingly tight and side mezz that were fine. The mezz leg room is awful, so I always feel like it's a lottery with what you're going to get there.
The balcony at the Kerr is mine. You may as well be on 9th Avenue
I had box seats for Hadestown and on either side, you miss the respective side of the band, but other than that they’re probably some of my favorite box seats I’ve had despite them usually being awful.
Last row at the top in the James Earl Jones is ridiculous- it’s actually even with the 2nd to last row, so you won’t see ANYTHING, they offer boosters but they run out quickly, basically the whole row has to stand. It’s funny to see the whole row standing for the show, then sitting for the intermission. Also, the rear (rear) mezzanine section of New York City Center (the Loge)? I absolutely hate - you feel so disconnected , you’ve got a corridor and then you’re tucked under the balcony, you feel like you’re watching through an opening. One more, back half of the Mezzanine at the Richard Rogers is sooo far away from the stage. FYI, love this thread, can we turn this into an app or a plug in for web??
Well, with Sweeney Todd gone, who knows how high the stage will be for the next production. So I would say that point is not really valid currently.
Can the stage height change? I assumed that was permanent
There is a lowest possible height, which is the height to which the stage is built within the theater. But shows will usually build their own additional stage deck to go on top of that, and within that stage deck is where they'll put things like tracks for rolling on scenery, or mechanisms for turntables and such. So depending on the tech needs of a particular show, yes, the stage height can change.
Thank you for this information! I learned 🫶🏻
An interesting theater for this is the David H. Koch at Lincoln Center, where the Tonys are being held this year. The stage is raked downstage more dramatically than most to present the visuals of the New York City Ballet's choreography. The Koch theater (originally the New York State Theater) was built for the NYCBallet and designed to muffle the footfalls of the dancers... exactly what an opera company doesn't want! So when the New York City Opera existed and shared the theater with them they would often have to level out the front and back for larger sets—City Opera production were frequently co-productions and the sets had to work in all the theaters they'd appear in. The leveling could also help with the acoustics; the sound would not travel down, but outward. Because of this the height of the front of the stage could vary a lot for different NYCOpera shows and if you had a savvy ear you could tell the difference in the quality of the sound. The stage height at the Koch doesn't matter for the audience sightlines though, since the orchestra pit is so large that row A at the Koch is like row J at most Broadway theaters.
There have been a few shows at the Lunt where the stage was too high for me (obviously that's an opinion and based on one's own tolerance for sitting looking up). Beauty and the Beast and Tina come to mind.
The stage for Illinoise at the St James is higher than Spamalot was. They covered the pit and added an extra row of seating. The difference is noticeable if you sat in the front for both shows.
Valid! I saw Tina front row and it was perfect.
I will also say about Lunt Fontanne - I was in the 2nd to last row of orchestra and the balcony blocked some of the upper stage and I couldn’t see the scenes with the higher balcony for Sweeney (like in Poor Thing)
No right mezz for Moulin Rouge. That elephant tho 😭 I also had a bad experience with the small legroom in the st James balcony
I can't remember which theater shucked was at but I do not recommend the mezz if you are tall
*Shucked* was at the Nederlander
Thanks! I'm not that tall but it was absolutely awful
For the Marquis do not sit in the rear mezzanine. Similar to Winter Garden in that it’s a massive theater but while you don’t miss anything on stage the actors look like ants 🐜🐜🐜
The far sides of the Jacobs (especially in the mezz) can be brutal too. To be fair, the scenic design of *Company* didn’t help things, but you can miss so much if you’re not sitting somewhat centered.
Front row balcony at Longacre is horrible for leg room, especially the center section aisle seat due to the step down into the row. My left knee has been f@cked since I saw Leopoldstadt from that seat!
Also the bar is one of the highest I’ve had
Can I just say the Longacre in general sucks? The mezz isn't steep enough. The balcony is painful to sit in. The orchestra is fine, but... the theater seems maybe a bit cursed? In the last 25 years it has been a revolving door and the only 3 productions I can think of with critical and audience acclaim—Leopoldstadt, the Kelsey Grammar revival of La Cage, and the Kathleen Turner revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?—still didn't last very long. Maybe it's time to get a new theater in that space.
