Renovated Kennedy Center Opera House

[Alexandra]

We've had a few weeks, with different companies and different types of ballets, to get used to the new opera house. washingtonians and visitors, what do you think? Do you like the changes? Are the sight lines good, better, or not so good -- and from which part of the house are you writing.

[Juliet]

I think it is as ugly as ever. Except for the lighting fixtures, which I've always liked.

The house is relatively small and so side viewing, even from second tier front, is not too bad. at all.

The stage is really noisy for pointework, however. Admittedly, I've been watching NYCB at the NYST for years, but I was appalled at how loud the shoes sounded....in Emeralds it was really disconcerting.

I think Kennedy Center is ugly, so it would have to be bulldozed before I'd like it. I'm happy that the Opera House is open again, though--more space for performances is always a good thing!

[Hans]

I didn't really notice much of a change (read: what exactly did they do?) although I definitely enjoy the fact that the sightlines from the sides are so good. It could use some more decoration, but to be honest I'd rather have it austere than ostentatious.

Was the design thought ugly when the center was built or was that just the prevailing taste at the time? I remember hearing that Lincoln Center was criticized a great deal in architectural circles, and I have to admit that I do prefer having everything under one roof. The KC will have the best of both worlds, though, with the new design of wings and a long plaza, along with the current view of the Potomac from the terrace.

[cargill]

When the Madison Building (at the Library of Congress) opened, someone said it looked like the box that the KennedyCenter came in, which I thought described both buildings very well.

[Alexandra]

Oh, the shoebox will always be there! I mean the inside. What did they do? They widened the aisles and put in a cross-aisle about a third of the way back (i.e., the first third of the orchestra is separated from the back of it by an aisle). They widened the center section, adding 5 seats in each row.

One of the purposes (I don't know if it was the main one) was to make the theater handicapped accessible, so there's one row of chairs only (right at the cross aisle) and the chairs can be removed so that a wheelchair can go there; there are similar spaces in the back, as there are in the Eisenhower Theater.

I think there were also acoustical changes as well, but I'm not sure.

I don't know if there are any changes in the tiers. Anyone noticed any?

[Hans]

I sat in the top tier and didn't notice any changes--that also explains why I didn't notice the changes in the orchestra, but I do think that a cross aisle is a good idea, and so is handicapped accessibility.

[Juliet]

They also replaced the carpet in the lobbies and stairways. I think. It already looks rather tatty.

For all the New Yorkers, Edward Durrell Stone, the architect of the KenCen is also responsible for the Moorish Fantasy at 2 Columbus Circle. Does this completely answer everyone's questions?

(For those unfortunate enough not to be able to feast their eyes on the aforementioned, it looks like a shoebox on end with swiss cheese holes along the top and bottom.)

[Ari]

I don't see any difference in the second tier, either. You're not as far away from the stage up there as you are in the Met or the State Theater. But it is hot up there.

I wish they'd replaced that ugly curtain while they were changing the other features. I'm pretty sure they did some acoustical tinkering, although admittedly I can't hear a difference. The floor underneath the orchestra seats is now uncarpeted (the aisles are still carpeted), and acoustics are the only explanation I can think of to account for that. Besides, they did some acoustical testing a couple of years ago when the Joffrey was here.

The Kennedy Center has always struck me as embarrassingly pretentious, with its "Hall of Nations" and "Hall of States." When I took a tour of the building a couple of months ago, the guide pointed out all the fixtures and artwork that were "gifts" from various nations. I cringed inwardly, imagining the strongarm tactics that procured these "gifts."

[Juliet]

'When I took a tour of the building a couple of months ago, the guide pointed out all the fixtures and artwork that were "gifts" from various nations. I cringed inwardly, imagining the strongarm tactics that procured these "gifts."

I don't think this was necessarily the case. Baksheesh is an accepted thing among statesmen. Considering how many monetary gifts the US provides worldwide, I don't think you need to cringe in the slightest. Your tax dollars at work, and all that.......

[Hans]

For all the New Yorkers, Edward Durrell Stone, the architect of the KenCen is also responsible for the Moorish Fantasy at 2 Columbus Circle. Does this completely answer everyone's questions?

Yes, yes it does :green:

[sandik]

When the Madison Building (at the Library of Congress) opened, someone said it looked like the box that the KennedyCenter came in, which I thought described both buildings very well.

Seattle didn't really aquire an actual "skyscraper" until the mid-60's, a typical black box based on the Seagram's Building. We have always called it "the box that the Space Needle came in."

It's interesting to read these comments and compare them to our own experience here with a rennovated hall. I was very familiar with the deficits that remodel was supposed to mend, and for the most part, it's been successful. It doesn't sounds like this job was as extensive -- how long was the house closed?

