From Where We Sat: The Majestic Theatre

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 Majestic Theatre

The Theatre: 

• 247 W. 44th Street
• Current capacity: 1617 seats
• Orchestra, Front Mezzanine and Rear Mezzanine seating

What We Saw There:

• Beaches (review HERE)

Where We Sat: 

• We sat in Orchestra Left Row P, Seats 7 & 9. The seating in this theater has tighter leg room. The seats themselves are small, close together and moderately uncomfortable and in new condition.

What We Paid: 

• $100.00 (Show Discount) These seats, at the Box Office, are $149.00 each. 

The Location: 

• Upon entering the theater, we were directed straight ahead to Aisle 2. We entered in the middle of the orchestra section. There are seats down to the stage and up from that point. We had to go up 4 steps.
• Row P is the fourth row from the break aisle, and 16 rows from the stage.

Seat Amenities and Exiting the Theatre:

• These seats are still new since the renovation following Phantom's departure, and the seats themselves are comfortable. That said, they apparently went for seat quantity over patron comfort. They are very tight. Further, there is not much legroom.
• The rows of this part of the orchestra are stadium style and there was no trouble seeing in front of us. The seats are far enough back that the stage is fully visible.  
• Exiting the theatre is not the easiest, though it depends on how you choose to exit. One way would require going back the way you enter, though for part of that way you are going against the flow of traffic, which mostly seems intent on going the way we chose to exit. We opted to cut across an aisle all the way across to an open door onto 44th Street.  
• We were out of the theater and on our way in about 8-10 minutes post curtain call.

So how was the view*?

• The height of the deck is a non-issue from this point. 
• These seats were an excellent view, though when the actors were further upstage, facial expressions were less clear.
• Of note with this production as designed, people seated in the first few rows on the sides have an obstructed view, as there are sand dunes with sea grass on the sides and all the way down to the edge of the stage. Further, I have to imagine that all of the orchestra seating in the first 3 or 4 rows may have some trouble seeing all the way upstage - a fair amount of action takes place up there - as there is an "upper deck" to the stage, about 4 stair steps up. The stage itself is relatively high, too. I would not recommend sitting too close.

The bottom line:

• I would probably get these seats again. Slight discomfort in exchange for a full, unobstructed view is worth it. (I might not choose them for a show the length of Les Miserables or Angels in America.)

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

Other seating at The Majestic Theatre

• We have seen several productions at this theater and we've sat in various locations in the orchestra and mezzanine areas. 
• Aside from obvious view differences, the lower orchestra section seating offers slightly more leg room, while the back part of the orchestra section offers a fuller view. The front mezzanine offers a full view that doesn't feel very far away. The drawback up there is the stairs going up. They are steep! The rear mezzanine offers a fair view, though it seems farther away mostly due to the rake of that seating section. They are, however, usually budget friendly.

 

At This Theatre: The Majestic

At This Theatre:

The Majestic

Lately, the Majestic Theatre has been in the news lately. First, after more than three and a half decades, it lost its longest-running tenant, The Phantom of the Opera. Then it was in the headlines after it began a major refurbishment inside and out. Who'd have thought a new marquee, the sanding of exterior paints, and the repainting of its biggest sign from black to its former signature red would make headlines?!

Of course, when a theater has been open for 97 years (it turns 98 on March 28), there have been several headline-making shows there. For several years in the 1930s, the 44th Street theater was home to Gilbert and Sullivan revivals in repertory. Later, it was home to two Rodgers and Hart classics, On Your Toes and Babes in Arms. Perhaps this was the house that should have been re-named the Rodgers, because here was where Rogers and Hammerstein debuted Carousel, Allegro, Me and Juliet and South Pacific. Many of Broadway's greatest musicals played here (and a few legendary flops, too) like The Music Man, A Little Night Music, Golden Boy, Funny Girl, Anyone Can Whistle, Ballroom and the never opened Breakfast at Tiffany's.

    

For the last forty plus years, the Majestic has had just three tenants: a transfer of the original production of 42nd Street, The Phantom of the Opera and now, the hit revival of Gypsy. It's fun to think that many of today's most hardcore theater fans have only known the last two on the marquee in their lifetimes! It says, for better or for worse, a lot about my age that I've seen all three there... 42nd Street was my second Broadway show ever.

The Majestic Refurbished:

  

Number of Shows We've Seen There: 3

42nd Street, The Phantom of the Opera, Gypsy

      

42nd Street (March 30, 1981 - April 5, 1987) As I said, my second Broadway show ever, and it really made an impression. Big dance numbers, huge scenery, lavish costumes and classic songs played by a big orchestra - everything that defined a "musical." Today, I look back on it with nostalgia and respect. It was a living history lesson. My tastes have evolved, but it still remains a prime example of that type of show for me.

