It's fitting that the Live Music Capital of the World also plays host to some NYC-quality Broadway productions. Our sleepy little town is lucky to have Broadway in Austin at Texas Performing Arts. I've now attended twice. First, Wicked (paid tickets). Most recently, War Horse (thanks Yelp for the hook-up!). Both times: mesmerized--transported away from reality and into fantasy, my imagination at its very best. The production value of these shows is truly impressive. **And after living in NYC for several years and seeing shows in teeny tiny cramped theaters, it's nice to have Texas-sized space in which to see a show.** I continually attempt to convince myself that I don't like Broadway (particularly productions where singing/dancing are the most prominent part of the show). Why I do this?...no idea. BUT - every. single. time. I see a show...I leave thinking "that was so freakin' awesome". My point--if you have a pulse, you will love these shows. So y'all go see War Horse before it leaves town. Take the family. And check out the list of upcoming productions (perhaps I'm excited about Beauty and the Beast). Some tips: - Pay for parking in advance online--you'll save several bucks - Spend a few more bucks on seats that aren't in the balcony, it's pretty difficult to see even if you have perfect vision - Shows end late, so if you're thinking about taking the kids (which you should), spring for a weekend show - For the sake of your neighbors, keep your phone in your pants/purse read more

Another great show from Broadway in Austin. War Horse was very well staged, and visually interesting. The horses were these robo-looking puppets, with visible humans manipulating them. They did an excellent job mimicking a horse's movements. I guess my only critique would be that sometimes, the human puppeteers vanished in my mind, and I could see the horse by itself, but sometimes the puppeteers were a distraction. I'm not sure if i can call this production a musical. There were some musical numbers, but not performed by the entire cast and chorus--only a trio of musicians that performed as a scene transition. So, yes--there was music, but is it considered a musical by tradition and definition? I personally don't think so. My only frame of reference for the story was from Spielberg's 2012 film. I've never read the 1982 children's book by Michael Morpurgo, but I have a feeling this stage performance was closer to that. All-in-all, I did enjoy it. The war scenes were handled very well visually. The acting was, ummm... acting. I'll leave it at that. Would I recommend this performance to anyone? Actually, yes. I think it was and entertaining and heartfelt stage experience. Thank you, Kelly and Courtney, and the Performing Arts people for the chance to see it. read more

This was a great evening of top notch Broadway musical in Austin. The show was at the Bass concert Hall. Getting our tickets from will call was seamless and quick. No line and it took all of about 10 seconds till tickets were in our hand, and through the gate. The lobby areas are comfortable and well designed with a bar just inside the gate. Drinks are a bit steep at $9 each with a very small shot (only enough to get my ice wet, hardly a full shot). But you are allowed to take your drink into the show with you. It would be nice if they had cup holders, so be prepared to hold your drink once seated. Acoustics are good and the stage was not too far from where we sat (Row W, about half way back on the ground level) The show; American Idiot, was lively and really showcased the choreography and voice of the entire cast. it was a good time and I'll certainly recommend it if you get itchy to catch a musical without the hassle of travelling to NYC read more

Recently enjoyed a Broadway show of Green Day's American Idiot at the Brass Hall. I liked that the will call entrance was clearly marked on the far right hand side. The building itself is beautiful on the outside and located on the UT Austin campus. Valet parking is available for the cost of your arm, and there is a nearby parking garage for $12. The show itself was OK. The stage, set design, and lighting were phenomenal. The sound was decent. I found the live band to sometimes drown out the singers. The choreography was overall redundant, but at moments inspiring. The concert hall itself on the inside when compared to other Broadway concert halls is below average. If compared to other college concert halls it is on par, just on a larger scale. The seats were OK, nothing great. I definitely didn't feel as if I was attending a Broadway show, more like visiting my college drama buddies to see them perform in their performances. My biggest negative was the seating on the main floor. There is a LOOOONG row of seats, and only 2 aisles on either side. If you needed to use a bathroom and were seated in the middle, you would be locked in, or have to get up and walk past a million people just to get out. So wish there was just a middle aisle. read more

