Best Theatre (house) on Broadway

Just curious, what is everyone's favorite theatre on broadway? Which one do you think is the most beautiful? Which one is the nicest to see a show in (most comfortable, best sightlines)?

or, conversely, which is the worst of the broadway houses? Which one is ugliest/least comfortable/ has worst sightlines?

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The New Amsterdam! Just stunning. I wonder what they are going to do to the rooftop theatre??? I hope that opens someday...

I find the following theaters very pretty (inside)

1. The New Amsterdam
2. Al Hirschfield (Martin Beck)
3. Walter Kerr

and I never thought that any Broadway house is ugly. They are all pretty in their own way.. some are simple yet they special in their own way.

BTW- If youre interested- there's a book at Amazon about Broadway Theaters:
https://www.amazon.com/Broadway-Theatres-Architecture-William-Morrison/dp/0486402444/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196554726&sr=8-1

J*

Updated On: 12/1/07 at 07:16 PM

I think the New Amsterdam is the most beautiful, but my GOD you have to be 4'10" and weigh 85 pounds to feel comfortable in those seats.

And I'm neither (to put it delicately).

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My favorite is definitely The New Amsterdam. I also love the Al Hirschfeld and Neil Simon (there are no bad seats in either houses.) I also love The Shubert (it's at least my favorite theatre from the outside- the facade is beautiful.)

I hate The Helen Hayes and The Marquis because they have NO character- no fancy architecture, nothing pretty to look at. I love the way The Marquis is view-wise (the mezzanine is very steep so you can always see the full stage.)

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I don't like the Gershwin. It's so...black. My two personal favorites are the August Wilson and the O'Neill. I love how small and intimate the O'Neill is. But all the orange at the August Wilson gets kind of sickening sometimes. I like the New Amsterdam too.

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Updated On: 12/1/07 at 08:04 PM

I don't really know if it's necessarily my favorite, but I loved the cozy size of the Helen Hayes.

I think every Broadway house is beautiful in its own way, but my favorites are the Palace and the Majestic.

I think the most comfortable for me is the Eugene O'Neill theatre, but I just love sitting in the Palace just because it is the Palace (and a beautiful theatre).

However, even though it's obviously in need of some serious paint and fix ups, I have always loved the Nederlander. It's such a cool exterior and I love how every seat is a good one because it's so small. Please understand that I am in no way saying that it's the nicest theatre. I guess it just has always seemed the most "in character" to me for its show. It also has housed Rent for the last 11 years and therefore has a special place in my heart. :)

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Walter Kerr

Really? Nobody has said the Biltmore? After its renovation, I think it's one of, if not THE best theatre to see anything in. Quite the beautiful space for a Broadway House!

I haven't been to many Broadway theatre personally, but from what I've been to:

PALACE: I really enjoyed the character of the Palace and how even when sitting in the second balcony, I felt pretty close to the action (I'm sure it sounds odd, but in Minneapolis our theatres are much longer and I'm used to those far seats.) The lighting was nice enough as well. I didn't enjoy the lack of leg room or how the dome above was completely unlit and just overall boring.

NEDERLANDER: I loved the rundown bohemian feel of this theatre for Rent. If I was seeing another show, I would be so appalled at the interior, but I just love it for Rent. I love the proscenium all decked out with it's broken dishes and how the whole theatre is in such disrepair. But like I said, I would only accept it for Rent. Escaping that deathtrap was kind of scary, with the entrances for the mezzanine level only at the very back of the theatre other than the one in the very center towards the top.

BROADWAY: There was no legroom. At all. But it's a BEAUTIFUL interior of a theatre. The stage is uncomfortably high (especially sitting in the 5th row), but what can you do.

MAJESTIC: I absolutely loved the Majestic. I was sitting front row and the stage was at perfect eye level. I could still see the stage floor a bit, and I loved it. The musty smell of the old place really set the mood for Phantom with me. They have a really creepy sitting area outside of the mens bathroom though. It's like it's supposed to be a sitting area but it's barely lit and has a single couch in it.

GERSHWIN: Wicked is an amazing show, but that was the only amazing thing I saw all night. I could hear fine (I was sitting in the loge), and I had great sightlines, but the place lacked any character. The seats were just a dull bluish grey and the Hall of Fame or whatever is kind of unimpressive. Overall, after all of the hype I had about the monstrous theatre, I was let down (but not by Julia and Kendra, who I find phenomenal). The only good thing was their plentitude of bathrooms. And I'd heard it was just a gigantic theatre, almost feeling like a warehouse, but I was kind of shocked. At the time (this was my very first Broadway theatre to enter), I was shocked almost to see it was much smaller than I thought. Maybe I'm just being overanalyzing though

i like the nederlander because it is so personal

plentitude of bathrooms? on the second floor, the bathrooms at Gershwin have three stalls. i almost cried while waiting in the hour long line