Broadway prices and uncomfortable seats

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 12:50pm

After sitting through SHUCKED in an impossibly uncomfortable seat, I'm annoyed that Broadway is charging exorbitant prices for seats that had to have been designed for skinny Munchkins.

 

Your thoughts?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 1:17pm

The person who made you sit and enjoy a show in the best theater district in the world should be disciplined. I'm so sorry that happened to you! Thoughts and prayers! 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 1:27pm

Obviously that theater was designed at a time when peaudiences.ople had different physical shaped and were much, much slimmer. The seats really have to be replaced to accommodate today's audiences.

BTW: I will always appreciate the prayers of another person and I hope your thoughts about me are licentious in nature.

Updated On: 4/20/23 at 01:27 PM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 1:37pm

Unfortunately, it has always been about the almighty buck.  Also, a lot of these theatres were built when people were A few inches shorter and, I seem to think I read recently, thinner.  
 

I am curious as to whether you have been in the apparently incredibly improved Jones Theatre.  Were the seats any better, I.e., is there hope for the future.

I have to admit that I will sit in an aisle seat in the second balcony of some theatres before sitting in the middle of the row in some mezzanines in particular.  I have also found that I am less uncomfortable if it is a terrific show that gets my mind off discomfort…if it is not, the seating I am sure makes me dislike the show more.

One last though: to use the Minskoff and Gershwin theatres as examples…even though the seats are more comfortable, I used to find that (I have not been in either theatre in 20ish years) I felt like I was in another state if I was fairly far back.  So comfort can come at the price of being further from the stage in the newer theatres.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 1:45pm

I think the "new" Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center should serve as a model for other theaters. The seats are comfortable and there's plenty of leg room.; to say nothing about their marvelous acoustics.

[Shalfoard]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 2:09pm

Dollypop said: "Obviously that theater was designed at a time when peaudiences.ople had different physical shaped and were much, much slimmer. The seats really have to be replaced to accommodate today's audiences.
 

 I doubt that the seats now in the Nederlander were installed when the theater opened more than 100 years ago.  The seats now in the theater are narrower so more can be crammed in a row.  Were it not for premium and dynamic pricing, seating would probably be even tighter.

BTW, as you probably know, seats in a theater are not all the same size.  And leg room may vary depending on layout of the particular row.
 

 

[thatdarnzach]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 2:12pm

Sutton Ross said: "The person who made you sit and enjoy a show in the best theater district in the world should be disciplined. I'm so sorry that happened to you! Thoughts and prayers!"

And the person who forced you respond like this should absolutely be disciplined as well.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 2:25pm

100%

[perfectpenguin]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 2:33pm

That’s odd. I didn’t realize comfortable seat was included in the ticket price. Where on my order confirmation does it say that?

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 3:03pm

Every Broadway theater has a few accessible seats where the arm-rest can be removed. Some theaters will have a regular chair in some areas too (mostly at the boxes or rear orch or extreme side orch). 
my friend who is obese can only sit in a regular chair and always calls Telecharge or goes to box office to ensure she can get a physical chair.

One con of comfortable seats is hearing someone snoring in the audience…. Lol.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 3:37pm

BTW: I will always appreciate the prayers of another person and I hope your thoughts about me are licentious in nature."

You know it baby ❤️

But seriously, the seating debate is a tricky one. Hypothetically, if Broadway theaters had to accommodate comfortably the now 69% of Americans that are classified as overweight or obese, they would have to remove roughly half the seats. So, I'll ask you this, are you willing to pay twice the price to see a Broadway show? 

 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 3:53pm

I really hope more of these theatres have more renovations and put in very comfortable seats. From the Broadway theaters I have been in, here are my top 3 with the best comfortable seats and ones with the least comfortable seats. 

The Top 3 with comfortable seats:

American Airlines Theatre, Hudson Theatre, & Jacobs Theatre

The Top 3 with horrible seats:

Lyceum Theatre, Music Box Theatre, Broadhurst

I think the Lyceum is the one that needs it the most. Hopefully, it will be on the Shubert's list after they finish restoring the Majestic. 

 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 5:17pm

perfectpenguin said: "That’s odd. I didn’t realize comfortable seat was included in the ticket price. Where on my order confirmation does it say that?"

It doesn't. That's why the OP is starting a conversation about it on a relevant message board rather than demanding a refund.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 5:30pm

It’s hardly a secret that many Broadway houses are outdated and in need of modernization, but theater owners are reluctant to actually to invest in such work. And, frankly, they often push a lot of costs onto productions when even minor renovations or updates are required. 

[pethian]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 5:59pm

I saw a preview of PETER PAN THAT GOES WRONG at the Ethel Barrymore and was reminded how comfortable those seats are. My long legs had ample room. Conversely, I suffered in the awful seats at the Nederlander for SHUCKED.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 6:08pm

I want to make mention of the fact that Second Stage just renovated the Helen Hayes and opted for absolutely horrendous seats. It's not just a legroom issue, the seat pan and seat back are entirely unforgiving. I remember having orchestra aisle seats for Linda Vista and being miserable. Went back there for Thanksgiving Play two weeks ago and my girlfriend said, "They are somehow worse than I remember." and that was before anyone was sitting down next to us. 