What a treat! We are blessed as Yelp Elites to get to sample amazing food from around town, delicious libations, free work-outs that help keep the weight off from said activities and now THIS? Yelp Austin has teamed up with Broadway In Austin with free tickets to see the fabulous traveling Broadway shows that come to town. As you can imagine tickets to such an event are much desired so I felt extra lucky to score a pair for this week's showing of American Idiot which is based on the music of the same name by the band Green Day. If you are familiar with Green Day's tunes you know the punk roots meaning these songs for the most part are fast paced and heavy. The cast of American Idiot not only sang every beat of every song with the same zeal and passion as Green Day would themselves but they also at times stripped clothing, ran around the stage, jumped off balconies and performed downright acrobatics in a 90 minute theatrical performance with no intermission. Bravo guys for doing such a great job! Our seats were in great locations. Anytime you have a chance to catch a live Broadway performance I highly recommend doing so. Thank you to the Texas Performing Arts for bringing Broadway to Austin and giving some of us the opportunity to see a great show. read more

I do not like musicals. I also watched the theatrical version and I may have fallen asleep. Twice. Three times. I may have dreamt that last nap but maybe not. This live production changed my stubborn mind though. The Chicago cast was sexy (WOW sexy) and funny. I was fairly wowed with the opening scene, lots of action, great voices, constant motion from those dancers, and just fun. BUT holy crap, that Cell Block Tango. Those women were so sexy I was turned on. Their stories and voices made me fear like no other though. Awesome dance routine and a great cast for it. Each performer/dancer brought their character to life in unique ways. Mama Morton belted out some notes from those vocal chords that could have woken up someone actually in Chicago. Velma and Roxie were sexy and moved like no other. How they managed those dance moves and sang at the same time is beyond the physical abilities of anything I've witnessed. Mr Petermen aka John O'Hurley was fantastic as Billy Flynn. Amos, his character had me feeling so sympathetic for his situation. The band was dead on in every scene. Sexy. Funny. Alive. Fun. Thanks for the great show. read more

"Something Rotten" was my first musical ever and I was completely taco bell gas level blown away. The acting and humor in this show on a scale of 1 to cheeseburger was a double bacon cheeseburger. brb great venue brb ez to see stage from almost everywhere brb enough leg room for people to walk by brb enough restrooms read more

Mr. Smidgens always enjoys a great performance! Robynn G and I were lucky enough to get our tickets via Yelp Elite. We had the pleasure of seeing Annie this crisp April evening. As we sat in our seats we stared at the throw back curtain banner with Annie and Sandy staring back at us with their zombie like eyes. Creepy. We enjoyed the performance, but felt that the vocals could have been turned up in certain scenes. Damn our finely tuned ears!! Lynn Andrews as Miss Hannigan stole the show in many scenes and it was proven at the end when the cast came out for their curtain call. *APPLAUSE * Now for the real scene stealer(s), Macy and Sunny as Sandy demanded the audience's attention when they were on stage! When Gilgamesh Taggett took the stage as Oliver Warbucks, all I could think of was Wilson Fisk Played by Vincent d'enofrio on the new DareDevil series on Netflix. Great show by the way! The ruthlessness to become rich and make the city better in their own ways were eerily similar! ! Both large men, bald, sharp dressers, and both grew up in Hells Kitchen!! We always have a grand time when we see Broadway Shows at the Bass Concert Hall. Thank you Yelp!! read more

(cont'd from Alison L.'s review): Look out baby, because here they come, Motown's bringing some grooves that are true, So get ready, get ready.... To hear a symphony, a tender melody.. All night long, all night long People dancing in their seats, See the rhythm in their feet. Give it to me, that stuff That funk, that sweet, that funky stuff Give it to me baby!! Yelp's really got a hold on me, really got a hold of me This wonderful performance tells the true story of Berry Gordy and his Motown label through 22 hit songs. Thoroughly enjoyed it! read more

We were lucky enough to have amazing seats for Beauty and the Beast last week (Thank you so much, Yelp!). Before this, we've never been to Bass Concert Hall. We had such a great experience. Parking was quick and easy since we did pre-purchase our parking online. Inside the lobby is spacious, and the 2nd floor had plenty of seating to relax before finding our seats. The ushers were friendly and efficient, and we had no trouble getting to our seats. Regarding the show itself, it was fun and entertaining. I had seen Beauty and the Beast on stage 15+ years ago, and I was still impressed with the updates. The costumes were stunning. The performers were wonderful and on point. The set designs were so fascinating. The amazing orchestra just completed the whole experience to make it all simply magical. I'd highly recommend seeing this show, even if you've seen it before. They've added puppetry, advanced choreography and new mechanics. There was even a new song "A Change in Me" that was unfamiliar to me (apparently debuted in 1998). Leaving the theater was a breeze, too. Multiple exits made the mass exodus not so much of a pain. A brief walk to the parking garage, and we were outta there, no big deal. The evening was so entertaining and smooth, we'd love to go see another show here again. read more

"An American in Paris" was an amazing show. I loved the music, the set design, the ballet was beautiful, the acting was solid, the voices were outstanding, the costumes were gorgeous.... oh and the story behind it was good, although to me perhaps second to all of these other factors. I am so thankful to Luci and Yelp Elite events for allowing me the opportunity to take my plus one to see this brilliant show. My cousin said "I kept looking for opening night mistakes and kept not finding any!" I recently saw Book of Mormon (which was phenomenal) and I think I might like this even more. I personally enjoyed the amount of ballet and was captivated throughout. I guess I know what kind of shows to look for in the future. The space is nice - we had great seats and they kept the temperature controlled nicely. I was DEFINITELY missing cup holders since you are allowed to bring drinks inside. (Love that they put lids on mixed drinks!) The staff were well organized and super friendly to us as we navigated our way to our seats and then outside when it was over. All in all, it was a great event and a great night. Highly recommended, especially if you like ballet with your Broadway. read more

Not much to complain about except maybe the expensive and somewhat disappointing wine, and more importantly there always seems to be some small technical issues with some of the microphones. Let's take care of the bad first. At least half (if not more) of the shows I have been to end up having at least one of the singers/actors microphones cutting out. Now as professionals this does not phase the singer/actor, but it does pull the audience out for just a brief moment. There have been a few times where people are singing along throughout (particularly to Carole King in Beautiful) and that can be frustrating, but I suspect that you would have to deal with it anywhere. And a few times some patrons try to "shush" the deviants. I have been to Broadway shows a handful of times in Austin. Some highlights have been Something Rotten, Beautiful, and Motown the Musical. Of course these shows are already well known to be excellent, as are most shows that can tour off of Broadway but the environment at Bass Concert hall really seals the deal. Most folks are here to truly enjoy the music and acting. The crowd is reasonably respectful, but always very energized and will sing along or join in when the show needs/demands it. Truly just a wonderful experience with a couple little issues. read more

Yes, yes, yes! This is a fantastic Broadway series here in Austin! You have to get down here and see a show ASAP! My most recent visit was to see the marvelous Motown the Musical. The show was great. It had a fantastic set design, awesome story line, top notch performances, and a live orchestra backing up the show. The theater is also fantastic in itself. The seats are actually comfortable. There is decent leg room so you aren't kicking the seat ahead of you. It's also easy to get in and out of the center on foot. It's just a great venue. I would recommend that you park somewhere else and just take an Uber over. We had issues finding parking anywhere nearby. We parked at a local resturant and Uber-ed over. It cost $5 both ways and was worth it for sure. If you like seeing live shows, check out this series and buy some tickets now! read more

