dress attire

[Xman8]

I have been to plenty of Broadway shows in the past, but I have always gone when there is cool weather so I've always worn long sleeve shirts. Now I'm going in July and I hear its very hot in the month. My question would a polo shirt be appropriate for a show? I'm still wearing black pants.

[kdogg36]

Xman8, with a polo shirt and black pants, your attire will be orders of magnitude fancier than the bulk of your fellow audience members. Most definitely including me, if I happen to be there. :)

[bobs3]

Given the fact that I have seen plenty of people at shows in jeans and t-shirts, I think a polo shirt and black slacks is entirely appropriate.

[themysteriousgrowl]

That's more than fine. Sometimes I go in a jacket and tie; sometimes I go in cutoff jean shorts and schlepping a backpack. There's really no standard convention anymore, and especially not in New York.

[Patash]

Please just don't go as the two guys behind me did last summer -- nylon short jogging shorts, sweat-saturated tank tops, and flip flops are NOT theatre attire. And deodorant (or maybe a good spraying of Lysol) would have helped too.

[After Eight]

A polo shirt and black pants?

You're not only going to look better dressed than half the audience, but you'll look better dressed than some of the stars who attend opening nights.

Steel yourself for what you're going to see. Not on stage, but among your fellow theatregoers.

[Xman8]

I've always looked at the theatre as a special occasion and I would never go dressed poorly for a special occasion. While I really do wish to go in a long sleeved shirt, I just can't feel comfortable in one during hot weather. I just feel that the way I dress is a reflection of my view of theatre. I would NEVER wear jeans and a t shirt.

[dreaming]

I go to all kinds of arts events regularly and will wear jeans and a nice shirt. The jeans are never, ever torn and I wear a nice shirt to compliment it. It depends what you're seeing, I think. I don't wear jeans to certain shows but I have no problem with people wearing them-nice jeans are fine. I just want good behavior, frankly.

[Patash]

I'm a little confused about the problem with a long sleeved shirt in summer in the theatre. I realize you have to get TO the theatre, but once you're there, most theatres will probably be about 5 to 10 degrees COLDER than they were in January when they blast the heat at you. I've never figured out why the theaatres feel they have to make theatres colder in the summer when people are dressed lighter and make them hotter than hell in the winter when people are already wearing multi layers of clothing. I'm rarely cold in a theatre in mid winter. I'm nearly always cold in theatres during the summer.

[kdogg36]

I just feel that the way I dress is a reflection of my view of theatre. I would NEVER wear jeans and a t shirt.

I fully respect your choice to wear what you feel comfortable wearing to the theater or any other occasion, but it sounds like you don't entirely return the favor, so I'd like to make a case for my side.

I make about $22k a year now that I'm a student again, but I manage to get to NYC (from Baltimore) for a dozen or more day trips a year to see shows on Broadway and off. I would hope that my choice to spend just about one hundred percent of my disposable income on theatre trips would adequately reflect my view of theatre. Given that each trip involves many hours in a car or bus, with no access to a hotel room in NYC, I have no guilt about wearing shorts and a tee shirt. Now, poor hygiene (as mentioned in a post above) is a very different matter, but I can't see how my informal attire prevents anyone else from enjoying the show.

[Broadway Joe]

If you have had to wait for a subway in the summer in a long sleeved shirt then you would know why it's miserable.

[FANtomFollies]

while i agree, your attire is more than appropriate - you may want to bring a sweater or another layer of some sort. With air-conditioning, some theaters get very cold!

[AEA AGMA SM]

"I've never figured out why the theaatres feel they have to make theatres colder in the summer when people are dressed lighter and make them hotter than hell in the winter when people are already wearing multi layers of clothing. I'm rarely cold in a theatre in mid winter. I'm nearly always cold in theatres during the summer."

Sometimes it's just something the show HAS to do. Wicked, for example, has to keep the house at a certain temperature and the stage at a slightly different, but still very specific, temperature (both in the low 70s) for the haze and fog effects to look their best. And coming in to a 72 degree house in the midst of a summer is going to feel very different than going into a 72 degree house in the middle of January.

Temperature is a very relative phenomenon.