Why You Shouldn't Sit Front Row on Broadway

Why You Shouldn't Sit Front Row on Broadway

Broadway

Ok, unpopular opinion coming. I would not sit in the front row of a Broadway show by choice.

Why you might ask? Well in many theaters the front row is actually considered a partial view section because of how high the stage is. When this happens you miss a lot of the back of the stage.

Now how much does this matter? I'm going to say it depends on the show.

I've been in the front row twice, once for Something Rotten and once for Dear Evan Hansen, both for lotteries or Rush tickets where I had no choice over my seat. For Dear Evan Hansen the only thing I felt I missed was the final scene in the apple orchard. For Something Rotten I felt I missed a ton.

Now, I had seen Something Rotten once before through Rush (it was very easy to get) and had sat in the balcony. That was great because the show was a big production with elaborate sets and big dance numbers. Up front, because the stage of the St. James is so gigantic I missed anything going on more than about 10 feet back on stage, which was most of the big dance numbers.

Now the advantage is always to see the facial reactions you miss in the balcony, but you also miss a good portion of the stage. For Rush or lotteries, it is often what you get because the theaters know they aren't the best seats.

But that is not always the case. The person next to me for Dear Evan Hansen had paid full price for his ticket and was extremely disappointed with his view. Just beware when you're buying tickets for a show that further back may actually be better if you have the choice.