The Phantom of the Opera (January 26, 1988 - April 16, 2023) Over its three plus decade run, I saw the show there several times. It was, and still is, a show I respect more than love. The pinnacle of 80s mega musical excess, it sure checks all the boxes for that sub-genre. My favorite Phantom was Howard McGillin, but it was the last time I saw it that I really appreciated is artistry and influence. Turns out it was the final company, headed by Ben Crawford, whose gritty portrayal was actually frightening. What impressed me most was that it was a pristine production, as fresh as if it had opened that week.

Gypsy (December 19, 2024 - still running) Seems that every time I step foot in the Majestic, I'm witnessing history. Not only was the refurbishment a sight to see, but one of Broadway's greatest shows of all time arrived in a stunning, history-making revival headlined by the reigning queen of Broadway, Audra McDonald. Lavish, daring and brilliant as always, it is the perfect show to continue the grand tradition this venerable theater.

A "Pharewell" to Phantom

A "Pharewell" to Phantom

Many of you were probably not even alive when the Majestic Theatre had a tenant other than The Phantom of the Opera. Still more of you probably haven't seen any other show at that theater. Had my Broadway-going ways not started five years earlier than its opening, I would be the same, but back in the mid-80s, the second Broadway show I ever saw, 42nd Street, played there. Fast forward some five years later, and the "new" mega-musical took the theater world by storm. It was everywhere: on the news, on TV. It instantly became a part of pop culture. No one doubted that it would be a hit. But no one thought that it wouldn't budge from 44th Street for more than 35 years!

My first Phantom memory is kinda funny. About a week after it opened, my mother and I found ourselves in the city, and got in the line to buy tickets, which stretched down past the Broadhurst. We didn't want to leave it to someone on the phone or through mail order to pick our seats. It was a different world then... Anyway, we got inside the box office lobby and had to stifle a laugh. An older woman said, "I'll take two tickets in the first few rows, center. It doesn't have to be today. Any time this week will be fine." Boy, was she upset by the answer she got. She left, muttering to herself, no tickets in hand. We got orchestra seats for a performance roughly a year later...

Over the years, I saw the show several times, four on Broadway and once during the first national tour. I also saw bits and pieces of another national tour when I worked merch during an East Coast stop. The less I say about that, the better. Hint: The "Phans" were a tad crazy.

Left: Mark Jacoby, Karen Culliver, Hugh Panaro     Right: Jeff Keller

Left: Kevin Gray & Teri Bibb  Right: Gary Mauer & Rebecca Pitcher

My first Broadway Phantom was Mark Jacoby, with Karen Culliver as Christine, and Hugh Panaro as Raoul. I've been a Panaro fan ever since! The national tour Phantom was the late, great Kevin Gray. A real privilege, to say the least! Later, on Broadway, I saw Jeff Keller, with Tracy Shayne and Ciaran Sheehan. Miss Shayne was lovely. I don't even remember the other two. The touring Phantom when I worked merch was Gary Mauer, who later went to Broadway. He was a really nice guy, and had a group of ladies who traveled to see him all over the country.

But I have two Phantoms who stand out in my memories, and both made me really appreciate the show. Howard McGillin (left) was sublime. His voice is so effortless and haunting, and his Phantom was so sexy! No wonder he's played the role more than anyone. It is the current and final Phantom that impressed me the most. Ben Crawford sings great, but they all do. What made him really stand out to me is that he was actually scary and menacing - earning the screams of the company as he terrorized the Paris Opera House. He was a broken, enraged man whose brief moments of vulnerability were endearing.

Seeing him, along with the equally wonderful Kaley Ann Voorhees, turned out to be my final visit to the show. It was thrilling, and I'm so glad to have ended my Phantom experience with that company. What was as remarkable as the performance, though, was how pristine it looked, and how the energy was as if it had just opened, not that it was into its fourth decade. 

Ben Crawford & Kaley Ann Voorhees

For Mike and I, though, the biggest thrill was the conductor at that performance. When the announcement came on, "This performance will be conducted by David Caddick," we looked at each other and exclaimed, "David Caddick!!!???" I wondered at the time how many people around us thought we were nuts, or making fun of it. Truth is, we were genuinely excited. As Mike says, Caddick may be the only person to know the score as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber himself!

The first time I saw The Phantom of the Opera, I must admit I was disappointed. Perhaps, it was because, by the time I got to see it, the hype was bound to leave me wanting. For what it's worth, I had the same reaction to Cats, Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. Maybe it was mega-musicals altogether? Anyway, like all of those, I came to appreciate Phantom. I recognize its artistry, importance in musical theater history, and its broad appeal. It will never be a favorite, but I will miss it.

It will be very strange to walk down the block and not see the marquee and, likely, the building painted black any more, and I'm sure many of us will have a flood of memories each time we do for the near future.

Farewell, Phantom.