How do you dress for a Broadway Show

[JenLoy]

We're leaving for NYC in a few days and will be seeing Mary Poppins and another Broadway play.

Having never been to NYC before, I'm wondering what is appropriate to wear to the shows. Both shows are in the evening.

Do women wear dresses? What about Men, are they in suits or something more casual?

 

[ashley0139]

You will see people wearing every possible type of dress.

I personally think if you're going to the theatre you should look a little bit nice. Mostly I just think no jeans or shorts. Dresses and suits are certainly not necessary. When I go I try to wear black pants and a nice shirt or a skirt or sundress.

But you will see people in cutoffs, sneakers, and t-shirts. Not my cup of tea, but you will see it.

 

[JenM]

I saw Newsies on Broadway last week and I wore jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt. And just about everyone else there did too.

Broadway's pretty informal, so you definitely don't have to wear a dress or a suit - especially at a show like Mary Poppins, which will be packed with families.

I usually don't wear shorts, and even though I usually go in jeans, I can still keep it neat enough to look nice - my superhero t-shirts usually stay home.

But there's certainly nothing wrong with dressing up for the occasion either, so go in whatever you think will look nice and be comfortable.

 

[cornflake]

Generally, people dress nicely to go to a show. The heavily touristy shows (like Mary Poppins) and matinees do attract a more downmarket dressing group but you don't say what the other show is.

Yes, people do show up in all sorts of things and they won't kick you out or anything but evening, adult shows people do dress more nicely in general and again, in general, it's mostly the tourists in the tourist getups (shorts, nondesigner jeans and sneakers, etc.).

 

[Disney Doll]

I usually wear nicer pants and a nicer top.

DH wears nicer khakis and a sport shirt.

My mother used to call them "church clothes"...a little nicer than what I normally bum around in, but not super fancy.

 

[shortbun]

Pretty cashz. Slacks and a sweater or maybe something(top) shiny. I only found one time that people still dress for Broadway and that's opening night.
Lots of people still dress for that. I remember when I was just a kid, women wore furs, hose and heels-sometimes even hats. Yes, I am old.

 

[minijeanie]

I have gone to Broadway for 17 years now. My first show with my DD was Beauty and the Beast when she was 5 years old. She wore a dress with a sweater and dress shoes.

Fast forward to 2012 seeing Priscilla Queen of the Desert.. I would say 80% of the people were casual and in jeans/shirt etc.

Gone are the days of dress up....There were some people who had on a dress but most of the men were extremely casual...

This is kinda sad, I ennjoyed dressing up

 

[shortbun]

Generally, people dress nicely to go to a show. The heavily touristy shows (like Mary Poppins) and matinees do attract a more downmarket dressing group but you don't say what the other show is.

Yes, people do show up in all sorts of things and they won't kick you out or anything but evening, adult shows people do dress more nicely in general and again, in general, it's mostly the tourists in the tourist getups (shorts, nondesigner jeans and sneakers, etc.).

This is interesting. It used to be the other way around...you could spot a tourist because they were dressed up while New Yorkers were in jeans and tee shirts. Of course, it was the 70's. I haven't been in the city for 8 years now so I'm behind the times.

OP, enjoy your shows!!!

 

[capegirl]

I have gone to Broadway for 17 years now. My first show with my DD was Beauty and the Beast when she was 5 years old. She wore a dress with a sweater and dress shoes.

Fast forward to 2012 seeing Priscilla Queen of the Desert.. I would say 80% of the people were casual and in jeans/shirt etc.

Gone are the days of dress up....There were some people who had on a dress but most of the men were extremely casual...

This is kinda sad, I ennjoyed dressing up

I agree, it is sad. As a child, I recall getting all dolled up to go to a broadway show; now it's nothing special. Heck, I even remember my parents getting dressed up to go to the movies...guess I'm getting old!!!!

