The Marquis Theatre — Broadway Guide
Seating, arrival through the Marriott Marquis, accessibility, location, and how to plan the full evening at Broadway’s only hotel-embedded theater.
The Marquis Theatre is unlike any other Broadway house — not because of its history, but because of where it sits. Opened in 1986 on the third floor of the New York Marriott Marquis hotel, it is the only legitimate Broadway theater built entirely inside a hotel, and that single fact shapes everything: how you arrive, how you navigate to your seat, where the restrooms are, and what the surrounding evening looks like. Understanding the Marquis means understanding those differences before you walk in.
This guide covers what the theater is as a room and as an experience, how to think about seating in one of Broadway’s largest houses, how the hotel-lobby arrival flow actually works, what accessibility looks like here, and how to build a full night out around a Times Square theater. Whether you have tickets already or are deciding whether to book, this is the planning information that makes the evening work.
What Kind of Broadway House This Is
The Marquis is Broadway’s newest legitimate theater — opened in 1986, decades after most of the district’s major houses were built — and it shows in ways that are mostly to the visitor’s advantage. The auditorium is large, modern, and purpose-built for comfort: wide aisles, high ceilings, and approximately 1,611 seats spread across an orchestra level and an upper level. Compared to the older houses nearby — the tighter rows, the worn carpeting, the lobbies that were not designed for twenty-first-century crowd flow — the Marquis feels genuinely spacious.
It was designed by John C. Portman Jr., the architect behind the Marriott Marquis hotel itself, which explains the building-within-a-building logic. Portman included the theater to increase the hotel’s scale and footprint, not as a Broadway-first design project — and the theater reflects that origin. There is no freight elevator, the wings on either side of the proscenium are narrower than standard Broadway building codes would normally require, and the restrooms are hotel restrooms shared with the broader building rather than dedicated theater facilities. These are not criticisms — they are things worth knowing.
The Marquis works best for large-scale productions that can fill a 1,600-seat room — musicals and plays with ambitious production design, strong visual effects, and enough theatrical scale that the size of the house feels appropriate rather than overwhelming. It is one of the more approachable Broadway venues for first-time visitors: the building is easy to find, the arrival is well-signed, and the room itself does not require any adjustment to an older or more idiosyncratic environment.
What you give up in character and architectural history, you gain in practical comfort. If you have seen Broadway shows at smaller or older houses and found the experience cramped, the Marquis will feel like a different category of theater entirely.
How Arriving Here Actually Works
This is the section most Broadway venue guides skip, and it is the one that most reliably catches first-time Marquis visitors off guard. Arriving at this theater is not the same as arriving at any other Broadway house, and if you do not know what to expect, the lobby experience can be disorienting.
The box office and primary street entrance are at 210 West 46th Street — street level, on 46th between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. From there, escalators and elevators carry you up to the auditorium on the hotel’s third floor. There is also a pedestrian through-way between West 45th and 46th Streets that runs through the hotel building and can help you orient once you are inside. The auditorium entrance is on the third floor of the hotel.
Plan to arrive 20 to 25 minutes before curtain — not 10. The hotel lobby is large, the escalator routing takes longer than walking directly off a sidewalk into a traditional Broadway house, and the Marquis draws large houses. First-timers especially benefit from the extra few minutes to find the right floor, locate their section entrance, and get settled. The building is well-signed, but it is still a hotel, not just a theater entrance.
Bars, restrooms, and the hotel layout
One practical detail that surprises visitors: the restrooms are not inside the theater lobby. They are in the hotel’s common areas on the third and fourth floors — outside the auditorium. There are bars at both the orchestra level and the mezzanine level. Knowing this in advance means you are not looking for facilities that are not where you expect them to be.
The overall arrival experience at the Marquis is modern and functional rather than atmospheric. If part of what you value in a Broadway evening is the grandeur of walking into a century-old house, this theater delivers that differently — through the scale of the production it hosts rather than the architecture of the building itself.
Seating Guide — How to Think About Where to Sit
At approximately 1,611 seats, the Marquis is one of Broadway’s larger houses, and seat choice here involves the same core question it does at any large theater: how close do you want to be versus how much of the full stage picture do you want to see? There are two main seating areas — the orchestra level and the upper level — and a practical quirk worth knowing: every row in the theater is on a different step. That stepped configuration means sightlines are generally clear throughout the house, but it also means the vertical rise through the seating bowl is steeper than at some neighboring theaters.
Closest to the stage. Best for performer proximity and immersion in production design. Center orchestra puts you inside the show — strong for productions where effects and staging wrap around the audience. Front rows are very close and can feel steep; mid-orchestra center is the premium zone for most productions.
Elevated view of the full stage picture. Better for productions where seeing the full spatial layout of the staging matters more than proximity to performers. More removed from the action but often better value. For a visually complex, effects-driven production like Stranger Things, the full stage view from here can be a strong choice.