[lapinitsa]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 9:56pm

Dylan Smith4 said: "I really hope more of these theatres have more renovations and put in very comfortable seats. From the Broadway theaters I have been in, here are my top 3 with the best comfortable seats and ones with the least comfortable seats.

The Top 3 with comfortable seats:

American Airlines Theatre, Hudson Theatre, & Jacobs Theatre

The Top 3 with horrible seats:

Lyceum Theatre, Music Box Theatre, Broadhurst

I think the Lyceum is the one that needs it the most. Hopefully, it will be on the Shubert's list after they finish restoring the Majestic."

Yeah, the Lyceum is rough, But I'd add the Nederlander to the worst list.

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 10:28pm

lapinitsa said: "Yeah, the Lyceum is rough, But I'd add the Nederlander to the worst list."

I'll take your word for it but I haven't been to that theatre just yet. 

[TheSassySam]

Posted: 4/20/23 at 10:59pm

As a fat person myself, I find myself looking for aisle seats when I purchase tickets, with hopefully a friend as my neighbor. However, in instances where I win a lottery seat or buy from TKTS, I selfishly hope and pray that the seats next to me go unclaimed or unpurchased. 

Last month, I left at intermission of Funny Girl because I could tell my size was making my neighbors uncomfortable. The seats in the balcony of the August Wilson are extremely tight. 

At Shucked, I had a neighbor who saw he had to sit next to me and just... left. I don't know where he went, but I hope he enjoyed the show. The Nedelander seats were unusually tight, so I understand where he's coming from. 

However, the absolute worst seats in my opinion are Studio 54's. The most comfortable have been at the Hudson. 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/21/23 at 1:13am

TheSassySam said: "As a fat person myself, I find myself looking for aisle seats when I purchase tickets, with hopefully a friend as my neighbor. However, in instances where I win a lottery seat or buy from TKTS, I selfishly hope and pray that the seats next to me go unclaimed or unpurchased.

Last month, I left at intermission of Funny Girl because I could tell my size was making my neighbors uncomfortable. The seats in the balcony of the August Wilson are extremely tight.

At Shucked, I had a neighbor who saw he had to sit next to me and just... left. I don't know where he went, but I hope he enjoyed the show. The Nedelander seats were unusually tight, so I understand where he's coming from.

However, the absolute worst seats in my opinion are Studio 54's. The most comfortable have been at the Hudson."

 

I never said I was fat. I lost 70 lbs during my ":medical emergency" four years ago and another 20 lbs due to Covid. I am, however big boned due to my Polish ancestry.

 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/21/23 at 1:53pm

Attended today's 11 am concert at Geffen Hall. What a pleasure! The seats are comfortable, there's legroom, most of the steps have been replaced with gently stopped ramps and the acoustics are a true marvel.If only Broadway auditoriums could be this comfortable!

[pmensky]

Posted: 4/21/23 at 2:23pm

Being on the tall side (6’1), sitting in certain Broadway houses can be very uncomfortable. I always get an aisle seat so I can stretch at least one of my legs out from time to time during the show, but my knees are usually jammed right up against the back of the seat in front of me. I always apologize to the person in that seat and kindly ask them not to press or jolt back. I don’t think seating plans were ever influenced by people’s height or weight. I think the idea has always been to get as many seats in as possible to make the most amount of money. 

[sm33]

Posted: 4/21/23 at 2:53pm

Yeah, it sucks! I'm short, but I'm fat, and some of the theater seats in NYC are so small as to be physically painful. Others, like the ones at the Hudson, are perfectly fine, and a bunch are somewhere in between.

I wish that theaters would invest more in the hard product - they will have less total seats, to be sure, but I suspect they'd have a much better chance of filling them all. I personally know people who won't go to the theater simply because the seats are uncomfortable. I still go, but I am very picky about where I sit, which means I am less likely to go at all if there aren't good seating choices. 

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 4/21/23 at 2:57pm

"But seriously, the seating debate is a tricky one. Hypothetically, if Broadway theaters had to accommodate comfortably the now 69% of Americans that are classified as overweight or obese, they would have to remove roughly half the seats. So, I'll ask you this, are you willing to pay twice the price to see a Broadway show? "

I am 6 ft 3 in tall and I have had uncomfortable seats due to legroom, so this is not just an "overweight" issue.  This is why during every intermission; I get out of my seat and stand the entire time until the 2nd act starts.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/21/23 at 3:07pm

I get it, I’m a 5 ft 9 inch woman with a runners type body. I walk around during intermission because sitting for hours isn’t good for your body. So, are you willing to pay twice the price to have 3 feet of space in front of you? Didn’t think so. The person who said theaters didn’t design their theaters for actual bodies in mind was correct, it’s about squeezing as many people in as possible cuz….capitalism.

But, people who complain about this on a Broadway message board will keep going to see shows, so there will never be an incentive for them to spend money to accommodate everyone. 

Updated On: 4/21/23 at 03:07 PM