This Theatre Should Be Obliterated!

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 1:00pm

This thread has had a West End try out. lol

https://www.broadwayworld.com/board/editmessage.cfm?M=3945136&MID=1013792&boardid=3

From another thread you may of seen, I have not been to all London's Houses, let alone sat in every section, but have sat in most sections of the big houses. I also have been to most of Broadway houses, especially the bigger ones.

I admire London houses where they have individual charm, where Broadway houses are very uniform, but always admired how public friendly they are, love the way comfort is paramount with air conditioning and you have water fountains for patrons comfort. So would not say one is better over the other one, I love both West End and Broadway for different reasons.

I was at the Walter Kerr Theatre last Friday and sat in the mezzanine, the room in front of my seat was not existent, I could not even fit a playbill with the seat fully down to the next seat in front. I had so much lack of legroom, I was forced to sit with my legs at a acute angle position, which caused me a lot of discomfort, I was counting down to the interval, in the second half I was forced to stand at the back of the orchestra. It was even more gaoling I had to pay $146 for my seat. this house does not care for patrons comfort.

In the interval I made my way from my seat to go outside for a smoke, it took 12 minutes to achieve this, there is no room at the back of the orchestra to move, if there was a fire, I am sure it would be manic with many lives lost, this theatre does not care for patrons safety.

I am the last person to advocate a theatre should be demolished, but there is a time where there is no choice and it is better to start again. This theatre really does need bulldozing?

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 1:09pm

Maybe the ghosts of the Walter Kerr were trying to tell you to stop smoking.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 1:42pm

The Walter Kerr is one of my favorite theatres on Broadway. I feel like it's not uniform at all. Its interior is gorgeous, and I have never thought the seats were that tight.

[MissAnneThrop]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 1:49pm

i learned very early in my theatregoing never sit upstairs at the Kerr especially in the balcony. It's like K2 up there.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 2:04pm

The Kerr is my absolute favorite Broadway house. Sorry you experienced so much discomfort up in the mezzanine.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 2:48pm

Just to clarify a couple of points.

What I mean by uniform is a lot of theatres on Broadway have a mezzanine, a orchestra and a downstairs for restrooms and most theatres have exits that goes on side-walks either side.

Of all the beautiful theatres London has, we have one of the most ugliest in the world, The National Theatre.

I am 6ft, so if you are not tall say under 5ft 6" you probably would feel comfortable sitting in the Walter Kerr theatre, I didn't and as a consequence I had to stand at the back of the orchestra after the interval.

I am not partial to London or New York houses, in fact I love both.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 4:00pm

Leg room has never been an issue for me at the Kerr, but I'm not too fond of the murals. They creep me out.

You know what theatre has crammed seating? The Neil Simon. When I took my dad to Ragtime, we were in the fourth row. Leg room wasn't a problem, but we were practically sitting on top of each other. I was a bit farther back the next time, and it wasn't nearly as bad.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 5:12pm

No, the Kerr is miserable, especially upstairs. And if someone screams fire during intermission, everyone would die. doesn't help that management keeps only one door to the street open for people to both enter and exit.

[morosco]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 5:18pm

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the show?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 6:23pm

The 2 row balcony requires oxygen & sherpa guides. Beware of these seats

The theater was designed by the same guy who did the Majestic. His name was, no kidding, Herbert J Krapp. Mull & discuss.

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 6:26pm

the absolute worst mezz (that I've ever sat in) for leg room is Studio 54. The worst.
Updated On: 4/3/10 at 06:26 PM

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 6:32pm

I've only had problems in the very rear of the mezzanine at 54. The Kerr has awful leg room throughout the entire mezzanine and balcony. At least that's been my experience. The Balcony at The Cort is also pretty tight, although nowhere near as intolerable as 54 or The Kerr.

Unfortunately, tall people get the short shift at most Broadway theatres. I'm usually only comfortable if I can snag an aisle seat, which is almost impossible when you rely on rush/TDF/papering to see shows.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 7:20pm

On my recent trip to New York, I did go to the Studio 54 and thought it was a great little theatre, just as well I sat in the Orchestra.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/3/10 at 8:05pm

Krapp was a t5heater specialist. There are a lot of Krapp theaters sprinkled around.

Remember, these theaters were built when the average American was, we, smaller. We're all at the least 20 pounds heavier than people in the 20s and teens when the Broadway houses were built.

From Wikipedia, here is the list of Krapp in New York:

Herbert J. Krapp (1887, New York City, - 1973) was a theatre architect and designer in the early part of the twentieth century.

Krapp was an apprentice with the Herts & Tallant firm, where he was involved with designing the plans for the Lyceum, Shubert, Booth, New Amsterdam and Longacre Theatres, among others. He departed the firm in 1915. Between 1912 and 1916 Krapp began working directly with the Shubert brothers; eventually he would become their primary architect. He also designed theatres for the Chanin brothers.