Designated wheelchair and companion seating is located in the rear orchestra. Accessible via hotel lobby elevators and a ramp to the wheelchair seating area. All other seating locations in the theater require stairs — this is a firm practical reality at this venue.
As with any large proscenium house, extreme side seats can have limited sightlines to the opposite edge of the stage. Center and center-adjacent seating throughout both levels offers considerably stronger sight lines. Worth being deliberate about when choosing.
For productions with major production design — elaborate staging, strong visual effects, large-scale spectacle — upper level center rows give you the full picture at a lower price point than orchestra center. For a show where scale is the point, this trade often works in your favor.
The Marquis has a steeply raked seating bowl where each row sits on its own step. This generally means clear sightlines throughout the house. It also means the vertical rise from front to back is more pronounced than in some flatter-raked houses — worth knowing if you have step-related mobility considerations.
The Marquis is a spectacle theater. It has been home to large-scale productions — Beetlejuice, The Wiz, Stranger Things — that use the full stage width and height, rely on strong production design, and are built to read in a big room. The question when choosing seats is whether you want to be inside that spectacle or looking at it whole. Orchestra center gives you immersion and physical proximity. Upper level center gives you the complete spatial picture. For effects-driven shows especially, both choices deliver — but they deliver differently. Know which you want before you book.
Accessibility at the Marquis Theatre
Wheelchair seating — rear orchestra, accessible via elevator
Designated wheelchair and companion seating is in the rear orchestra. Access is through the hotel lobby elevators — the theater entrance is on the third floor of the hotel, and there is a ramp to the wheelchair seating area from that level. Contact the box office directly or check the official venue accessibility page for current seating availability and booking procedures.
All other seating requires stairs
With the exception of the rear orchestra wheelchair locations, all seating areas at the Marquis require stairs. There is no elevator access to general seating sections. Visitors who cannot use stairs should book wheelchair-accessible seats and confirm details with the box office in advance.
Every row is on a different step
The theater’s steeply raked seating bowl means each row is set one step above the one in front of it. This creates good sightlines throughout the house but does mean navigating within your section involves step access. Worth considering when choosing a row if step-by-step movement is a factor.
Assistive listening and captioning services
Headsets for sound augmentation are available free at the box office — ID is required as a deposit and will be returned when the device is checked back in after the show. Audio description is available through the GalaPro app (free download) and via I-Caption hand-held devices, which also support multilingual audio translation in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Portuguese. Availability of I-Caption devices is subject to confirmation.
Accessibility details and venue policies can change between productions. Always verify current accessibility provisions directly with the Marquis Theatre box office or the official venue page before finalizing plans, particularly if accessibility is a primary consideration for your visit.
Location — Times Square, Transit, and Getting There
The Marquis sits at the center of Times Square — on West 46th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue — which makes it one of the most transit-accessible Broadway houses in the district and also one of the most surrounded by tourist-density. The location is genuinely convenient; what to eat before and after requires slightly more intention than it would at a theater in a quieter part of the district.
The subway is the straightforward choice for most visitors — Times Square is one of the most heavily served stations in the city, and the walk from the subway to the theater entrance is short. If you are driving, parking garages are available on the surrounding blocks; booking in advance for weekend evenings is worth doing. See the full guide to getting to a Broadway show for detailed subway, bus, and timing advice. For parking specifically, the parking near Broadway guide covers your closest options.
Build the Night Around the Marquis
The Marquis’s Times Square location is one of the most transit-convenient in the district, but it also puts you in the densest part of midtown — which means pre-show dining requires a deliberate choice rather than just walking out the door and finding something good. The neighborhood rewards a little advance thought.
Dinner before the show
Restaurant Row — West 46th Street — runs directly in front of the Marquis, making it one of the more concentrated pre-theater dining options in the district. The block has a range of options at different price points and styles, many of them accustomed to theater-crowd timing and early turnover. Two blocks west, Hell’s Kitchen adds depth to the options, with a stronger range of neighborhood restaurants less oriented toward Times Square foot traffic. The restaurants near Broadway guide covers specific picks, and the pre-show dining guide covers timing strategy — particularly important at the Marquis, where the current show runs 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.
Hotels near the theater
The Marquis Theatre is literally inside the New York Marriott Marquis, which makes it the most logistically simple hotel choice for anyone building an overnight around a show here. The Times Square area more broadly has the widest selection of Broadway-adjacent hotels in the city at every price point. The hotels near Broadway guide covers your best-positioned options.
The neighborhood and the full evening
Times Square is the surrounding context, and knowing how to use it rather than fight it makes the evening easier. For a broader orientation to the Theater District — what the blocks around the Marquis look and feel like, what else is nearby, and how to think about pre- and post-show planning — the Theater District neighborhood guide is the right starting point.
