McCaw Hall?

[allegrafan]

I am hoping that someone can help me out here. I live in Vancouver, BC and I am wanting to travel to Seattle in February to see the Balanchine Centenary. However, I am not familiar with McCaw Hall, and considering the still steep :sweating: (although much better) exchange rate, I want to get the best seats for the best value. Can anyone who is familiar with this venue please advise me?

If at all helpful, when I go to the ballet, I do look to be able to be close enough to see the footwork, rather than an overall picture (i.e. from above). Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Allegrafan

[sandik]

I sat around the auditorium a lot during the open houses they sponsored during the summer, but foolishly didn't look at the row letters while I was doing it. Let me do a bit of research and get back to you.

Do you have a preference about side v. center? (I'll move further back in order to get more center -- seating is very personal...)

[Dave]

I'd suggest getting the best available seats in the Orchestra section, but not rows A-G. Those first six or seven rows aren't raked very steeply so it can be hard to see footwork, especially if you're short like me. Left-to-right, there are no bad sightlines in the Orchestra section.

Next best, if you want to spend a little less, would be First Tier Center. The first tier is still quite low, height-wise, and feels remarkably close to the stage.

[Helene]

Another possibility if you don't mind the sides is "Gallery Upper." "Gallery Lower" starts at orchestra level on each side of the house, and rises up, turning into "Gallery Upper" to meet the Dress Circle Center. When I saw an extra performance of Swan Lake and bought a "Gallery Upper" seat. What the ballet called Gallery Upper were about eight to ten seats toward the center, what I thought was First Tier sides. It was a great seat for ballet.

My subscription seat is in the Orchestra in row Y, which is just under the Dress Circle overhang, which didn't affect the acoustics. It's a great place to be in the Orchestra, because of the rise, and you don't miss any of the footwork.

If you're coming down for the weekend, there is a Saturday matinee, Saturday evening, and Sunday matinee performance. There's a new standing room section in the back of the orchestra. That may be a way to squeeze in an extra performance, without breaking the bank, and the sightlines should be fine. (Opera fans I know have been able to scoot into empty seats as soon as the lights go down. I don't know how the ushers' "see no evil" policy is holding out, but it was really important for Parsifal )

Edited December 10, 2003 by hockeyfan228

[Helene]

I apologize. I just went to the PNB site to buy additional tickets, and there is only one matinee per weekend, a Saturday matinee at 2pm on 7 February and a Sunday matinee at 1pm on 15 February.

[allegrafan]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. You've all been extremely helpful. That's the wonderful thing about Ballet Alert--no matter where you are, there's someone who can help you out. What a wonderful community.

I'll report back once I've seen the performance!! Can't wait.

Allegrafan

[allegrafan]

Just wanted to thank everybody for their seating advice A girlfriend and I made the trip from Vancouver (sans husbands), and had a wonderful time. We sat in section 2 of the orchastra, in row L. A special thanks to Dave for the advice on rows A-G. Being somewhat height challenged, sitting in row L made a big difference. I'll write later about my impressions of the performances. Thank you all again for your thoughtful advice!!

Allegrafan