I love the musicals we get to see through Yelp! they're always great. Our seats were truly magical, thanks Luci! We had center seats about 15 rows down in orchestra, they were press seats so they were raised a little bit. Seats aside, Newsies was a joy. I had heard many praises for this musical, and was excited to see it live. A play about changing the world through a little uprising. The singing, the acting, all impressive! One of my favorite parta of the musical was probably the sets- the designs were great! I loved the multi level stages, kept your eyes engaged all through out the musical. They also had some unique very digitalized backgrounds, that I hadn't seen much of before, that added to overall experience. The dancing was incredible too, what those boys can do-- woo! My friend and I on a few occasions whispered "that was so cool!" The choreography was definitely cool, unique, and talented. Bass is a great place for musicals their team has performances down like a well-oiled machine. Multiple bars, snacks and parking! Long lines usually for bathroom and security, but their team makes everything a breeze. I love that Austin gets these quality musicals to town. Thanks to Bass and Yelp fro a fun night! read more

I can't get over how fantastic "The Little Mermaid" was last night. It brought me back to my childhood of singing 'Part of your World' on the top of my lungs and having a crush on Prince Eric. The production definitely captivated the audience. The costumes and props were elaborate. Performances of each character was amazing. It was just awesome how they can interpret the sea and ocean creatures onto a stage. Loved every part of it! Thanks Yelp Austin for the tickets! read more

The shows are fine and the venue is great, and they excel at collecting your ticket $$$ but the lack of customer support is atrocious. Their method of transferring tickets electronically simply does not work and the hold time for support over the phone has exceeded 30 minutes 3 times , I may give up and just let the tickets go to waste ... read more

I don't have a lot of experience with lavish musicals, so American Idiot seemed a good 'starter musical' for me. Grungy, gritty subject matter rather than a bunch of dancers in cat outfits seemed a better fit. That being said, I thought the show was wonderful. I knew a lot of the songs, of course, and the actors did a great job. Scenes of injecting heroin, for example, were appropriately discomforting, interestingly so considering they were singing while shooting up. Given the subject matter of Billie Joe Armstrong's often rough life, I found myself comparing the production to West Side Story, love amongst the grit and grind of daily life in New York. The staging was effective in helping you place the scenes in their respective dark and dank surroundings. The Bass is an excellent venue - except for "Mr. Showercap Hairdo" right in front of me blocking my view - the acoustics are fabulous. Thank you Kelly for the opportunity to see the show on Yelp's dime. We had a great time, including some short face time with fellow Yelpers. Oh and we found free on street parking. Woot! read more

It's been many years since I've seen a Broadway show in Austin so I fixed that with a visit to Bass to see American Idiot. I hadn't read up on American Idiot prior to the show so I knew little other than it used Green Day music. What I didn't realize was that there is next to no speaking roles - everything is a Green Day song. The entire story is told in one Green Day song after another. If that's not your thing, you may not be into this. I'm not sure what I was more impressed by: the amazing voices of the cast, their ability to do all kinds of intensive dance moves and activity WHILE singing as if they were just talking at the water cooler, or the fact that they could all play guitar (as demonstrated by the all-cast farewell to the audience at the end). Added bonus: there was a real band playing all of the music on the stage rather than the music being piped in via speaker or the band being in the pit - super cool. So while American Idiot may not be for you, I highly encourage you to visit Bass Concert Hall to see one of the many other Broadway shows that come through as part of this series. Bass is a beautiful venue with friendly staff, and the shows that I've seen thus far are top notch. It's great to be able to see amazing Broadway shows without having to go all the way to New York. read more

An American in Paris is comfort-ballet disguised as a musical. I was blown away by the staging, lighting, the way the actor who performed as Adam sang his heart out, and the colors of the costuming. The story itself is less compelling (is anyone so dislikeable as Jerry Mulligan? His costumes are the WORST and he treats Lise as an object at every opportunity) but the show was enjoyable, entertaining, and I highly recommend it. read more

As yep elites, my husband received tickets for opening nite of "The Illusionists." The seats were spectacular! We had the middle in the orchestra section and were able to see the show nicely. The venue is a fantastic size where no seat is a bad seat! The lobby was organized and only time there was a bad line was for drinks at intermission. Looking forward to attending more shows at Bass Hall in the future! read more

