Really interesting Playbill article about lounges in Broadway houses

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 9/1/11 at 9:58am

I just read this Ask Playbill article and found it incredibly interesting. I had never given that much thought to the lounges in some of the theaters, and now I'm pretty sure I'm always going to imagine people in their finest clothes socializing and showing off.

[I was particularly amused by the fact that the row behind the orchestra seats was designed to be a promenade.]
ASK PLAYBILL.COM: What About Those Lounges in New York City Theatres?

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 9/1/11 at 10:28am

Thanks that was a interesting article.

As the article points out, going to the theater was a opulent occasion, where patrons showed off their finery during the interval, however this comes at a cost, it was a very expensive social event and I would guess 75% of contributers on here couldn't afford to go to the theater in those days.
Updated On: 9/1/11 at 10:28 AM

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 9/1/11 at 11:53am

Thanks for posting this, that really was an interesting read.

[peerrjb]

Posted: 9/1/11 at 12:19pm

Great piece. If you're ever out in LA, you may find the Pantages Theatre interesting. It was (duh) part of the Pantages legit-vaudeville circuit, and after many years as a first-run film house and the site of many Oscar presentations, it fell to shame, and then reemerged as a legit house with the most uncomfortable seats in Christendom and a particularly shoddy appearance for a "working" theatre. But it was the Disney folk who restored it when they brought in the LA company of "The Lion King". The promenade is still there, and quite huge. And the staircases on either end of the lobby are stunning. Talk about your SHOWOFF spaces!!! There's even a promenade upstairs along the balcony entrances. The lounges are harder to find, but as with the NYC sites, so many of the original, classy "intentions" have given way to candy counters (thanks to the bean-counters).

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/1/11 at 1:21pm

No matter your feelings on both Phantom and Lion King you have to respect them for what they have done for touring houses across the country. Many theatres needed to go through some pretty extensive renovations to house the national tour of Phantom, and then Lion King came through and demanded even more things (either further updates or maintenance on the things they had previously done for Phantom). And since any presenter who knew what they were doing wanted to make sure they could get these shows, the necessary renovations were done and done right.

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/1/11 at 1:53pm

AEA, The Buell did just that for the tour of Phantom which opened the Buell Theater back in 1991.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/1/11 at 2:10pm

They ended up causing some great improvements across the country, everything from creating/cleaning up rehearsal spaces and dressing rooms, to reinforcing and replacing worn out stage decks and grids, to updating HVAC systems.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/1/11 at 2:11pm

And I'm sure that if they hadn't been coming along comparatively so soon after The Lion King then Wicked would be doing the same thing as well in terms of necessary renovations and updates.

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/1/11 at 2:30pm

So, I am sure people here know which theaters have lounges and which are the nicest. I would love a list of those. I notice some of them when I go to shows but, as mentioned in the article, only when I go to the restroom. The article makes me want to get to the theater earlier than I do, grab a glass of wine and go sit in them as I never really pay much attention to the detail of them while walking through.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 9/1/11 at 2:51pm

The only one that springs to mind right now is the lounge in the Music Box.