The Palace Is Under Attack
The Palace Is Under Attack
#1The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 12:56pm
The Palace Theatre has been given a $200,000 renovation for Holler If Ya Hear Me, the new Broadway musical inspired by the lyrics of Tupac Shakur that will begin performances May 29 towards a June 19 opening.
According to the Wall Street Journal, scenic designer Edward Pierce and the creatives of Holler have repositioned the ground-level orchestra seats into a stadium-seating configuration to "deepen the sense of intimacy" at the Palace.
"Everybody in those first few rows can basically high-five the actors," Pierce told the Wall Street Journal. "They're that close."
Rows A-J rise in a direct line from the edge of the stage up to the front mezzanine — to focus the performers' delivery upward — and rows K-Z of the orchestra will be unused, decreasing the house capacity to 1,120 seats (compared to the previous 1,740 seats). Holler is also responsible for returning the theatre's seating to its original state following its run (which currently remains open-ended).
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#2The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 12:59pmWith the theater being ripped apart inside, I am reminded of Dude
#2The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:00pm
Good to see that their capacity % won't seem as low after reducing their potential 35%.
following its run (which currently remains open-ended)
I can see this running for weeks, maybe even a couple months.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#3The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:07pmWhere is the attack? I don't see the big deal. They are altering the space for their needs. It will be returned to its original state when they close.
#4The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:08pm"Under attack"? A tad dramatic, don't you think?
#5The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:09pm
"Everybody in those first few rows can basically high-five the actors," Pierce told the Wall Street Journal. "They're that close."
That doesn't sound distracting at all...
PlayItAgain
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/8/11
#6The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:09pmso instead of spending all this money why didnt they wait for one of the half dozen theaters that will surely be opening up shortly.....
ARTc3
Broadway Star Joined: 8/5/13
#7The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:09pm
Dude was a far more drastic renovation. This sounds like the seating configuration will remain proscenium. Dude was a very unique "in-the-round" configuration. It was basically achieved by raising the front orchestra and stage deck almost to the height of the mezzanine, then building seating where the stage would normally be and creating a playing area in the center of the room between what had been the stage and the now almost level mezzanine. To make it even more unique, the aisle were also used as playing spaces and the orchestra was scattered around the house with the conductor sort of floating above everything. It was very cool.
Dude also played, The Broadway Theatre.
#8The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:11pm
"Where is the attack?"
It's somewhere in the 12th line in Phantom of London's signature, which, sadly, actually exists.
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#9The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:24pm
I knew it played the Broadway. I was just saying that the theater rearrangement reminded me of Dude
#10The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:28pmThe real question is "does anyone know if they need any steel". (There - I can now say my message board usage is work related).
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#11The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:28pmGlad to see they've actually got some money invested into this. I'm sure it will be a tough sell, but glad it's not going to be a cheap production.
TalkinLoud
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/3/09
Steve721
Stand-by Joined: 2/21/14
#13The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:42pmSeeing just the title, I thought the OP was referring to the new show about King Charles III that is currently playing in London.
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#15The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 1:55pm
$200,000 is not a lot of money to do renovations.
In my bank account, yes, but not on Broadway.
BroadwayShowTime
Understudy Joined: 9/11/10
#16The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 2:00pm
#HollerBway goes to new heights to expand the theatrical experience at the Palace Theatre: http://on.wsj.com/1kXkMLx pic.twitter.com/KhMkGt5j0Z
Updated On: 4/22/14 at 02:00 PM
#17The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 2:13pmThey are building a superstructure over the existing seats. No attack. No damage. No difficult strike. It sounds silly but that is all.
#18The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 2:30pmMaybe more of the theaters in the Phantom of London's jurisdiction should also be spending money on renovations...
Rainbowhigh23
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/29/12
#19The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 2:43pmThat seating structure looks like the White Plains Performing Arts Center, or the theater that the Gazillion Bubble Show plays in.
#20The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 2:55pm
"Maybe more of the theaters in the Phantom of London's jurisdiction should also be spending money on renovations..."
We don't need no weird seating configurations thank-you-very-much 
Liza's Headband
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/13
#21The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 2:56pm
"It's somewhere in the 12th line in Phantom of London's signature, which, sadly, actually exists. "
Thank f*cking god you said that. SO TRUE.
FishermanBob
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/9/12
#22The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 3:08pm^ You laugh now, but 4 months from now when you are working on a time sensitive project and desperately need to get a question answered from someone who saw the Fiddler on the Roof run at the Orchard Theater in Dartford, well then, you'll be whistling a different tune.
#23The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 3:09pm
I'm willing to wager that PhantomofLondon would not have had any problems with these modifications being done to the Palace if it were being doing for an all-white production.
What an incredibly melodramatic thread title to o along with that obnoxious signature of his. 
Updated On: 4/22/14 at 03:09 PM
#24The Palace Is Under Attack
Posted: 4/22/14 at 3:33pm
Was the title 'Other Desert Cities', did that have bearing on the play? Just a bit of fun, calm down dear.
Anyway I always assumed that a Broadway house, could literally have its pick of shows, so on rent on the Palaces normal size, which is 6/7% of box office gross, so the Palace would rake in anything north of $70k a week, when a show has a capacity of 1800 with a drop of seating by 35% this would diminish there rent capability by $24.5k a week, so would allow the Nederlanders to collect roughly $45k a week in rent, I am basing this on a show that gross $1m a week.
Why did this go into Broadways biggest house, only to then reduce capacity.
I am surprised that the Nederlanders have dropped the ball here.
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