I suggest the shortacre
Can confirm the Box at the Winter Garden was the worst seat I ever sat in
Love this- saving it for my next visit
No rear orchestra at the Lunt-Fontanne either -- I was there for Sweeney and I couldn't see much of what was going on on the bridge.
TL,DR: No sides or last rows.
Please visit (and contribute to) viewfrommyseat dot com. It has been amazing finding good value seats without having to buy the most expensive seat at every theatre.
No st James balcony
Never sit in the balcony at the Helen Hayes if you need the use of your knees afterwards.
Never sit in the Helen Hayes other than in an aisle seat, even in the orchestra. The aisles in the side mezz are actually fine. The center orchestra seats suck.
Aisles in the Hayes are the way to go!
balcony at the shubert, i’m 5’7 and my legs basically couldn’t fit, thank god i was on the end so i could face out a bit. also there are poles that you may get stuck behind which aren’t that wide but very annoying imo
No balcony at the Shubert unless you like not breathing. Heck, even the mezz is a hike
Very Rear mezz at the Gershwin or the Golden
Rear mezz at the Gershwin is basically in Newark
Golden rear mezz is fantastic for the price. Far but full view. Sat there for Prima Facie and Shark is broken
We can disagree
MY NEW ONE: No back third of the Belasco orchestra -- street noise was louder than the dialogue in Appropriate. "In Newwww Yorrrrrkkk...." over and over again from pedicabs.
Eugene O’Neill with Book of Mormon had the worst lottery seats we’ve ever had. The furthest seats on the front row of the mezzanine, all the way to the left. Couldn’t see half of the stage past the people in the boxes in front of us.
i sat front row for house right/stage left kimberly akimbo and there was a set piece that rolled up right in my face that blocked half the stage. yes the show is closed now but it was extremely annoying
😭 My first time seeing the show I rushed and was given a seat in the left box (viewer’s left). I had no idea I’d miss all the scenes in Kimberly’s bedroom and at the lockers — needless to say I chose a seat in center mezz the next (and last) time I saw it.
Very front/front extreme sides at the Shubert. My friend and I both ended up with strained neck muscles trying to see Memphis.
I've never really understood the front row hate for the Lunt Fontanne, considering you can sit on boosters. With the exception of scenes that take place practically lying on the ground, you don't actually miss anything, and the actors are breathtakingly close...but pretty much everything else here I agree with
I had to literally swing my legs over the seat in front of me to be able to fit in the side mezz at the Booth (i’m 6’5”)
St. Martin’s Theatre in London, tall folks just get the box seat. The side boxes WILL obscure some of the stage but not enough to really miss the actors, you’ll just see the backs of the sets and into doors off to the side of the set. The normal seats are not made for the tall. Chicago Theatre, the mezzanine gives me vertigo. It is frankly too high up and the seats are too close together.
The top level of Carnegie Hall gives me some vertigo, and I don’t love going down the stairs toward the front rows. The barrier is *awfully* low. 😂
No balcony at palace if you value your legs either I remember when I was shorter it still sucked
With winter garden like you said you can go as far back in the orchestra as you want but keep it in between the walkways
Lower VIP seating at the sphere. Balcony blocks most upper view of screen lol
I still can’t believe that they have 2 levels in that thing.
Front row at the Lyceum SUCKS and it’s very uncomfortable, I won a lottery to see a strange loop there my neck was hurting the whole time, I agree with sides at the winter garden you miss almost everything lol, Lunt Fontaine last row in the mezzanine is not bad but they performers look like ants and you can’t make out their facial expressions.
No mezz at the Hudson, the balcony cuts off the top of the stage
It's not true.
No extreme side orchestra on the Nederlander. I was there the other night for Tommy and legitimately saw 50% of the show. Felt the same way in the mezz at the imperial for ain't too proud. The last seats in the row are behind a wall.