When I heard I would have eth opportunity to see Chicago on (traveling) Broadway I was damn excited! I asked my GF if she wanted to go but she was scheduled to work. Whomp x 2. Next best thing? Bro-date to the rescue! Nothing like two dudes sitting side by side watching scantily clad men dance and prance on stage! All bro-mances aside - I had an awesome time. Chicago is by far my favorite musical. I fell asleep at Wicked and Les Mis was just Le Meh.. Maybe I just dont have the culture - Yeah thats definitely it... Regardless - I loved seeing this show! Acoustics were good (of course - its Bass), the orchestra was sharp and excellent, the acting was great. Im really glad I was presented with the opportunity to see such a great show! #ChicagoInATX Side note - my buddy and I had the pleasure of sitting next to an aparently intoxicated portly old man who looked like Walter Matthau fell asleep in a tanning bed. He enjoy doing his own one word commentary for his own bemusement (and eventually ours.) Initially I was annoyed, but as the show progressed and he got more drunk - it was more and more entertaining to the point where we could not stop laughing. So if you see some guy at Bass that looks like a male version of Magda from Something About Mary - you'll want to sit next to him! read more

I was lucky enough to score passes to see Beauty and the Beast in the Broadway in Austin series. The production was perfect. I always forget how much I love the theater and live performances in general. There is an unrivaled sensation of feeling the orchestra and the way the music moves through every cell of my body. The energy of the performance is impossible to understand without experiencing it for yourself. The venue is laid out well. Avenues of access and egress are plentiful. There are various options for getting here. They offer valet, you can park and walk a little, or simply take mass transit. On a personal note, my favorite approach is to take the bus to the student union on the Drag and take an enjoyable and leisurely stroll across campus. I would happily watch any performance here. read more

I've seen Chicago before, at least 8 years ago, in Dallas and I own an autographed poster of the original cast - so yes I am a fan and was over the moon to get to go again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (so many exclamations!) I knew what to expect, but initially remembered a more elaborate set in Dallas. It got me thinking of the difference in my view too. Yes, the stage was bigger when I previously saw it so they could have a more elaborate set, but I could barely see it! The Bass Hall doesn't seem to have a bad seat. We were pretty darn close to the back and I was shocked at how well I could see! I'm a fan of musicals, and Texas Performing Arts delivered! Just so everyone knows....my birthday is the day before Wicked starts....seems to be fate! read more

I'm so glad that we have Broadway in Austin and Texas Performing Arts! I love Wicked. Like, a lot. I was thrilled that we were given the opportunity to see it thanks to the partnership between Yelp and Broadway In Austin. I hope I'm lucky enough to see more shows! Wicked was ah-mazing. This was one of the best touring casts I've seen in a while. I still get goosebumps every time the opening number starts. Do yourself a favor and see it next time it comes to town! I can't wait to see what's next! read more

Holy moses sweet baby Jesus! War Horse made us laugh, cry, jump in our seats and gave us chills. We left emotionally traumatized and contemplating how we would would procure a horse to create an incredible lifelong bond with . . . FML, I'm starting to tear up as I write this review just remembering how wonderful this show was. War Horse. Just go buy tickets and be prepared to fall in love with a boy and his horse, (which happens to be made up of 3 fantastic puppeteers). read more

I saw Beautiful, the Carol King story Tuesday night at Bass Concert Hall. It was a good show. Of course I was already a Carol King fan and have listened to her Tapestry album for years, but I had no idea how many hit songs she had written for other artist. The show did a great job of giving some real life elements to her writing partnership with her husband, and then wowed the audience with really good performance of the songs. Fun show overall and excellent performances by the actors/singers. read more

Broadway in Austin is once again a hit! Tuesday happened to be my niece's 7th birthday and I could not have been more thrilled to be able to take her to see the incredible Broadway performance of 'Annie.' Special thanks to the staff of the Texas Performing Arts Center for being so courteious to us even though we got there a mere two minutes before the curtain went up (thanks a lot, I-35!). We both walked out of the theatre singing to the tunes we'd heard during the performance and smiling from ear to ear! Thanks to Yelp and the Texas Performing Arts Center for helping to make my favorite kid's birthday that much more special. read more

