From Where We Sat: The Vivian Beaumont

Today, we have the next in our series of seating articles based on many of your emails requests and questions, namely "how were your seats?" Sure, I'm aware of another website that provides a similar service that covers New York theaters, national theaters and concert and sporting venues. I hope to provide a bit more information and insight. That said, if there's anything more you'd like to know or want to share your own experiences please feel free to contact us on social media at JKsTheatreScene.

From Where We Sat:

The Vivian Beaumont Theatre

The Theatre: 

• 150 W. 65th Street
• Current capacity: 1053 seats
• Orchestra and Loge seating

What We Saw There:

• Ragtime (review HERE)

Where We Sat: 

• House Right Loge Section 5 Row C Seats 506 & 507. 506 is closest to the center of the two.
• All of the seating in this theater has above average room. The seats themselves were comfortable and in excellent condition.

What We Paid: 

• $99.00 (Box office price - we purchased early to get the best of the cheapest seats for that specific performance.)

The Location: 

• Upon entering the theater, we were directed to the top level. Depending upon where you enter the building, it may take one or two flights of stairs to get to the lodge (mezzanine) level. Once our tickets were scanned, we went to the farthest door to the right. 
• Row C is the third row from the front of the section.

Seat Amenities:

• In addition to legroom, these seats offer additional comfort.
• The rows of the Loge seating are stadium style, so there is no problem seeing over the person in front of you.
• Exiting the theatre is a simple. From here, the exit doors are just a few feet away, and with the spacious hallways that lead back to the spacious lobby, there is virtually no delay in filing out. Similarly, the staircases are wide and allow for a steady stream of egress. Finally, as mentioned above there are several entrances/exists to the theater, so the sold out crowd dispersed easily and quickly. 
• We were out of the theater and on our way to the subway in less than 3 minutes post curtain call. (The subway we took was about another 3 minutes away.)

So how was the view*?

• We had a full view of the action, with the exception of the extreme upstage left area.
• I thought perhaps we'd miss a fair amount in the upstage left area, but Ragtime is staged primarily in the center, and a great deal on the thrust. We might have missed an entrance or exit, but none of the action.
• The seats are far enough to the center, and with the rake of the seats, we were pretty much seeing it straight on, with the actors in view from head to to at all times. I don't think people in the orchestra seating on the extreme sides or too close to the tall stage can say the same.
• The seats are also close enough that facial expressions and set and costume details were clear.
• The effect of the turntables and elevators was perfect from this perspective.
• The dramatic effect of the expansive, sweeping scenes were particularly effective from here, as were the more intimate scenes which were staged down center on the thrust for the most part.

The bottom line:

• I would choose these specifically. The were budget-friendly and worth every penny.

* - Your seating preferences may vary, of course. And these seats may not be as ideal for a different production.

Other seating at the Vivian Beaumont:

• We have seen several productions at this theater - plays and musicals - and we've sat in various locations in the orchestra and loge areas.
• One time, we sat in the second row left side orchestra, and it was great for seeing the actors up close, except the stage is high from there, so you miss a great deal of upstage action. Generally, in this theater because of the stage set up, sitting mid-orchestra and back is best, with the extreme sides less ideal - I'd suggest that if sitting in those sections, avoid the 4 or 5 seats closest to the wall.
• The view from the loge is very good, no matter the location and it feels close to the stage. The leg room is great and the stadium style seating creates full, unobstructed views. Typically, Loge rows D and E are fairly cheaper. Grab those! The view is not appreciably different than the first few rows, so the price difference may make sitting there a great economic choice, if that's an issue for you.