Lyric Stage Company of Boston

The Lyric Stage on Clarendon Street is tucked into Hotel 140, formerly a YWCA, a block from Copley Square. This small, 240-capacity theater’s stage has seating on three sides, offering a lively presentation as the actors mug for all corners. It’s an intimate setting allowing the audience to be immersed in a performance, many of which are musicals. The Lyric Stage Company, which was founded in 1974, is Boston’s oldest theater company and now shares the space with City Stage Company, broadening the scope of the performances (most of which feature an inclusive cast of local artists). Entrance is through Hotel 140’s grand lobby and up its ornate staircase. The hotel’s second floor café doubles as a theater lounge; there’s a bar and plenty of seating for relaxing before a performance or during intermission.