Broadway never disappoints. At this point, thanks to Yelp I have seen about 4 Broadway shows of different kinds. The singers! Omg I don't know how they do it. They are creme de la creme of live performers in the country. Some of the musicals have had wonderful costumes and sets like lion king and wicked. Some have had sarcastic comedy and classical music like Chicago and Jersey boys. The best part is how everything is orchestrated perfectly. No mistakes at all. Perfect entries, exits, timing, set changes, costume changes and yet there is so much emotion in the songs. During one of the shows, we even had an understudy take over but still great quality. They put in insane amount of effort. I understand, tickets are expensive but trust me it's every penny worth it and I haven't even grew up listening to western music. My tip is to get balcony tickets if the musical doesn't have many costume changes or sets and splurge for orchestra if they do. Carry a binocular if you are sitting far. Long live Broadway art. Enjoy! read more

Broadway in Austin - Orchestra in the middle of the stage - Performing Arts Near Me - Austin, Texas

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AMAZING!! I went to see An American in Paris, and I didn't know much about the show before I went. I knew I loved musicals, and this was no exception. Bass Concert Hall is a cool venue - its right on the UT campus, and is a really nice building that felt easy to navigate. I think they did a good job of setting up the theater so that every seat has a good view. Also, their staff was really nice and helpful, and made it easy to find my seat, etc. Two suggestions to keep in mind about the venue - they keep it pretty cool (my bf loved it but I thought it was cold) so bring a jacket if you run cooler. Also, if you are a lady, be prepared to wait a long time for the bathroom. No surprise, the guy line was super short and the gals took forever. The show itself was fantastic. There was lots of dancing, singing, etc (what you'd expect from a musical) but the game changer for me was the sets. It was incredible what they were able to do on stage, and I was thoroughly impressed by what they were able to pull off. At times I found myself memorized by the changing scenes, lights, and other exciting visuals, and had to remind myself to pay attention to the characters haha. Overall, I had a wonderful evening, and shout out to Luci for making this happen - thank you!! read more

My ten-year-old son and I had an awesome evening out, thanks to the Elite crew and Texas Performing Arts. We loved The Illusionists. It was a great show, with humor, intrigue, mystery, and even defiance of death itself. A week later my son is still talking about which illusionist he liked the most. The Bass Concert Hall staff was super friendly and accommodating, everyone interested in helping us have a good time. I very much appreciate the evening out. It's not easy to find exciting shows like this for the no-longer-a-kid-but-not-grown-up-yet-either crew. This was a very good one. Thank you!!! read more

Dear Wicked, I still remember the first time I saw you. I waited in line for 2.5 hours for a last minute seat. ( And I do ANYTHING) to avoid waiting in lines. I still remember the finale of Act One, and hearing that song ( I don't want to give too much away) and seeing the total beauty of that moment. Could this time top last time? This time I took my fiance who I have been inundating with showtunes during drives for years. I refrained from singing along and gripped him during the important parts as if to say-- "This song, this is the one I love so much." There were so many of those. As a theatre person who hasn't done much theatre lately, and who is often disappointed in quality, I was thrilled that this left me with nothing but rave reviews. brava to the cast ( especially the Elpheba understudy--- wow to be seriously awesome!), Brava to the impeccable lighting and sound and set design. Really superb and well executed. The only miss--- the audience who wanted to beat the traffic and left before curtain call. Big Boo to you. The cast work their butts off- stay and celebrate them for a minute- traffic can wait. So thrilled to catch yet another wonderful Broadway show at TX Performing arts. Will be back for another visit for sure. read more

