Favorite/least favorite Broadway Theater

[Matt1]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 5:00pm

What is your favorite/least favorite Broadway theater to see a show in?

[lupone76]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 5:22pm

I would say my least favorite would be the Lyceum and my favorites are the Broadway, Majestic, Imperial,

[Matt1]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 5:23pm

Marriot Marquee and Palace are my least favorite. Imperial is my favorite.

[rorschach37]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 6:22pm

The St. James is where I saw my first Broadway show and will always hold a special place in my heart. The Barrymore and Hirschfeld are other favorites of mine. I don't much care for the Brooks Atkinson or the Helen Hayes.

[bronxgal]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 6:45pm

i'm in a wheelchair so i'm basing this on wheelchair seats

fav...palace theatre, august wilson, and golden theatre
least fav...nederlander and marquee

[jnb9872]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 7:08pm

Especially given the high quality of shows there lately, but really just the beauty and aura of the theatre, the Music Box.

Least? Maybe the Marquis, maybe the Lunt-Fontanne, the newer, larger ones I guess. But I don't really dislike any of the theatres.

The Lyceum is the least comfortable but is beautifully historic, so I can't fault it for the discomfort (or the racist balcony.)

[madlibrarian]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 8:25pm

Not to quarrel, but how is a balcony racist?

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 8:44pm

I second (or third) the Marquis as my least favorite--there's just something about seeing a Broadway show in a hotel that makes it seem tacky.

Favorite is tough--probably the Booth, Rodgers or Sondheim. But I also love going to the WilsonHirschfield just for their displays.

[wonkit]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 8:48pm

Least favorites: Golden and Marquis.

Favorite: The Barrymore: lots of great experiences there over the past six years.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 10:13pm

madlibrarian - the Balcony level at the Lyceum has a different staircase to access it than the Mezzanine. It is a vestige of the old, racist days when the Balcony had a separate entrance altogether, which thankfully is no longer the case.

[chrisampm2]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 10:34pm

Jnb, did people of other races - or other classes - frequent the balcony?

[jackieoh]

Posted: 8/3/13 at 10:55pm

Favorite: Booth
Least Favorite: John Golden

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 8/4/13 at 12:18am

The Palace is my favorite. Don't have a least favorite.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/4/13 at 12:20am

Favorite-smaller houses-Booth, Helen Hayes, Music Box, Walter Kerr.

HATE-Gershwin, Palace, Marquis, Broadway.

Posted: 8/4/13 at 1:56pm

anything where i cant fit in a seat or have to bring my knees in and sit in a fetal position for 2 hours.

[madlibrarian]

Posted: 8/4/13 at 6:46pm

Thank you, jnb. Many an old West End theater still has a separate entrance for orchestra and balcony; presumably class and not race was once the point of such segregation.

[wonkit]

Posted: 8/4/13 at 7:22pm

It is the fact that separate entrances were required by the fire laws and not intended as either racist or class-ist.

[madlibrarian]

Posted: 8/4/13 at 7:49pm

Aha! Ta, Wonkit.

[theatredk]

Posted: 8/4/13 at 7:49pm

The Gershwin, Minskoff & The Marquis

[kdogg36]

Posted: 8/4/13 at 7:54pm

I love the Al Hirschfeld for its beautiful and unique interior. I agree with many that the Lyceum is the worst.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 8/4/13 at 8:21pm

That's good to know, wonkit, if so. And yeah, mad, your point is not moot. Classist is probably the better term for what I intended to imply, though racist more often than not was likely a rather dramatic side effect.

And, of course, it is my never my intention to describe the balcony structure in and of itself as harboring any prejudicial views. I just always used the shorthand as a way of describing it, because (I believe) it is the only theatre left with such a feature and is the oldest one as well; as a link to another time I find it fascinating.

[Broadway Geek2]

Posted: 8/6/13 at 10:04am

LEAST FAVORITES
Gershwin and Marquis: no style at all, just a box.
The balcony in the St. James: you need oxygen up there.

Updated On: 8/6/13 at 10:04 AM

[suestorm]

Posted: 8/6/13 at 10:21am

its pretty unanimous it seems at least in the hate. I hate the Marquis and also the Minskoff. my faves are the Belasco with its tiffany glass and the Music Box

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/6/13 at 10:40am

I've mostly had good experiences in the theatres I've been in, but my least favorite was definitely when i sat in the balcony at the Broadway Theatre. I felt like I was miles away from the stage. it was hard to even concentrate on the show.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 8/6/13 at 10:42am

I love the Belasco!

My least favorite for looks is probably either Foxwoods or Marquis.