Coppélia

[nicoletteliles]

I danced until after my recent college graduation but never got the chance to see a large ballet company in action. For my birthday, my boyfriend is taking me for a weekend in NYC to see Coppélia. I went to buy the tickets today and the seats we had been planning on purchasing were gone. That's what we get for waiting.

Anyways, my question is this: where are the best seats out of the options I have left.

There are two seats together in the F row of the first ring, a plethora of tickets in the orchestra and the third ring. If we choose to go on another day, there are other options. Should I go for back of orchestra or back of first ring? I don't want to have a lot of heads blocking my view but I also want to have a good view of the entire stage.

Thanks ahead of time!

[carbro]

Welcome to BalletAlert!, nicoletteliles.

For your first ballet experience, I'd recommend the back of the First Ring. My personal preference is to be a little higher, but the difference between the back of First v. the back of Third Ring is significant. You'll enjoy greater immediacy while still having a full view of the stage.

If you are within what would be considered a normal height range, your view will not be obscured by the person in front of you unless 1) s/he is unusually tall, or 2) s/he insists on leaning forward. Usually, a gentle tap on the shoulder and polite request to sit back fixes the latter.

I hope you will report back and tell us how you liked it.

[vipa]

Welcome to BalletAlert!, nicoletteliles.

For your first ballet experience, I'd recommend the back of the First Ring. My personal preference is to be a little higher, but the difference between the back of First v. the back of Third Ring is significant. You'll enjoy greater immediacy while still having a full view of the stage.

If you are within what would be considered a normal height range, your view will not be obscured by the person in front of you unless 1) s/he is unusually tall, or 2) s/he insists on leaning forward. Usually, a gentle tap on the shoulder and polite request to sit back fixes the latter.

I hope you will report back and tell us how you liked it.

I agree with Carbro, that the back of the 1st Ring is better than the back of the orchestra, where you are far from the stage and don't have the benefit of looking down to see formations. As far as the 3rd ring goes, I like the front of the 3rd ring more than the back of the 1st ring. But I'm short so being in front saves me the worry of getting stuck behind a tall person.

[cubanmiamiboy]

My all time strategy in every single theater/opera house I've ever been in all countries calls for buying cheap tickets-(all the way up, no matter where)-, getting into the theater and waiting quietly on the aisles in the orchestra section while scanning potential empty seats. When the ushers close the doors and it's obvious no one else is getting in, I rapidly go to a non occupied seat usually in the VERY expensive first rows. It never fails. Even if I decide to seat upstairs, I end up moving around to good view spots.

[Barbara]

Cristian, I applaud your gumption! I'm a 'fraidy cat and would worry the entire time that I would be caught and deported.

[California]

Christian's technique might work in many theaters, but I've seen some where ushers are specifically watching out for this (e.g., Orange County/Segerstrom Performing Arts Center), follow these people, ask to see their tickets, and move them back. At other theaters (e.g., Ellie Caulkins in Denver), I've sometimes complained to an usher about the seating (e.g., the terrible acoustics in the second tier) and they've offered to move us to better seats, if available. But those same ushers at Caulkins have a terrible habit of seating latecomers during the overture, so moving to another seat at the last minute can be a problem if they show up. Another thing that often happens: the missing people show up at the first intermission and expect to get their seats, which can be a little embarrassing.

[Dale]

At the nycb, ushers are very vigilant. For every time I've improved my seat, there has been a time I've been caught. The ushers even threaten to remove you from the theater. I've decided that it is just not worth it. The only exceptions I've made are if it is a few seats over or for the last ballet of a triple bill. It helps to have a friend in a good seat to scout out empty seats and give you an excuse to linger in the area.

As far as seating at nycb, I avoid the ends of rows. Those seats are really the only bad seats, with partial view. There is a good rake of the seats so unless there is a large height difference, one can usually see.

[kfw]

As far as seating at nycb, I avoid the ends of rows. Those seats are really the only bad seats, with partial view. There is a good rake of the seats so unless there is a large height difference, one can usually see.

It's been awhile since I sat in the orchestra, but I have a ticket for seat K-19 later in the season. It was only $62, whereas one seat towards the center would have been $135. There can't really be $73 worth of difference. ??

[Swanilda8]

My all time strategy in every single theater/opera house I've ever been in all countries calls for buying cheap tickets-(all the way up, no matter where)-, getting into the theater and waiting quietly on the aisles in the orchestra section while scanning potential empty seats. When the ushers close the doors and it's obvious no one else is getting in, I rapidly go to a non occupied seat usually in the VERY expensive first rows. It never fails. Even if I decide to seat upstairs, I end up moving around to good view spots.

