We have been to two recent performances, including Paul Anka. i was blown away how good Anka was. He is 85 and sounded 35. Very engaged with audience . We absolutely loved the performance and his 12 piece band. We love the venue. Very upscale and comfortable . Maybe a little challenging for patrons with ambulatory limitations read more

Aside from their parking, which is rather far to walk if you have a difficult time, and some not so great sightlines depending where you are seated, I enjoyed this venue a lot! The staff here was very friendly once it came to the inside workers. The staff working security looked like they didn't want to be here whatsoever. It was easy finding where I was sitting for the evening because there were many signs and ushers to help point the way. The box that I was staying in was amazing, only consisting of about six people. The three in the front were a little lower so I didn't have any of my view blocked. I noticed if you are higher up in regular seats, you may need to shift around the people in front of where you are sitting. The theater had a great sound system and the place was very clean and up to date. Prices for food and drink was crazy, going from a start of $15 and up from there for a glass of wine or mixed drink. I felt safe the entire time I was here from the security they had, including police. read more

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The venue is very nice for Ft Myers, be aware if you have any handicap at all or have trouble walking or with stairs do NOT buy balcony seats. I didn't buy my ticket so I don't know if they warn you of this, maybe they do. There is no elevator from the 2nd floor to the balcony & there's a lot of stairs & no restrooms up there also, you have to go back down the stairs for that. I just came out of a boot & can walk but I really had trouble with so many stairs. Outside that the show Mama Mia was great, the sound is amazing; they sell drinks & nuts, not sure what else in the food line. Valet parking is $20 (wow) which I had to do as I can't walk a mile to the far lot, I think they fill up fast if you don't get there super early. read more

If you live in SWFL, by all means check out Barbara Mann. The programs are so diverse, there's literally something for everyone. I've attended classical concerts, such as Beethoven's Symphony #9 -- you know 'Ode to Joy.' It was nothing short of spectacular. I've bought tickets to the symphony's centennial salute to Gershwin's 'Rhapsody In Blue'. We attended a riveting performance by the Gipsy Kings, and Broadway-like productions, recently the Temptations show and 'Jersey Boys.' Once you're in the system you'll receive emails with periodic discounts. The gentleman sitting next to me last night shared an interesting tidbit: if you show up at will-call two hours prior to a classical concert you can likely purchase tickets for a song. (Pun intended.) These concerts typically only reach 60% capacity before last-minute seats go on sale. In a former review I mentioned how steep the venue is. I buy the least expensive tickets to concerts. (The acoustics are great and I can often move down.) I spring for front mezzanine when I see a show. Traffic leaving Barbara Mann can be nuts. You might do what we do and park in the lot across the street; it's quick and easy to exit. If you have mobility problems, there's valet parking. $15, I think. One last tip -- they're pretty strict about the size requirement of purses: 12 x 12 x 6. Doesn't have to be see-through, but if the bag is even a tad oversized, you'll have to walk back to your car and leave it in the trunk. I know; I took that "walk of shame!" read more

Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall - Picture the stage with 4 opera singers upfront and a 130-voice choir behind. - Performing Arts Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

Barbara B Mann is a really lovely theater, perfect for their concerts and the Broadway musical series they showcase. I found the theater and restrooms very clean. Seats are comfortable. The ushers are all super helpful and friendly. All in all it's a very professional theater in SWFL. I wish we had even more of these kind of venues for cultural experiences. read more

The facility is a little hard to navigate, but it served well for the musical, A Beautiful Noise, that we watched last night. The musical was amazing, even though we were in the nosebleed section and couldn't see facial expressions. The sound was great, though. A shout out also to the staff, as each one I encountered was friendly, knowledgeable and helped make the whole experience 5-star! read more

Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall - Looking down at the stage from the highest level before the program started. - Performing Arts Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

Great experience! The bathroom lines were interesting to get through but it works. We were in the pit a bit close for some scenes but we will be back overall fun time! read more

Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall - Performing Arts Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

In all my years of being in and trying to please customers, I have never experienced such stupidity, misinformation, and rudeness as with the Barbara B Mann ticket processing. I got a gift certificate for Christmas. I've called the box office three times today around 2 and they say they're open from 10 to 5 but they're not open right now??? Then I call ticket sales. I hold for 15 minutes. I get a young man and tell him I have a gift certificate and he says oh you have to call the Direct ticket sales office for those and immediately hangs up on me. I will never go here ever. what happened to professional customer service. It's absolutely disgusting and appalling. Their shows aren't worth the aggravation. read more

The concession stands won't sell bottled water with the lids on them. They refused and I refused to buy any without the lid because that's the only way to keep them from spilling. I'm very dissatisfied. read more

Great acts, just Jerry Seinfeld. Nice size theater. Free parking. Good security, checking everyone s bag. Roaming security in theater. Lots of drinks allowed. It is a bit vertical for my taste, the seats I mean. The seating is very vertical at a steep incline. Clean place with friendly employees. Wonderful shows at good prices. read more

Balcony stairs are dangerously steep and steps alternate in size- you need a 6 inch foot to accommodate- only one elevator and ONE hand rail for up and down traffic. BBMAN attests to satisfactory building and fire codes. I guess it will take a huge lawsuit filed by Morgan and Morgan at remediate the 40 year old balcony. read more

For whatever reason the ushers and security were all smiles and thank you to the patrons. It was so nice to feel welcome instead of feeling like you are going to the Spanish Inquisition. It sure set the tone for a great evening. We went to see Million Dollar Quartet. One night in 1956 Elvis Pressley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash made their final visit to Sun Records and they hung around and sang some spirituals. Afterward they would never perform together again. I have seen this play 17 times. My son worked on the play in Chicago, and we saw it there the most. (Yes, I had to pay). The Chicago production was on a very small and intimate stage and venue. The other times I have seen it in St. Louis and Ft Myers on a larger venue. It is superior on the small set as the audience is right on top of the performers. What makes this play unique is all the performers must play live music. Which is just so cool. It has been noted that most songs they sing are long after 1956. But come on it's the roots of Rock and Roll. I would see it again. read more

Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall - Seeing Million Dollar Quartet. - Performing Arts Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

I have been to this theatre several times. The speakers in the balcony DO NOT WORK. They haven't worked at all as far back as I can remember. I asked an usher to let me sit closer up so I can hear better. read more

No bad seat Staff super friendly Renovation of restrooms Free parking Easy access read more

I had a distrubing experience during the bag search at the security checkpoint. It was our first time at the Barbara Mann Theatre, and during a search of my purse, I was told that I couldn't bring in the zip lock baggie of apple slices and two cheese sticks or the water bottle. I told the officer that I was diabetic and preferred to keep my healthy snacks to prevent hypoglycemia. He asked his supervisor, who looked in my bag and said I have a picnic in here and to throw it out. We had valeted our car, so we couldn't return the food to the car. As for the empty plastic water bottle, the supervisor almost made me put it in the trash, then said I could keep it this time. Then he made a sarcastic remark about Colorado theatres having the same rules. I have never encountered such rude behavior at any theatre entrance. I thought they feared food/beverage spillage on their upholstery. No, it's all about spending your money on their snacks and beverages. We won't return to this venue. read more

A great experience ! I was at the Bob Dylan's concert in early March . A great performance , one of the last legends IMHO . Purchasing tickets online was easy and the seating maps are accurate . Plenty of parking in a secured lot . Very easy process to get in and out of the building . The merch booth was organized and efficient . Very reasonable ticket price as well ! read more

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Went to a show there tonight. I thought the venue was great. I did not bring a purse because it needs to be clear and specific dimensions or they don't let you in and I just don't have time for that nonsense. Parking was a chore and so maybe next time I will arrive an hour before show time to avoid the congestion. Seats were easy to find and the sound was great. Only issue was when a woman thought a couple was sitting in her seats and they exchanged "niceties " during the show and it was a disruption. Other than that, the show was fantastic, the crowd was engaged and it was a really nice time. read more

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Beautiful venue reminiscent of the Bergen PAC in New Jersey but much larger. Tonight was The Gypsy Kings performing. Large gathering area with a bar area and snacks. The bar serves mixed drinks and wine/beer. There's a kiosk that sells cinnamon roasted peanuts and cashews, delicious. Will be back for the Tina Turner Musical. read more

Every time I visit BBMann, it is a nice night out. They have a lot of volunteers to help you to your seat and so far every seat has has been good. and the shows have all been outstanding. The ushers I have dealt with have all been very pleasant and I have actually seen more of the guests giving the ushers a hard time. I look forward to many more visits here. read more

Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall - Jodie Benson - Performing Arts Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

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Seats are barely big enough for big people, but they're better seats than the Hetz arena. I was in the cheap seats for Tom Segura. The audio was pretty good, but not prefect. Also, there was no video screen so I couldn't really see Segura. Long lines for the bar, so I just got diet coke. read more

Hosted a 300 person event here and WOULD NOT recommend. Staff were clueless and extremely unhelpful. Food was disappointing. Not a great drink selection at the bar. It felt like they had never hosted something big before. The cost was way too much for what we got. Only getting two stars because the venue itself is beautiful. read more

Such a wonderful experience. I took my daughter to the nutcracker and when you get inside they offered to take our picture by the Christmas tree. Excellent customer service!! We were able to purchase great seats for a reasonable price. I will definitely be back read more

Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall - Performing Arts Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

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I have never been so embarrassed and emotional distressed from my experience tonight at the Barbara B Mann Theater. As a 72 yr old sr women I was reprimanded by SECURITY at the theater at the beginning of the second half of the show. My husband who suffers from migraines hadn't returned from intermission. The show started and I had to text him to be sure he was ok. A security personnel came to me and "yelled" that if I did not put my phone away immediately he was throwing me out. As I tried to shut my phone off, being embarrassed and nervous, I kept hitting the wrong button and the phone kept lighting up. He came back and yelled, if you don't shut that phone off I'm throwing you out!!!!!! You are disturbing everyone, like I said before I'll throw you out. Embarrassed and upset I stuck my phone in my pocket and was so upset I was unable to enjoy the second act. And my husband was still missing!!!!!!!! Absolutely unacceptable procedural behavior. Charlene W read more

My wife and I just went to Fiddler on the Roof at BB Mann. We had been to Jersey Boys a couple of years ago. What was the difference between the two? Orchestra seating for Jersey Boys versus Balcony for Fiddler. Both were great productions, but if you are prone to vertigo, do not get balcony seats. We had to leave at intermission because we both were feeling queasy looking down at the stage. Not a nice feeling. Lesson learned. If we can't get orchestra seats we won't go. read more

The acoustics were awful. Couldn't hear the words. The balcony speakers were not on. My group of 5 left at the intermission. Waste of time and money. This is for the performance of Hamilton on MY 2,2014. read more

We attended a performance of "The Nutcracker" and it was not as professional as we were expecting. The symphony did a great job, but the performance of most of the dancers was average. The whole show felt more like a school play with amateur dancers and sets. There were about 4 professional dancers that were very good. I guess we are spoiled by The Nutcracker performances were have seen in Kansas City over the years. For $80 per ticket, we definitely expected more. read more

Clasic Seger concert. Save your money. worst concert ever. Front man could not carry a tune in a bucket. Sounded NOTHING like bob seger. Peaple left in droves before concert ended. Dont go and tell your friends not to go. read more

If you are looking for a place where you can spend a 32% service charge and have poor show scheduling and management (back to back shows leaving no time to clear the building or parking lot before the next show arrives) then this is your place! read more

The venue is small and older. The ushers are extremely rude and one literally poked me and yelled at me very loudly to put my phone away (as I got into show ten minutes later because they have Roger the 88 year old senior sloth working the drink counter) when I pulled my phone out to make sure it was off. I'm sorry but if someone moves very slow and can not hear, he should not be behind the beer counter as most people were waiting over 30 mins for drinks. We also ordered two pretzels that were literally as hard as some of the ushers faces. I've been there four times already and it has not gotten any better. Dane Cook rocked though! read more

It's a great auditorium and the staff is very helpful. It's a great SWFL venue to see a show. The only issue becomes having a few hundred people leave a small venue and it's chaos by its basic design. How can 70,000 people or 37,000 people leave a NFL and MLB stadium faster ? It's facts. It's an easy in and terrible out. It's a logistical problem they can easily remedy. read more

Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall - Performing Arts Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

Nasty woman Kim measuring the size of every purse with her tape. She stretched mine out and told me to take mine back to my car! Tickets should warn patrons about this unpleasant hurdle before entering theater! Can u tell I'm all fired up about this! Hope the show makes it all worth it! read more

The security person, in charge of measuring pocketbooks, needs to simmer down the power adrenaline. This brown haired lass, laid down my purse inside the drawn square on the table, and lo and behold it fit, until she pulled the top edges of it to overlap the line by 1/4 of an inch. No, no, no, even though she checked through my bag for contraband, I could not enter with it. What is the reasoning behind the size when it has already been rifled through?? Who wants to return to their car and leave their purse inside it in the parking lot??? Not a good way to begin, what was meant to be an enjoyable evening. I'll think twice before recommending this theater. read more

We to see Celtic Thunder. The picture on their website was not the band that showed up. That clearly misrepresents the band they want you to buy tickets for. I have no intention of buying any more tickets from a company that will deceive their customers. read more

THEY DO NOT SUPPORT DOCTORS FIGHTING THE FRONT LINES TO SAVE LIVES! Stay away!! This place does not care for doctors that are saving lives during COVID. They made it very clear to my friend and I tonight (both fighting covid on the front lines since day 1) Please beware of what you support. read more

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! Arrived at the BBM Hall with tickets in hand tonight to see the Irish Tenors. Bunch of people milling around. No sign of an event; no signs on the doors. Dark and closed up. Finally one of the ticket holders call a friend who works at the university. He was told the concert was cancelled and rescheduled for October 13. So what about the ticket holders?????? They did not let any of us know that the performance was cancelled! We traveled from Naples to Cape Coral just for this. Terrible customer service. Inexcusable! I'm furious and have every right to be. read more

3 stars! For bringing the acts, but not necessarily bringing much more! Went to see the Impractical Jokers Tour performance, so off the bat big props for getting a trendy act in town. As a native New Yorker, these guys are HUGE and have serious street cred. They are quickly building a national following, so I was super pumped to hear they were coming to Fort Myers. Where things also went right: - Parking was free, easy, and close. - Good size theater; not too big, so you get to enjoy a more intimate show experience (we sat lower mezzanine and had a great view of the stage). Sadly, where things went wrong: - "Security" (if you can really call it that) was one lone security guard randomly stopping people on the sidewalk to check their bags before they walked up the steps into the theater. Not the most comforting security process for a large event. - Insane lines at the ONE drink concession stand. No excuse for that in my opinion, especially with the younger crowd this act was pulling in. - Not enough bathrooms. Enough said! Since it was 3 thumbs up and 3 thumbs down I have to put their overall rating right in the middle. I will absolutely go back to see more shows, but I will make sure to grab a drink before, go to the bathroom before, and go "bag commando. Sorry in advance to my husband since his pockets will be my bag replacement - Thanks Honey! read more

Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall - Time for some laughs! - Performing Arts Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

This is a nice theatre that is well designed so everyone can see the stage. Great acoustics, too. It's clean and in good repair, with plenty of helpful, happy ushers. While the seats are comfortable, they are several inches too narrow for all but ectomorphs. The rows are also several inches too close which makes it very difficult for people to pass by (I saw several people leave their rows and step into the aisle to let people past--crazy). Was the theatre designed by teenagers for middle school kids? The venue also suffers from a shortage of bathrooms (a dead giveaway is the long line for the men's.). Plenty of parking, but it takes a long time to empty the lot. read more

Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall - Small & intimate theatre - Performing Arts Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

My mom invited me to accompany her to Barbara B Mann's play on Monty Python's 'Spamalot'. This was the first time that I've ever been to this theater so I was excited to try something new. I was forewarned that the seats were not good (we were practically at the top row). That didn't phase my decision on going. Parking was a little confusing as I didn't see signs to direct me. I ended up parking at a lot and had a short walk to theater. The theater was pretty packed 15 mins before, so I recommend getting there about 30 mins earlier to grab food. The food/drink counters didn't have great options.. Pretzels and peanuts seemed to be the highlights, along with candy, wine and water. The lines were long so I didn't bother waiting. The overall play was great! I was a bit turned off by the entire experience due to one of the employees. We were told that after the first 10 mins we would be allowed to go down a few flights of rows at empty seats so we could see better. After being directed to go, another employee (supervisor) came up to us and said we had to sit back at top and that we are not allowed. I then pointed out the employee originally directed us. Shortly after being embarrassed by the move, the original employee questioned me on why I pointed her out since her supervisor was asking. I thought that was a silly thing to ask a customer after putting them through musical chairs (no pun intended!). All in all, I would go again if I had a better experience with the employees. read more

My wife and I have held season's tickets the Performing Arts Center for 10 years now. We've seen good and not so good performances, but mostly good. Why the 3 star rating then? When we first started attending performances wine cost $6 for an 8oz plastic cup. Add a $1 a pour tip and it cost us $12 a round. One round when we arrived and one at intermission for a total of $24. Fast forward 10 years and the same wine in the same plastic cup is now $10.64 per 8oz cup with auto tipping options beginning at 15% and capping at 20%, bringing the total for 2 plastic cups of wine to around $28. Two rounds of wine served in a plastic cup sets one back about $56 today. The wine poured retails in Publix for about $9 a bottle and no doubt is closer to $7 a bottle (or less) bulk price. I applaud Barbary's B Mann's presentations, however I have a real problem with their absurd markup on a basically cheap wine served in a plastic cup. They should be ashamed of themselves. read more

The place is nice, a little small compared to what I was used to in Miami. However, the staff was friendly, always smiling, and willing to help me and my family get around. We went to watch the Lion King Musical. The only reason it's not getting a 5 star it's because-- the show was sold out and of course it was packed and it got pretty hot inside, and everyone around me were complaining about the air. Aside from that though, I'll be returning! Just lower the air! :) read more