The Bricks never fail to leave their audience examining and reconsidering the events in their…read moreproductions long after leaving the theater. So it was this weekend when we saw their production of "Blackbird" by David Harrower. With one act, one set, and two players throughout most of the play, Blackbird begins as a young woman comes to a late middle-aged man's workplace to confront him about their past relationship. We immediately see his discomfort and resistance, and through halting and intense dialog eventually find the nature of the beginning of their relationship, she at a per-pubescent 12 years and he a 40 year old neighbor. When she asks, "Did you abuse me?" the word "abuse" is nearly stifled as though it were someone else's descriptive, not hers. This is how the play unfolds with accusations met with explanations trying to disentangle what their lives were then and have become now. The set complements the messages, with the company's rules and policy tacked to a bulletin board, lockers to hold personal belongings, and garbage and used empty containers all around. It makes for a great metaphor for society's laws and taboos, the places where you hide away our personal "belongings," and the garbage and used, empty containers we produce and become. The garbage is everywhere and is slung both literally and metaphorically during the production. As Ray, Mark Snowden leaves us suspending our judgement, holding our breath, horrified at times, and wishing to be sympathetic at times. Ultimately, as new missing pieces are revealed, we are left not trusting whether there has been any real change in him. Una, played by Jocelyn Fitz-Gibbon, dusts every corner of the subject. What happens if a young person discovering their sexuality is not surrounded by responsible, emotionally mature adults? A child perceiving abuse as love and adventure, the revelation and perspective gained with age, and the questions and wonder about the nature of that relationship come out in painful, uncomfortable scenes. Una amazes and confounds us fluctuating between a spurned and jealous ex-lover and an abused and cautious past victim. Harrower illustrates the psychological damage of abuse in developmental stages of life, and the challenges to the victim's relationships with family, friends, and lovers. I cannot reveal the role of the other player in the show, spoilers. But all three gave breathtaking and breath-holding performances. The scene can and has happened everywhere, quietly or publicly, making the "anywhere" location of the show appropriate as we examine why these codes and taboos are in place and what happens in our lives and futures when they are broken. Thank you, Bricks, for another searching and thoughtful experience in theatre.

It's about time I wrote about the awesome Bricks Theatre! Last Friday I went to the show of…read more"That's What She Said" located at the Brink. I have gone to about 6 of their shows, and leave amazed at the performances every time! Each "That's What She Said" show have a theme to them. This last one was "Lie". There were 9 women who wrote personal stories about what they thought of when they heard the word Lie. Each woman had their own story. I'm continually amazed of the courage these women have by talking about situations that make them very vulnerable. You can connect with a part of each of their stories. It's a night full of laughter and tears. Amazing! The only downfall is that usually the Brink has a performance or something going on in the bar area, therefore it can be a little distracting with the background noise of that.

This was my first show at The Sylvee. I had heard a lot about it, but I finally got to see what it…read morewas all about. And OH, I was not disappointed! I got to see the Static-X/Sevendust/Dope show, and fortunate to enjoy it from one of the few suites (far from the mosh pit!) that line the perimeter of the viewing area. The location: If you love downtown, this is a great location. If you fear downtown Madison, well, sorry. The good news is you can find decent (or free) parking nearby without getting lost in the mess of one way streets and chaos. The better news is that there's no shortage of places for your "pregame" efforts, whether you are looking for dinner or just a cocktail. The venue: The Sylvee is clean and tidy. You can tell it was built for the best concert-going experience. Plenty of room to move about, good bathroom situation, and numerous places to find a beverage. Up by the suites? Even better, with a special bar and bathroom situation just for them. And the bars have a great selection of craft/local beers. Overall the technology in the venue is great. The sound is excellent, and the lighting is on point. I know a lot has to do with the act that is in town, but Sylvee seems to have what they need to put on a good show. Now, you won't find Aerosmith or KISS coming by to do a show here, but you can find some pretty sizable acts performing here. If you find a show in town that really trips your trigger - and it's at The Sylvee... book it! You won't be sorry.

My first time at The Sylvee and definitely not my last. Such a cool, modern, spacious, event space…read more I got to see Maren Morris and it was incredible! The layout is great. You walk in and you have a huge bar area on the left to grab a drink, then you can walk down a few steps and it's a huge area right in front of the stage. We got standing only tickets so that's where we stood. It was awesome because you could get so close to the stage. They do have a second floor with an additional bar and paid seating that looked really nice. The sound was great, everything was clean, air conditioned, the bar staff were efficient, and the prices weren't insane. There were a lot of people there but you still had your own standing space, it wasn't a packed sardines situation at all. Even leaving was easy, it wasn't a stampede. Overall an awesome somewhat more intimate experience for a concert. They do have a parking garage for $15. We went to dinner on Willy Street before and had street parking there so we didn't need to move our car. Only a few block walk, super convenient! I can't wait to see another concert at The Sylvee!

Date of visit: January 24, 2026…read more One of my Christmas gifts was seeing John Mulaney here at The Orpheum and it was a delightful venue, full of history and stately charm. Like many venues of this age, it was not built for security checks and metal detectors, which meant we were waiting outside to get in for a while and that normally would not bother me but given the frigid temperatures, I do wish they could have done something to streamline the wait. Once we were in, staff inside were friendly if not necessarily helpful with not one but two ushers steering us in the wrong direction to our seats, seats on the floor that were not cconsistently labeled. Thankfully there weren't any issues with our seats and we were able to enjoy the show--too bad our feet never warmed up the entire visit!

