Vivian Beaumont Theatre
| Vivian Beaumont Theatre 150 West 65th Street New York, NY 10020 Click Here For More Info On The Theatre |
Location
The Vivian Beaumont Theatre is located in the Lincoln Center complex, which stretches from 64th to 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.
Parking
See our discount parking guide for parking near this theater
Background
The Vivian Beaumont is the larger space at Lincoln Center Theater, which contains both the Beaumont and the 299-seat Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. Located in the back corner of the enormous Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side, the Vivian Beaumont Theatre is the only Broadway theater not in the Times Square area. Named for philanthropist Vivian Beaumont Allen, the theater opened on October 21, 1965. Upon opening, the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center moved in and stayed until 1973. Then the New York Shakespeare Festival, famously run by Joseph Papp and now part of downtown's Public Theater, took up residence at the Vivian Beaumont until 1977. Among the plays presented by the NYSF during that time was a legendary revival of Threepenny Opera starring Raul Julia. For several years thereafter, the Vivian Beaumont Theatre was frequently without a tenant, but in 1985, things began to turn around for the theater when Gregory Mosher and Bernard Gersten came on board as Director and Executive Producer, respectively. Under Mosher and Gersten, the Vivian Beaumont presented hit revivals of John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves and Anything Goes starring Patti Lupone. In '92, Mosher left and was replaced by Andre Bishop, and since then Bishop and Gersten have proved to be a dynamic duo. The Vivian Beaumont Theatre now provides some of the most breathtaking revivals and intriguing new plays and musicals to be seen on Broadway.
Design
The interior of the 1,100-seat Vivian Beaumont Theatre is non-descript, but it has an enormous thrust stage that gives performances there an 'in the round' feel. What the performance space itself lacks in style, the rest of the building more than makes up for: In front of the Vivian Beaumont Theatre is a beautiful reflecting pool where you can peacefully relax on the benches surrounding it. The lobby is spacious with a high ceiling and enormous windows looking out onto the plaza. On one side of the lobby, you can mingle and listen to live music before the show (or come extra early for scheduled pre-performance discussions with the artists). On the other side, check out the gift stand, which has CDs, scripts, and T-shirts for Lincoln Center Theater shows. In the middle there are plenty of over-priced drinks and snacks to enjoy at the bar. An unusual but welcome feature of both spaces at the Lincoln Center Theater is a phalanx of lockers, which patrons are free to use for storing coats, umbrellas, and anything else during the performance.
Directions
By subway, take the 1/2/3/9 to the 66th Street/Lincoln Center stop.
Best Seats:
The Vivian Beaumont Theatre has excellent sightlines all around, but it is a large space, so mid-center orchestra is ideal. No matter how good your seats are, though, you can pretty much expect to have your knees crammed up against the seat in front of you. For musicals, beware of the loge: The sound isn't always so good up there.
Previous Shows
In its 40 years, the Vivian Beaumont Theatre has hosted numerous celebrated revivals and some excellent new works as well. Among them are Danton's Death, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Little Foxes, Lovers, Man of La Mancha, Threepenny Opera, The House of Blue Leaves, Anything Goes, The Sisters Rosensweig, Gray's Anatomy, Carousel, Arcadia, Ivanov, Parade, and Contact.
Seating Chart:
