Minskoff Theatre

The Minskoff Theatre is a 1,710-seat house operated by the Nederlander Organization, home of The Lion King since 2006. It’s one of Broadway’s more modern venues, opened in 1973 inside a commercial tower at One Astor Plaza, and its scale reflects the era — built for the spectacle-musical model that defined Broadway in the second half of the twentieth century.

For ticket-buyers, the Minskoff’s size and shape matter. The auditorium is wide and the balcony is genuinely far from the stage; The Lion King’s opening processions (the famous “Circle of Life” entrance through the audience) are best experienced from anywhere on the aisle in the orchestra or front mezzanine. Rear mezzanine and balcony are budget-friendly but lose the audience-aisle staging entirely. For a first Lion King experience, an aisle seat anywhere in the orchestra is more valuable than a centre seat in a section further back.

Address: 200 W 45th St — the building shares its block with the St. James and the Majestic.