Been to the Orpheum for several shows. I have always found it to be a positive experience…read more Getting through security was easy, and quick. The lobby can get a little busy and crowded (nothing new there). If you are planning to buy alcohol, you get your wrist strap ahead of time. There's a place to get merchandise, and that can get a bit congested. Plenty of folks to help you get to your seats. For this show we were front row balcony (which I feel is the best spot in the entire place). The seats are a little dated, narrow, and might benefit from being restuffed. The acoustics were good, but not great but certainly better than most large venues (i.e. Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee). I would definitely come again.

This old theatre has a quirky charm to it. They have a massive concessions stand. The seats are…read morevery comfortable. This theatre is small so there are no bad seats. There is a parking lot and a good amount of street parking available.

The Barrymore Theatre is a 971-capacity live music venue on the east side. It was originally built…read morein 1929. It is to me the most important place in the Schenk-Atwood area. The Barrymore has had a history as diverse as the current entertainment on its schedule. It is an independent, community-based theater, owned by a nonprofit corporation. These are dying in America, so let's support the one we got. There is something here for everyone at least once a year! Not a big picture taking gal so no evidence to support this claim but I'd venture to say nothing about the theatre appearance has changed in my time. Who knows when it last did. And that's what you need to know so you are coming with right expectations and not "corporate" ones. This is a no frills joint, an old school theatre where your focus is on the entertainment. I get my pre-show chow down the block and simply enjoy amazing acoustics for all of the live music I have witnessed at The Barrymore. This setting does really well to beautifully showcase a man and his guitar. We will see how it does next month with a man and his guitar and a piano! Truly we should be thankful to share an intimate room with some of the best musicians of our generation. We need The Barrymore for hosting them and to continue to make the sound superb. The venue hosts a variety of entertainment too, which I appreciate though it's all live music for me. It's worth looking at their schedule to find something to attend if you are in town for a long weekend or more. Visitors should stop here for a Madison experience. There are Barrymore ticket sellers around town so if you want to buy a physical ticket in your neighborhood, you can do that. Huge plus.

Absolutely worth it! I like the adult show at 9pm. Was a great time. Comics were great and able…read moreto adapt well to keep the entertainment going! This was my first Improv show and I will definitely seek out improv in the future!

Participating in improv is one of my worst nightmares. I can't imagine being onstage and not…read moreknowing what's coming up next, having to make things up on the fly, and trying to be funny on top of it all. However, I married my opposite. Ben T. decided to try improv after having been an actor on the side a few times, and he loved classes at Atlas. I will leave it to him to fully review the classes here, but I will say that he had a lot of fun, learned a lot, and met some really cool people (who he then introduced me to!). At the end of the improv course, you can participate in a class show. For me, this would be one of those "opportunities" that I would rather pass up. But Ben was really excited about it -- And I was very excited to be an audience member and see what he had learned over the course of 10 weeks. I was lucky to have met a few of the other improv course attendees, and I really think it added something special to the show to know a few people participating in it. Atlas is in a great location, although I found the parking lot difficult to find on a dark night. I ended up parking in a nearby parking lot and hoping I wouldn't be ticketed. The inside of Atlas is really cozy and cute, and the people up front were friendly. Since I was there early and by myself, I was seated right up front. The seating is a bit close together... So I made a new friend, the person sitting next to me! The show was hilarious. It reminded me a lot of Whose Line is it Anyway, which I used to LOVE and cry-laugh watching. The emcees (course instructors) were funny, friendly, and encouraging. The point system can get crazy, like it was on Whose Line, which adds to the fun. The audience was great at throwing out ideas when solicited for what we ate for breakfast or random letters of the alphabet, although to be honest even this made me nervous. I think I was just waiting for some point where they would drag someone on stage or something like that, but we were safe in the audience! I can't wait to make it here for the "real" non-student shows. If the students learned that much in 10 weeks at Level 1 I think the more experienced people would be insanely talented. I was very proud of Ben T. and the rest of his class!

I can't believe I haven't written a review about Forward Theater Company yet. I fear that this…read morereview will not adequately express my love for this company. But nonetheless, I will try. In short: Forward Theater Company presents professional, modern, progressive plays, and IT IS AWESOME! I first became aware of Forward because my roommate was their technical director. He invited me to see the play he had been working on and gave me a ticket that had been reserved for him. I love theater so I was excited to go, but had only ever really seen productions I was already familiar with (Shakespeare, Broadway stuff etc). I went in with a open mind, but wasn't totally sure what to expect. The first play I saw was From Up Here by Liz Flahive, which is partially set in a modern day high school (so it included some amateur actors as well as professional). I was BLOWN AWAY. Literally moved to tears. The set, sound, actors, script, we're all amazing. Despite the fact that I had been given a free ticket, I paid for a ticket to see that show again. I've made it a point to see every Forward show since and have never been disappointed. With modern themes (sometimes slightly provocative) I find the plays to be extremely engaging. So, I implore you -- Go see a show! You won't regret it.

I've been to a couple of Forward Theater shows. Both presented the highest quality actors, sets and…read morewell chosen shows. The most recent show was Red, a two man show about Mark Rothko, an Abstract Expressionist, and his interactions/discussions with a young painter who is hired as his assistant. Very well done! Support Live theater, it's better than TV!!