Thank you Thank you Thank you Broadway in Austin... for putting up an AMAZING performance for us with Mamma Mia!!! It beats flying up to icy-cold NYC to see a true broadway musical. Mamma Mia was seriously my FAVORITE musical I've seen to date. It was surprisingly funny, entertaining plot, talented acting/singing/dancing/orchestra! Literally, the whole audience was standing and jamming to the encore show. Everyone had a fantastic time. If you have to see one musical, I HIGHLY recommend coming to see Mamma Mia before they're gone on the 25th! Tips (from previous review): 1)Purchase EARLY & try to get the best seats you can get--- (aka I'd say the first 20 rows of the first level & first 5 rows of each balcony level) yes, it does make a HUGE difference sitting closer to the stage--being able to see the faces of the performers. 2) After you buy your tickets, get parking early ($6 if you buy them at least 24 hour in advance... $12 after that).. for garage parking 3) GET THERE EARLY-- please do everyone a favor & get there 15-30 mins early. It completely disrupts the show if you arrive late & everyone in your row has to stand up so you can get to your seat (& rows behind you can't see) 3) Lottery tickets are actually offered here (if you have time, go in 2.5 hours early & drop your name in a random drawing)-- if your name gets drawn, you can get up to two $25 tickets. 4) Group tickets = discount! (I think 10% off if you buy 20+) read more

Broadway in Austin? Yes, please! Thank you to Yelp for giving Yelp Elite members the opportunity to have a night out on the town and inject a little Broadway into our veins other than booze and caloric-quota busters. No one can object to promoting the Performing Arts, so it's truly wonderful that Austin has this series. Bass Concert Hall is a beautiful venue. Parking is plentiful with the various parking garages. If you can get the discounted parking garage prices ($6) beforehand online, go for it. Other than that, you'll pay $12 at the cashier entry. If you have special veteran license plates that exempt you from parking fees, make sure you tell the cashier at the entry, they will scan and wave you through. Will Call was fast and smooth. I've never dealt with the Box Office, so I can't attest to that. Bathrooms are also very clean and I was impressed that they didn't run out of paper towels at the sinks. This is my second time attending a show courtesy of Yelp. Tonight's Opening Night performance of War Horse was absolutely stunning. I'm still reeling from tonight's performance. Now I want to read the original book, watch the film, and I wish I could watch the Play over and over and over again. I'm probably going to go to bed with lifesize horse puppets prancing through my head. Incredible. Absolutely incredible. My first Yelp Elite attendance of a show was Green Day's American Idiot. Suffice it to say, it definitely has some extreme adult material, so this would not be ideal for young children. I definitely have to applaud the cast for their energy and vigor. Green Day's music still stands out as the inspiration for the show, but the plot was a tad difficult to follow. If rock operas are your thing, go for it. If you love Green Day, by all means, go for it. If you don't like strobe lights, close your eyes. If you do like strobe lights, then you've got other issues. :P Overall, I look forward to future Broadway performances in this series. At the Green Day show, I had a positive bathroom experience. (Women, use the bathrooms on the second floor - no lines. Everyone else is on the ground floor waiting in a line. Thanks to the usher who gave us that tip!) They cleaned the bathrooms during the show, too. When we used the second floor bathrooms at the end of the show, the toilet seats were up and you can tell the custodians did their job. (Kind of feel bad now, does that mean they re-cleaned again after everyone left at the end of the night?) At the War Horse show, every female bathroom was packed to the max at intermission, I ran to the 4th floor, 5th floor, then 6th floor and went with the slightly shorter line on the 6th floor. So much for me trying to be smart and sneaky! Thanks Yelp for getting me out of the house! Can't wait to see other productions. read more

WELCOME TO THE RENAISSANCE!! Way back many years when I was in college, a good friend would drag me to every single musical that appeared in Los Angeles. I don't have to miss those days anymore. Broadway in Austin has made it possible for my family and I to see the most amazing shows, right here in our own city. I absolutely love that the shows are staffed with the kindest and most thoughtful volunteer crew I've ever seen. I'm so proud to live in a city with so many people who volunteer. Secondly after this comes the part that is absolutely irresistible. The opportunity to attend musicals and shows, has really enriched my life, and my family's life. The most recent show I got to see was SOMETHING ROTTEN. I have been singing and humming and, I confess, even dancing around the house to the Soundtrack. If you have time, I highly recommend running, not walking to see this amazing musical. There's enough catchy songs in it and vivid remembrances, to carry you in till October when the next musical comes to Austin. read more