[novamom]

Attending the Kennedy much less frequently than I would like, I have to admit that I did not notice any difference. But, I do have another issue. The lack of fresh air is stupifying! In fact, sitting in the 2nd tier, section A recently, the air smelled like a dirty vacuum cleaner bag! The odor of dust was a real put-off for me. Sorry if I digress from the artistic to the mundane, but doesn't cleanliness also have an effect on the total enjoyment, (or not) of a performance? Would anyone here be able to enjoy a performance if the costumes were dirty? Has anyone else had this experience? Or, was this just an isolated incidence?

[koshka]

More of the mundane: the seats have clearly been refurbished and are much more comfortable and supportive, making it much easier for this front-row audience member to be high enough to see the dancers' feet.

Oddly, the barrier between the orchestra and the front row is not an actual wall but rather a frame with fabric stretched over it. I don't know if this was done to improve acoustics or is just a work in progress--there are other places in the pit that look like some finishing work has yet to be done.

I think the curtain was definitely cleaned. It is not really my taste either, but it does complement the style of the building.

Oh, and one thing that deserves praise at the Kennedy Center (though no changes were made in this last renovation as far as I can tell) is that there are actually enough stalls in the ladies' rooms for everybody at intermission.

And, uh, novamom, from the front row it can be seen that costumes are often not-so-clean, especially toward the end of a company's run.

[kfw]

Perhaps it's only the happy memories, but I've warmed up the the Kennedy Center's looks over the years, and it does has great views of the water. It also looks impressive -- well, striking -- as one drives in from the highway.

The flags and states-nations concept don't do much for me, but I think they're appropriate for obvious reasons, and must please many visitors. And of course Kennedy was the president who created that wonderful national organization with international outreach, the Peace Corps.

[ltraiger]

I've found the front orchestra -- in front of the new aisle -- to be far too low and visibility difficult, to say the least, if one is shorter than the average 5'8". In fact, I would swear that the front orchestra dips down before it rises up on a slight rake after the aisle and railing. Sometimes I've felt as if I were sitting in a hole, able to only see the knees and up.

Has anybody else had this problem? I'll have to resort to a pillow or booster.

Also, speaking of booster seats, in many New York theaters, especially on Broadway, they supply boosters for children, which is wonderful for both the kids and parents. If I'm paying upward to $100 per ticket, I'm really not keen on having an eight-year-old sitting in my lap. Why doesn't the Ken Cen invest in boosters for the little ones? They're typically paying full price for tickets.

[Alexandra]

At the last performance of City Balet I noticed a sgn on the office door: Sorry, we're out of booster seats!

I've had the same problem, and I'm 5'8. On the right side in the front orchestra, you can see people, especially those on the aisle, shifting and trying to peer around the heads in front of them.

The wide cross aisle has taken three, possibly four, rows of the best seats: R, S, T, and U -- which means the rows that now bear those letters are really, V, W, X, Y, Z, etc.

[sandik]

Also, speaking of booster seats, in many New York theaters, especially on Broadway, they supply boosters for children, which is wonderful for both the kids and parents. If I'm paying upward to $100 per ticket, I'm really not keen on having an eight-year-old sitting in my lap. Why doesn't the Ken Cen invest in boosters for the little ones? They're typically paying full price for tickets.

Lately I've seen more and more theaters (including the rennovated McCaw Hall in Seattle) supply booster seats -- at 5'3" I've thought about getting one for me!

[Watermill]

Not meaning to continue the diversion of this thread to architecture from interiors, but anyone looking for a howlingly good read on what happened to American architecture, get a copy of Tom Wolfe's From Bauhaus To Our House.

A fascinating, positively damning report (and retort) of Yale, the International Style and big biz.

Let's put it this way: Had Ballet gone down (and I do mean down) the same road as architecture, all that would be left of it is the Nutcracker, peformed poorly; same steps, same set & costumes, with minor variations.

As someone who drives back and forth across the country through the major cities, all I can say is that the joke "What do you call 500 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? -A good start!" could certainly be amended to include architects.

Frank Lloyd Watermill

[carbro]

Lately I've seen more and more theaters (including the rennovated McCaw Hall in Seattle) supply booster seats -- at 5'3" I've thought about getting one for me!

For children, certainly. But when normal (if slightly small) sized adults feel the need, doesn't that call into question the quality of the planning that goes into some of these theaters, where the object is, after all, for the audience to see the stage? :cool2:

A friend long ago worked for a second-nighter. She always called the theater to advise them that their guest was 6'4", and if he didn't have an aisle seat, the person behind him might have trouble seeing the stage. (Of course, he also wanted the extra leg room. )