Current Production — Stranger Things: The First Shadow
The Marquis is currently home to Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the Broadway transfer of a West End production that opened at the Marquis on April 22, 2025. It has no announced closing date as of this writing, with tickets currently on sale well into 2026. The show won Tony Awards in its first Broadway season — verify current award details — and has been one of the stronger-grossing productions in the district, breaking house records at the Marquis in late 2025.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is a play — not a musical — written by Kate Trefry from an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Trefry. It is set in Hawkins, Indiana in 1959, functioning as a prequel to the Netflix series. It is directed by Stephen Daldry and notable for production design and visual effects that are unusually ambitious for a Broadway play. For Stranger Things fans, it is canon to the series. For visitors who have not seen the show, it works as a standalone production.
The show’s content advisories are meaningful and worth reviewing if you are bringing younger teens or anyone sensitive to loud audio effects, strobe lighting, or depictions of mental health themes. The 2 hour 45 minute runtime also means planning for a later finish than most Broadway shows — factor that into dinner reservations and transportation.
See Current Ticket OptionsFrequently Asked Questions
The Marquis Theatre box office is at 210 West 46th Street in Manhattan, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue in the Times Square Theater District. The auditorium itself is on the third floor of the New York Marriott Marquis hotel — accessible from the street-level entrance via escalators and elevators. The nearest subway is the Times Square–42nd Street station (1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W trains), a short walk north to 46th Street.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is currently playing at the Marquis Theatre. The production opened on April 22, 2025, and has no announced closing date as of this writing. Verify current show status and performance schedule on the official venue or show site before booking.
It depends on what you want from the experience. For immersion and proximity to the stage, center orchestra is the premium zone. For a full view of the stage picture — particularly useful for a visually complex, effects-driven production — upper level center offers strong sightlines at better value. Avoid extreme side seats, where the view of the opposite stage edge can be limited. All rows are stepped, which generally means clear sightlines throughout the house.
Yes. The Marquis Theatre is on the third floor of the New York Marriott Marquis hotel at 210 West 46th Street. It is the only legitimate Broadway theater built entirely within a hotel. You enter at street level and travel up via escalators or elevators to reach the auditorium. The restrooms are hotel restrooms in the common areas of the 3rd and 4th floors, outside the theater lobby itself.
Designated wheelchair and companion seating is available in the rear orchestra, accessible via hotel lobby elevators and a ramp to the seating area. All other seating in the theater requires stairs — there is no elevator access to general seating sections. Visitors who require step-free access should book accessible seating and verify current details directly with the box office before attending.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow runs approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one intermission. Plan accordingly for dinner reservations and transit — shows typically end later than a standard 2-hour Broadway production, putting final curtain around 10pm for a 7pm start.
Yes — particularly for visitors who want a large-scale, effects-driven production rather than a more intimate play or chamber musical. The building is easy to navigate, the room is modern and comfortable, and a production like Stranger Things is built to deliver spectacle to a broad audience, including many people new to live theater. The hotel-lobby arrival is different from a traditional Broadway house, but it is well-signed and the box office staff are accustomed to orienting first-time visitors.
Yes. In-person rush tickets are available at the Marquis Theatre box office for $40 each, sold on a first-come, first-served basis for that day’s performance. A digital lottery is also available for $45 per ticket — the lottery opens at 7am ET the day before each performance and closes at 2pm ET. Check the official show site for current availability and any policy updates, as rush and lottery terms are subject to change.
The Marquis in Brief
The Marquis Theatre is Broadway’s only hotel-embedded theater — opened in 1986, designed for scale and modern comfort, and home to some of the district’s most commercially successful large-audience productions. Its Times Square location makes it one of the most accessible Broadway venues in the city; its hotel-lobby arrival is different from any other house in the district and worth understanding before you walk in. The room rewards spectacle productions, and the current show — Stranger Things: The First Shadow — is one of the more technically ambitious plays currently running anywhere on Broadway.
For current performance and ticket information, verify directly on the official show site. For broader Broadway planning, the Broadway hub and the Theater District neighborhood guide are the right next steps.
Marquis Theatre at a Glance
- Now Playing Stranger Things: The First Shadow
- Theater Type
- Address 210 West 46th Street, inside the New York Marriott Marquis
- Opened 1986
- Capacity About 1,600 seats
- Seating Layout A large Broadway room with Orchestra and upper levels built for big-scale productions
- Accessibility Designated wheelchair and companion seating are in the rear Orchestra. All other seating locations require stairs.
Marquis is a strong choice for visitors who want a larger, more spacious Broadway venue, but it also feels different from most older houses because arrival and audience flow run through the Marriott Marquis hotel.