Thoughts on Choosing Seating for Broadway Shows
8 years ago
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There seem to be a number of questions recently regarding seating choices at Broadway shows. I thought I would provide some general advice with the understanding that this is purely my opinion.
You should first be aware that Broadway theatres are smaller than most first time visitors imagine. There are presently 40 theatres that qualify as "Broadway" and the largest of these has just under 2,000 seats. Most theatres for musicals actually hold 1,000 to 1,500 seats, with most dramas and comedies in 500 (minimum to qualify as a Broadway theatre) to 1,000 seat theatres. This is considerably smaller than many cities in the US that have one really big theatre for Broadway national tours. Furthermore, since Broadway shows are meant to (hopefully) stay for the long run, the sound system is tweaked to suit the individual theatre and the individual actors in the show. Therefore the sound quality is vastly superior to what you get when a national company comes to a city where they will only be spending a couple of weeks and have lighting and sound packages meant for generic stages.
The point is that there are really aren't that many bad seats on Broadway. That said, please note that almost all Broadway houses are extremely old (75-100 years old, although there are a few exceptions) and both seat width and legroom leave a lot to be desired. I am very tall (6 ft. 6 in.) and I therefore suffer in a number of these seats.
The first step to take in choosing a seat is to check out the seating chart. Stay away from the ticketing websites - look for the ones that show more detail. Of particular interest to me is to see what row of the orchestra is under the edge of the balcony. You often find that the available balcony seats are actually closer to the stage (albeit higher) than the orchestra seats you might be considering.
For musicals, the ideal locations are 8-10 rows back in the orchestra section or the front row of the mezzanine (in the center, of course). Note that most mezzanines have a railing across the front that can get in the way of children or shorter adults in the front row, in which case it should probably be avoided. For dramas and musicals, I prefer to get as close as possible to the stage, except for perhaps the first row or two where you may end up having to look upwards towards the stage.
To me, the least desirable seats are those all the way on the sides. The closer you are to the stage, the more of an issue it becomes as the corner of the stage can get cut off from view. I would choose center rear mezzanine seats over front row side seats any day. I also try to avoid the very back of the orchestra and rear mezzanine sections, not because of the view but because of activity that sometimes occurs behind that area.
All of that said, most seats are more than adequate. In the past six months I sat far back in the center orchestra (row S or T, I think) for Hamilton, and in row R in the side orchestra (about 3 or 4 seats off one of the center aisles) for School of Rock. Both times, the seats were perfectly fine. BTW, if anyone cares, School of Rock was very good. Hamilton was extraordinary.
Good luck! you'll have a great time - there really is nothing quite like a Broadway show (or the West End in London, of course).