 

[Andtototoo]

I dress nicely. I believe certain activities merit something beyond what I'd wear to Home Depot and the theater is one of them. To me, the theater is special. It's not going to the movies or the grocery store.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

I was just there a few weeks ago with my daughter's school band. We saw Wicked. We were told to dress nicely but we didn't have to overdo it. I wore a pair of dressy capri pants with a nice shirt and cute shoes. Most boys and male chaperones wore dress shirts and slacks, some had ties on, too. We saw people in everything from evening gowns to jeans.

Personally, I like dressing up for such an occasion. It adds the fun. Broadway may not be a big deal to those that live there but it was a once in a lifetime event for most of us on the trip. I thought it was very special! While I didn't wear an evening gown, I did dress nice. All the kids looked great, too. We were quite dapper group!

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Like others have said, some will be dressed very casually in jeans/sneakers and others will be dressed very nicely.

I like to wear black slacks and a nice shirt/sweater. Not cocktail wear but looking decent. It makes it a nicer experience, imo.

 

[emma'smom]

It's the B & T folks who dress up....they are "in the city" for a nice evening!

This is interesting. It used to be the other way around...you could spot a tourist because they were dressed up while New Yorkers were in jeans and tee shirts. Of course, it was the 70's. I haven't been in the city for 8 years now so I'm behind the times.

OP, enjoy your shows!!!

 

[ForAandA]

We just saw newsies last week. GREAT SHOW!! I was dressed in a business suit, because I left straight from work. DH was in jean shorts and a T shirt, and the DD's wore sun dresses. As you can imagine, their is no dress code. Some people like to dress up for the evening. We went to BBQ's for dinner, so their was no fancy eating for us!

 

[chloelovesdisney]

It's the B & T folks who dress up....they are "in the city" for a nice evening!

Actually, I grew up here as did many of my family and friends. We all tend to dress nicer for a Broadway show, we grew up doing so and continue. I also do the same seeing a performance at Lincoln Center.

 

[Aristocath]

Pretty much anything goes these days. Just remember some theaters are really cold so you may need a sweater or jacket. Depending on our other plans, I wear jeans or pants or a skirt but I'm not dressy, I just try to be well put together. I have found that the dressiest people are school groups and tourists going to Phantom of the Opera.

 

[Janepod]

We went to "Anything Goes" Saturday night and, for the first time, I didn't see anyone in jeans (literally maybe 3 or 4 people). It was definitely an older crowd, for one, but also a "night out" kinda crowd - lots of Chanel, Prada, St. John, and of course diamonds. But we were in orchestra, maybe that's why.

Great show, too!

 

[Imzadi]

This is kinda sad, I enjoyed dressing up

You can still dress up. Don't let other people dictate what you will wear. The more you and others dress up, the better. It doesn't have to be "Gone are the days."

 

[Imzadi]

It's the B & T folks who dress up....they are "in the city" for a nice evening!

Actually, I grew up here as did many of my family and friends. We all tend to dress nicer for a Broadway show, we grew up doing so and continue. I also do the same seeing a performance at Lincoln Center.

Tourists tend not to anymore because if they aren't used to dressing up for their community theatre, they aren't going to here, either. Other tourists have been out all day wearing shorts & sneakers, so they end up coming to the theatre that way. Some others haven't packed a mice clothes. At $75 surcharge for overweight bags, yeah, I may not pack dressy clothes if I don't have to.

 

[tara lynn]

Personally I would never show up to a Broadway show in a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers but I do see it quite often. I think part of the fun is dressing up a little bit. But like others have said, pretty much anything goes these days.

From what I've noticed, it also seems to depend on the show you're seeing. When I saw How to Succeed in Business with Daniel Radcliffe there were a lot of casually dressed teenage girls and their parents who were obviously tourists (I saw a lot of "I <3 NY" t-shirts that night) but when I saw Avenue Q recently most of the audience was dressed nicely - skirts, dresses, dark jeans, sweaters, button ups.