Help Out A Big Guy looking for seat sizes?

[DarthScabrous]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 2:31pm

Hey, I'm heading up to NYC next week, and I'm dying to see A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, but I don't know about the Walter Kerr theatre. Does anyone know if they have standalone chairs that bigger people can use? I'll pay for a ticket obviously, but there is no way my 6ft 2in, 370lb frame is gonna fit into one of those seats.

[madbrian]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 2:37pm

I strongly recommend the boxes. The view is good for this show, and the seats are stand-alone. The seats in the Walter Kerr and tiny, and the first act is very long. You will be very uncomfortable in one of the regular seats.

[DarthScabrous]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 2:49pm

Looking at that, its probably not worth me going to this show, since those boxes are really close to the front and far off from the stage, so it would be a horrible view...

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 2:50pm

The seats are small so the boxes and standing room only (if applicable) are really your only options.

[madbrian]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 2:51pm

I sat in the box, and the view is OK. To be more precise, I had a seat in the front row of the mezz, but my legs were in such pain that we moved to box seats at intermission. I'm 6'3". If I had to do it all over again, I would have sat in the box for the entire show.

[DarthScabrous]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 2:52pm

Aside from that, does anyone have a particular show that they would recommend I see? I was going to see Avenue Q, but their prices are a bit crazy for off broadway, they were $90 something a piece. And just my luck that the discounts for the show on sites are blacked out the days I'm here. Is there a chance I could go to the TKTS booth still and get a discount? I'll be there Fri, Sat, and Sun of next week.

[madbrian]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 2:56pm

When you say Fri, Sat, and Sun of next week, you mean Memorial Day Weekend? Many/most/all discounts will be blacked out for those dates, and TKTS will be very unpredictable. If you can snag box seats for Gentleman's Guide, I highly recommend you grab them.

[DarthScabrous]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 3:02pm

I think that will be difficult, since you can only get box tickets at the front office, at least that is what I saw. I did get tickets to 50 Shades! The Musical for my fiancee. I may also bite the bullet and get Avenue Q, its such a great show.

Has anyone seen Drunk Shakespeare? It seems intriguing, and a steal at $17 a ticket.

[haterobics]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 3:56pm

I am not familiar with that show, but sometimes a bargain isn't a bargain...

If you want to avoid tight squeezes, Cabaret has standalone seats at the tables, Here Lies Love has no seats at all (stand and move around for 90 minutes), Lady Day has standalone seats at the tables, If/Then has a row in mid-orchestra for wheelchairs and companion seats, but you might be able to book one of the standalone seats? (not sure, check with Ticketmaster) and many shows have standing room tickets...

Beyond that, I would just book through the box office when you get here, and they can usually seat you where the seat next to you won't get filled, like a show where the last 2 rows of the mezzanine won't sell out, etc.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 4:47pm

The OP should definitely avoid the table seating at Lady Day-- those poor table-sitters were packed in like sardines cheek to jowl. I would definitely pursue wheelchair seating at Circle in the Square for Lady Day or at the Vivian Beaumont in Lincoln Center for Act One.

[Adair Haywind]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 5:17pm

I'm a big guy and honestly haven't had much problems with Broadway seating. Though, I've never been to the Walter Kerr.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 5:35pm

Actually, has anyone done this DRUNK SHAKESPEARE thing?

It looks like something to be wary of, even at a cheap price, but I wonder.

There's very little information online, in the way of reviews/reports.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 5:54pm

Walter Kerr seats were originally constructed in 1612 when the average weight of a human person was 45 pounds and their height was (at max) 3 feet tall.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 6:52pm

It's worth contacting the theater about these things! Before I saw Einstein on the Beach last October I contacted the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, who helpfully informed me of their seat dimensions. Since I was way up in the nosebleeds I didn't have a lot of options, but I took an aisle seat and was fairly comfortable, considering it was four and a half hours without intermission.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 8:06pm

You should look into standard seats on the aisle with armrests that lift up - they're usually meant for wheelchair transferable patrons, but I got into Hedwig with a week's lead time because the guy at the box office understood it was a size thing. (But I'm also local, so I had the benefit of an open schedule.)

[Karen Cartwright]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 11:18pm

Having just been to shows with a guy of similar size in the past week - you will be uncomfortable at the Kerr. We had Row L in orchestra and my pal ended up swapping his seat with someone in standing room because he was so miserable.

Same for the Longacre ("Of Mice and Men"). "After Midnight" and "All the Way" were slightly better. He was most comfortable at Circle in the Square for "Lady Day".

[DarthScabrous]

Posted: 5/13/14 at 11:58pm

Yeah, I've ended up buying tickets to 50 Shades! The Musical and Drunk Shakespeare. I read reviews for it, and it seems to be good, and I enjoy Shakespeare anyway. I'll try to get Sunday tickets for Avenue Q, but if not, it will be the perfect time to take the fiancee out for a special night. Already have it set up with the hotel for when we get there, so she should enjoy it. The trip is mainly for her anyway. And I may also check with the Walter Kerr to see about box seats once we get there. Thanks guys!