Taking one’s seat at a New York City Ballet or New York City Opera performance can be difficult, writes Daniel J. Wakin in Thursday’s (3/19) New York Times. “The rows of up to 56 seats have no aisles, so a patron can potentially knock knees with dozens of others. But that is going to change. The two companies, which share the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, have agreed to carve out aisles about a third of the way in on each side. The aisles are a last-minute add-on to the theater’s $80 million renovation. Officials from the companies said about $800,000 in contingency funds already in place would be used, so the change would not raise costs. Nor will there be any delay. Plans still call for completion in October, with the reopening of the hall, formerly the New York State Theater, in November. … Both companies said the loss of about 150 seats to create the aisles, and another 42 from eliminating the front row as part of the orchestra pit alteration, would not have much effect on revenues in what will become a 2,500-seat theater.”
Posted March 20, 2009
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