Lyric Theatre
213 West 42nd Street , New York, NY 10036
Directions & Box Office
- Directions: By subway, take the 1, 2, 3, A or C train to the 42nd Street/Times Square station. By bus, take the M10 or M104.
- Entrance: There are two entrances to this theatre: 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Ave and 43rd Street, between 7th and 8th Ave The Lyric Theatre is located on the north side of 42nd Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue. There is one entrance into the theatre on 42nd St, but the two exits on 42nd and 43rd Streets are both utilized in order to allow for flow of traffic after performances.
- Box Office Hours:
- Monday - Saturday:
- 10am - 8pm
- Sunday:
- 10am - 8pm
Best Seats In The House
- Seats: 1622
The Lyric Theatre is an extremely wide theatre and most every seat has a good view of the stage.
Compared to most other Broadway theatres, the seating arrangement is more contemporary in design, but still maintains an old-fashioned class. Specifically, there is a lot of leg room, even in the balcony, which is especially convenient for tall people or those with disabilities.
As a result, there is also much more visibility from most all seats to the stage, with fewer issues of heads blocking the sight line.
Still, the best seats are in the orchestra section, as the mezzanine seats have a higher chance of head blockage. In any case, the Lyric Theatre has an impressive seating capacity that can be made to fit as many as 1,829 people, making it perfect for big musicals, Furthermore, its modern technical capacity make it ideal for shows that incorporate a multimedia experience.
Lyric Theatre Seating Chart
Gallery
Parking for Lyric Theatre
The closest parking garages for Lyric Theatre are located at:
- Kinney System
- 264 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036 - 212-997-5543
- Imperial Parking
- 315 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036 - 212-975-9968
The closest parking is not always the best as it often takes longer to park and retrieve your vehicle as fellow theatre goers have the same idea. A better choice of parking may be the second choice or further away by a couple of Avenues.
Additional Notes
Broadway theatre bars can usually be a tawdry affair but tucked away in the bowels of the Lyric theatre, there is a special place.
Landlord: Ambassador Theatre Group
Official Ticketer: Ticketmaster
Notes:
The Lyric theatre has had many previous names and incarnations including: Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Foxwoods Theatre and Hilton Theatre.Elevator: Yes
Escalator: No
Disabled Access Notes:
A street level entrance can be found on 42nd Street with access to an elevator that leads to the Orchestra and Dress Circle levels. Designated ADA seating sections are available on both of these floors.
Now Playing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- Previews Began: March 16, 2018
- Opens: April 22, 2018
- Show Closes: Open ended
Get Tickets
Previous Shows
Paramour: Cirque du Soleil
- Opened: May 25, 2016
- Show Closed: April 16, 2017
Lord Of the Dance: Dangerous Games
- Opened: November 10, 2015
- Show Closed: January 3, 2016
On The Town
- Opened: October 16, 2014
- Show Closed: September 6, 2015
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
- Opened: June 14, 2011
- Show Closed: January 4, 2014
Lyric Theatre History
Theatre With Its Own Drama
No Broadway theatre can compare to the Lyric for its off-stage drama.
Flamboyant Canadian impresario Garth Drabinsky rose to prominence by producing such hits as Phantom of the Opera, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Show Boat. He undertook the project to build a new Broadway theatre through corporate sponsorships and tax credits in under a year.
In 1998, he tore down the beautiful (but aged) Apollo and Lyric Theatres (both of which spent years as movie houses before closing in the early '90s) and built the Ford Center for the Performing Arts specifically to launch his new musical, the epic Ragtime.
Ragtime Flounders
The show, which is considered a modern classic by many, had a promising start, but it eventually floundered as Drabinsky was implicated in financial problems that rocked the Broadway world. In January 2005, Clear Channel Entertainment (famous for their run-ins with Howard Stern and their alleged radio and music venue monopolies) and the Hilton Hotels Corporation joined forces to rename the Ford Center to the Hilton Theatre.
Theatre Renamed Multiple Times
Then, just a few years later, it the theatre re-named the Foxwoods Theatre, where the first and only production under that name was the aerial spectacular Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the infamous 65-million dollar musical that stayed in previews for over six months before finally opening.
Once again, the theatre was renamed in 2014 after the London-based Ambassador Theatre Group purchased the venue for $60 million. They opted for the historic name of the Lyric Theatre, which the theatre is still called today.
Famous Productions At This Theatre
The space has been home to a short-lived revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, and then to a revival of the musical 42nd Street, winner of the 2001 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. 42nd Street defined the musical comedy, with its star-is-born story, spectacular design, score of hit standards, remarkable show chorus, and fabulous ensemble tap dancing; the revival ran for three and a half years.
In 2005, the theatre was once again completely reconstructed, and the first show in the newly named Hilton Theatre was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Not only did that show close early, but all of the shows in the Hilton-era were short-lived; the rest were Hot Feet, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (intended only for the holiday season), The Pirate Queen, and Young Frankenstein.
After remaining dark for the duration of 2009, the theatre was once again renovated and renamed the Foxwoods Theatre in anticipation of the mega budget musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which ran until January 2014. This theatre was chosen for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2018.
Lyric Theatre Design
The Lyric Theatre is an amalgam of brand new construction and preservation.
Both the original Lyric and Apollo theatres, which were built adjacent to each other in 1903 and 1920, respectively, were used to create the new Lyric. The new theatre has incorporated interior designs of the old ones, such as ceiling domes and side boxes, as well as the handsome façade of the old Lyric on 43rd Street, while the entrance on 42nd Street fails to impress.