Krapp was well-known for his ability to use his building space to its fullest potential. For the Majestic Theatre, Krapp incorporated stadium seating into the plans for the orchestra level, creating better sightlines and allowing for the creation of larger lounge and lobby areas. He designed the Ambassador Theatre on a completely diagonal plan to fit it into a small space. Krapp was responsible for completely renovating the Winter Garden Theatre and the Helen Hayes Theatre in the 1920s. He also designed the Hotel Edison, the Lincoln Hotel (now the Milford Plaza), and numerous other buildings.

Although the stock market crash of 1929 brought an end to the theatre building boom, Krapp remained with the Shuberts until 1963, supervising the maintenance and renovations of the existing venues. He also experimented with inventing; one of the tools he created was patented and used by the U.S. Air Force. He died in Florida in 1973.
[edit] Current Broadway theatres designed by Krapp

* Ambassador Theatre
* Brooks Atkinson Theatre
* Ethel Barrymore Theatre
* Biltmore Theatre
* Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
* Broadhurst Theatre
* John Golden Theatre
* Helen Hayes Theatre (redesign)
* Imperial Theatre
* Majestic Theatre
* Eugene O'Neill Theatre
* Richard Rodgers Theatre
* Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
* Neil Simon Theatre
* Winter Garden Theatre (redesign)
* Loew's Woodside Theatre (currently the site of St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church in Queens, New York)

[edit] Other notable buildings by Krapp

* Ed Sullivan Theater (originally Hammerstein's Theater; New York)
* Forrest Theatre (Philadelphia)
* Hotel Edison (New York)
* Lincoln Hotel (New York)
* Morosco Theatre (New York; demolished 1982)
* The Sardi's Building (New York)
* Folly Theater, Kansas City, Missouri (renovation)
* Loew's Woodside Theatre (1926), partially adaptively reused as St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church (Queens, New York).


That's a lotta Krapp.

Updated On: 4/3/10 at 08:05 PM

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 4/4/10 at 12:23am

When I saw Night Music, I remember looking up at the balcony and thinking, "They might as well be sitting on the roof." I don't envy anybody who has to sit up there.

I LOVE Herbert J. Krapp. My best friend pointed out a plaque with his name on it at the Majestic, and now we joke about it all the time.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/7/10 at 8:27pm

In the interval I made my way from my seat to go outside for a smoke, it took 12 minutes to achieve this, there is no room at the back of the orchestra to move, if there was a fire, I am sure it would be manic with many lives lost, this theatre does not care for patrons safety.

For the record, I have been in London for the week seeing much theatre, and I remembered this thread from a few days ago. I have to say, two of the West End theatres I have been in so far have been TERRIBLE for the same reason you cited above. Getting out of the Adelphi and ESPECIALLY the stalls at the Noel Coward was a DISASTER. Getting up from the stalls at the Coward (the entrance is on the royal circle/mezz level like it is at the Henry Miller) to the curb during intermission took me around 8 minutes. There are only two tiny staircases leading up the street level. It was very inconvenient. Seemingly the same problem you had with the Kerr.

[mike_xtreme91]

Posted: 4/7/10 at 9:31pm

While fifth row orchestra seat was not terrible, this theater is the most uncomfortable I have ever been in. I would feel terrible if anyone came in late with a center of row seat, everyone would basically have to stand up and exit the row so they could get to their seat.
I saw ALNM last week, and I can still vividly see the terrified face of an elderly lady using a cane when she was told that she would have to climb two flights of stairs to get to her seat in the balcony. I'm sure that the house found more accessible seats for the her, but what if she had to go to the bathroom? In today's world, there is no excuse for a public location not to be completely handicap accessible.

I did enjoy the intimacy of the theatre, and the joy of being able to see Ms. Lansbury's performance very closely, but it would have been much more pleasant if my knees were not jammed into the back of the seat in front of me.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/7/10 at 9:54pm

I saw Doubt at the Kerr and sat in the balcony. It was a bit uncomfortable. When my best friend, who is 6'2", went back with me on vacation and wanted to see Doubt, I made sure to get him an orchestra seat on the aisle. He said it was a bit uncomfortable for him. I can only imagine what it would have been like for him in the balcony.

[Huss417]

Posted: 4/8/10 at 12:13am

I just had this discussion with a friend that wants to see A Little Night Music. He is very tall 6'7". I told him if he couldn't get an aisle seat he would be in trouble as would the people behind him.

Then when he found out aisle seats cost 162.00 he felt that was discrimination that he would have to pay more because he is tall. An interesting dynamic thrown into the mix. I understand where he is coming from though.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/8/10 at 6:55am

It has nothing to do with discrimination. It is greed pure & simple.

Anyone who pays this should have their head examined.