I've done this occasionally during intermission, but never before the performance. It's too frightening to me, because I once was at a production at the Met, in my own (student rush) seat, and I saw the ushers come up to someone in the row behind me just as the lights went down, shine two flashlights on the person, and say loudly "That's not your seat!"

As for seats at the David Koch Theater, I would agree with everything said here, with the caveat that the most important thing is to sit near the center of the theater. It frustrates me so much if I sit on the sides of the theater and I can't see a third of the stage. Have fun!

[cubanmiamiboy]

It is a manner of logic. If the seat will stay non occupied, it should not. Great theaters don't allow latecomers-(almost all of them)-, and particularly in the orchestra section-(the MET one of them). When intermezzo comes, I also wait until lights are off at the last minute to make sure the seat remains non occupied. Oh...and also...every time I see an usher approaching me anywhere..."I know where I'm going...thank you!" with a big, polite smile never fails either. At the MET I even know a couple of ushers/ladies that know about it and graciously allow me to stay there-(we even converse). One of them even scans empty seats for me! ;-)

[sandik]

My all time strategy in every single theater/opera house I've ever been in all countries calls for buying cheap tickets-(all the way up, no matter where)-, getting into the theater and waiting quietly on the aisles in the orchestra section while scanning potential empty seats. When the ushers close the doors and it's obvious no one else is getting in, I rapidly go to a non occupied seat usually in the VERY expensive first rows. It never fails. Even if I decide to seat upstairs, I end up moving around to good view spots.

I've done this occasionally during intermission, but never before the performance. It's too frightening to me, because I once was at a production at the Met, in my own (student rush) seat, and I saw the ushers come up to someone in the row behind me just as the lights went down, shine two flashlights on the person, and say loudly "That's not your seat!"

Around here we get a certain number of people who come late for the first work on the program and watch over the video monitors in the lobby. Then they find their assigned seats during the intermission, so your strategy could backfire. But I agree, seats need to have people sitting in them. And good seats really should have people sitting in them.

[carbro]

As far as seating at nycb, I avoid the ends of rows. Those seats are really the only bad seats, with partial view. There is a good rake of the seats so unless there is a large height difference, one can usually see.

Dale, are you talking about the "ring" seats numbered Row AA? Because I've never had a problem with the single-letter seats. Maybe the difference in our heights, though not great, accounts for our different reactions.

[Dale]

I don't think height is an issue here (I actually have a long torso so when I sit down, my view isn't different than somebody a few inches taller). Are you talking about the end seats or sightlines? I seldom have an issue seeing the stage, except if somebody super tall sits in front of me. As for end seats, I find many of the end of row seats are partial view. How partial depends on how close to the end you are. It might be one of the back corners of the stage but I don't like missing out on the corner. I remember a long time ago being talked into an orchestra seat when ordering by phone (pre Internet). I thought I was treating myself. It was at the end of a row. When I couldn't see the right portion of the stage, I was miserable (even though I was really close). I'd rather sit high and see the whole stage, which is why it's annoying that nycb is now charging more for all middle section seats, no matter what level. I guess you've got to pay more to see the whole stage

[cubanmiamiboy]

When seating in orchestra, I usually go for middle rows..too close to the stage is never a good business UNLESS you want to see a particular dancer in a PDD, her pointe work, partnering skills of the danseur and the like, but in general the whole ballet is better viewed from a little far away.

[Swanilda8]

This is wandering off topic a bit, but I was recently booking seats at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and online they show you the view from each seat (as well as a picture of the seat itself). It's so nice! You can tell if the view is obstructed by a pole or a railing or is too far to the side. I hope more theaters move towards having these pictures online, since it can be very nerve-wracking to get seats in an unfamiliar theater.

[cubanmiamiboy]

The Garnier has that on its website too...

[volcanohunter]

This is wandering off topic a bit, but I was recently booking seats at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and online they show you the view from each seat (as well as a picture of the seat itself). It's so nice! You can tell if the view is obstructed by a pole or a railing or is too far to the side. I hope more theaters move towards having these pictures online, since it can be very nerve-wracking to get seats in an unfamiliar theater.

But what the ROH doesn't do is show you those views with the curtain open, which makes a world of difference. Fortunately, many venues do offer seat views of the actual stage on their sites, if not from every seat, then at least from enough vantage points to show how much of the stage may be obscured in certain sections of the auditorium.