Walter Kerr Theatre Capacity
The Walter Kerr Theatre New York has a capacity of 919 seats. Section capacities are 521 Orchestra, 330 Mezzanine and 68 Balcony. Use our interactive seating chart to view 579 seat reviews and 543 photos of views from seat.
Venue Overview
The Walter Kerr Theatre first opened in 1921 as the Ritz Theatre, part of the Shubert Brothers’ impressive portfolio of Broadway venues. After a varied history including time spent as a radio station, the venue was renamed after theater critic Walter Kerr in 1990. It has since become known for its impressive programming which has seen four Pulitzer Prize-winning plays - and a multitude of Tony Award-winning plays - grace the stage.
Eminent theater designer Herbert J. Krapp conceived the Walter Kerr Theatre’s Italian Renaissance-inspired décor, which includes gold leaf and rich-colored accents around the Boxes and lighting fixtures. The venue is quite small, lending itself well to an intimate ambiance for plays rather than large musicals. After time as a TV and radio studio for the likes of NBC and ABC, the theater reopened in 1970 and was eventually restored to its former glory by Jujamcyn in the 1980s.
As the Ritz, the theater welcomed productions including Mary Stuart (1921) and the Federal Theatre Project’s work. However, it is best known for housing work by great playwrights including August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle and Tony Kushner’s award-winning Angels in America. More recent productions include The Seagull (2008) with Kristen Scott-Thomas, The Crucible (2016) with Ben Whishaw and Sophie Okonedo, and Bruce Springsteen’s Broadway residency (2017-18).
Seats
With a capacity of 975 seats, the Walter Kerr Theatre is a smaller venue. Its seating chart is spread across the Orchestra, Mezzanine and a small Balcony, which is quite steep and narrow. The auditorium size means sightlines across the theater are generally very good, with very few significant obstructions from set pieces or architectural features. There are clear sightlines across the Mezzanine in particular, where theatergoers can make the most of good value seating and a great view of the entire stage.
Tips
• Children under four are not admitted into the theater
• Step-free accessible seating in the Orchestra
• Merchandise is available at the booth on Orchestra level
• No coat check, but staff may be able to take large bags upon request
• Bars stop serving five minutes before performances start
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Good value seats
The Walter Kerr Theatre is a relatively small theater, and most of the cheap seats at the back of the Orchestra and Mezzanine offer fantastic views of
Hadestown. The majority of the show is performed in the middle of the stage, but if you are looking at extreme side seats choose the Right Orchestra or Right Mezzanine. These offer a better view of the band and Hades’ balcony than the Left.
Premium seats
Hadestown has a very unique set design, and the Center Mezzanine promises some of the best views in the Walter Kerr Theatre for the show's visual effects and stage revolve. Other premium seats for the show are in rows D - H of the Center Orchestra. You will feel incredibly immersed in the emotional highs and lows of the story from here. If you choose seats slightly to the right, you will have the best views of Hermes’ crowd-pleasing opening song.
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