Yelp dished out some FREE last minute (great seats too!) tickets to War Horse. I had only been to the Texas Performing Arts for a symphony but never the theater. WarHorse was amazing. I was skeptical about going to WarHorse mainly because it seemed like a family friendly movie and I'm above the age of 13. I had to hold back tears numerous times and by the end caved in and shed a few- I'm blaming the wine. Whoever casted this production deserves huge brownie points- the actors were well chosen and conveyed so much emotion that it rubbed off onto numerous members of the audience ( I could hear y'all crying too, dammit). The singing interludes were beautiful, this is not a musical but had some beautiful vocalists. The production aspect was sensational- the horses are re-created with puppets and their movements were so lifelike that it didn't distract from the production whatsoever. Watching a soldier get blown off his puppet horse suspended high in the air while bullets are flying all around him in slow motion was nothing I had seen before in theater. I loved the diverse age range of attendees, it seemed as if everyone in the lobby during intermission belonged to a different generation. I really loved seeing this production and will probably buy tickets for my siblings to see it too. This time however I will come armed to the teeth with kleenex. read more

First off, thank you Yelp for the hook-up! Tonight we went to see War Horse and it was amazing!!! I laughed , I cried, I was on the edge of my seat. The horses were the stars of the show. The puppeteers brought them to life. You forgot that the horses were puppets. It was so beautiful to watch. War Horse was one of the best shows I have ever seen. I am so thankful I got to see it! read more

Not sure how to review this, except to say that I enjoyed AMerican Idiot and that Bass concert hall is very inviting and comfortable. Thanks Yelp for hooking it up. Looking forward to more shows!!!! read more

I have been looking forward to seeing this musical for forever! I knew a good many of the songs but not the plot surprisingly so it was an absolute delight to watch something with pretty fresh eyes. The story has so many ups and downs and surprises and god I even cried once! The costumes were outstandificating! The many set changes were thrillifying and sucked you into the scenes...and the characters so likeable, despite having a bit of unadulterated loathing for a few... The singing..my god the chorus was just....amazing! And there were so many surprising performances by characters I was unfamiliar with. That being said, nothing will ever compare to the performances by Idina and Kristin...hard to beat the originals! I would definitely come back and see this musical again though. I've now seen Chicago, Memphis, and Wicked in Bass Concert Hall and I can tell you I will be back again and again. The level of talent that passes through here is wonderous and brings back my dreams of being a Broadway singer....I'll just have to stick with karaoke bars for now though! read more

I recently got to check out Chicago on opening night... and my friend and I left with perma-jazz hands! The dancing was awesome of course (I wondered if this was all original Fosse choreography?) And while I think acting can often be overdone or just kind of weak for musical productions, that was certainly not the case here! All the characters were pretty spot-on! The one thing I must note is that the second act seemed very quick.. it also seemed to very quickly wrap up despite of an unsolved conflict. I don't want to give away too much because you should certainly see for yourself... but it now makes me want to re-watch the movie and see if the play is just written that way. I'd somehow never seen a show at Bass Concert Hall before! It was much bigger than I realized, and yet not a bad seat in the house! The lines for drinks got pretty long at intermission (for $9 little cups of wine..eeesh!), but that's to be expected. Also, word to the wise: apparently you can reserve spots on campus ahead of time for $6 rather than pay the $12 they jack the parking fees up to during special events! Will definitely have to look into that next time! read more

I am so happy that Broadway shows come through Austin and that there are student tickets (including grad students!) available for each of these shows! I've seen at least 4 shows in the past year, all thanks to the student tickets available for each night. It's great to have such a wonderful company make the tickets accessible to students, especially since the shows take place in the Bass Concert Hall--which is right in the middle of UT campus! Each show that I've seen has been better than the last, completely comparable to the quality of actors you would see if you were watching the original cast in New York. The Hall is also beautifully designed and there is not a bad seat in the house. Whether you're up on the balcony or down in the orchestra, you're are going to enjoy these Broadway shows! I can't wait to continue attending these shows, they have been a great part of my law school experience! read more