I grew up attending the theater and I consider myself very lucky. Community Little Theater in…read moreAuburn, Maine is still around today. I had two brothers who both performed in the theater and one of them is still teaching theater arts now. I usually attend the Broadway musicals at the San Jose Performing Arts Center a couple of times every year and I go alone. John is not a fan of musicals. But he agreed to go to a play last year in SF with me and he enjoyed it. So, when we saw the synopsis of "Running After Shadows," we decided to check it out. The second I walked inside, City Lights Theater reminded me of those wonderful memories I had as a teenager at Community Little Theater. City Lights is smaller than I'm used to but I loved its compact, intimate space. Every seat seems to be a good one and comfortable as well! I loved that the manager spoke to the audience before the show and that they pick a non-profit to donate to that matches with the theme of the play. They also have a little get together after every performance. They have refreshments and you have the chance to talk to the actors. We didn't stay afterwards but maybe next time. John surprised me by wanting to get tickets for the next show. Maybe I can get him to try musicals one day...

It's All an Act…read more Foreword: So, it turns out I kind of like plays. I mean, I recall enjoying watching theater friends perform at school and college back in the day, but I've never actually gone out to see a real live play with professional actors. Anyway, if you're on the fence about coming to see one, then you should definitely do it once. And if you really dig it, do it twice. :) OK, onto the review... The City Lights Theater Company has been supporting local actors and theater makers for forty-five years (ca. 1982) now, and have been in this space since 1991--despite a looming threat from developers... The Good: *Very small intimate venue of ±100 seat theater. There is no bad seat in the house, as even in the back row you still feel like you're practically front row. *Tickets are fairly inexpensive at ±$50-80/ea with season passes available. There's also afternoon matinee shows available for us old farts. *Staff was very friendly *They have a small snack bar and even serve wine *A chance to interact with the performers at the end of the show. *We watched "Running After Shadows" by Vincent Terrell Durham and it was excellent. Great story telling, fantastic acting, and it takes the crowd on a wild range of emotions. The Meh: *Street Parking only but it's free on the weekends. The Ugly: *They must start cutting onions in there at some point, cuz I swear my eyes started watering for no reason. That's right. No reason whatsoever. Conclusion: Intimate venue with great storytelling means a great time out by all. Good spot for a date nite or afternoon (see aforementioned "old farts" mention above).

So lucky to have one of the few indie theaters in the Bay Area, in San Jose…read more 3Below has excellent indie film curation. The customer service is superb. And the snack bar has reasonably priced goodies! The cherry on top? FREE VALIDATED PARKING FOR UP TO 3HRS!! I'll be seeing 3Below soon, again!

Full disclosure, my friend put this place on my radar. I am a bit of a setting snob, and by this I…read moremean: give me leather seats, give me reclining chairs, and if my seat warmer isn't working, I'm going to be upset. But that's merely because life is uncomfortable and I am intentional about finding cozy pockets of joy. This theater is not updated with the fancy seats, but what it lacks in that it more than makes up in charm, service, and community cultivation. Visiting 3Below reminded me that venturing out of that corporate capitalist bubble of perceived coziness would put me in a vibrant hub of social awareness. This is where you go to see the Documentaries IG mentions, but no theaters seem to have times for. This is where you can catch live performances on the same stage that you'll watch a thought provoking film. And, as the manager/owner of the fiercest security dog I've encountered mentioned, THIS is where you could learn to tap dance. Now, I'm hoping this could be a location for some line dancing in the near future, because I think Sofa Streetfair could be the place for some of this, and 3Below seems the perfect hub for practicing. But, what a cute location, and I'm told it's locally owned, too. I didn't actually fact check that, so my apologies if I'm spreading misinformation here. I'm just doing my best to sell you on falling in love with this alternative theater as much as my friend has...I'm converted and I'll definitely be back.

My family and I frequently visit this theatre for all different plays and school events. We love…read morethe energy of the staff and how the plays are organized. The enthusiasm is just mind blowing. Very clean and well maintained theatre for the young students and parents to enjoy . A big shout out to all the staff and sponsors for this theater in San jose .

Had both of my kids participate in season 58, and both my husband and I could not be happier with…read morethe community and experience that our children had. I cannot stop singing praises for CMT.

I was surprised with this mariachi on the day of my civil wedding! They were full of energy,…read moreinteracted great with the crowd and made us all get up, dance, and sing. Would definitely book them again! Este mariachi hizo un gran trabajo en crea un hermoso ambiente para nuestra celebración de boda al civil! Cantamos, bailamos, y disfrutamos. Los contrataría de nuevo!

This is the second time we have hired Mariachi Tapatio, once for my wedding 9 years ago and now a…read morefew weeks ago for my in-laws anniversary. Both times they have been amazing, putting on a performance that caught everyone's attention and we have been getting compliments since.

Dropped by with kiddos yesterday for echo. For cirque du soleil, it is relatively a small but…read moreintimate tent. Stage is small also. The small tent allows close interactions with audience. The visual effect from the box gave out an unique twist for cirque du soleil. Music is great as usual. The visual is always fantastic. Performers are all excellent. It was a great experience overall.

We just saw "Echo". Very entertaining and nothing like previous shows with the glitz of the…read moreglamour. Mostly acrobatics and juggling but none like we've ever seen before! Parking is 30 dollars in a big lot. It's a lot better than it was some years back when it was muddy, uneven, and hazardous. They've smoothed it out and added gravel but it's still dusty so you'll need a car wash soon after. No cash to park - cards only. I like that they have security scanners and the restrooms are outside but plenty to not have to wait to long during the 25 minute intermission. I bought two waters and a bag of popcorn - $29.00. Therefore, I understand why there were quite a few empty seats. If you are fortunate enough to go during this economy, enjoy the terrific show!

California Theater is a gorgeous old historical theater with distinguishing beauty and exquisite…read moredetails. It's the type of place you go to where you spend just as much time ogling over the venue as you do the show itself! I went there for a film festival and loved it. The location is also pure perfection because it is within the same block as several restaurants and bars for those who want to grab a bite or drink before or after their show. The only (small) downside is finding parking. We parked in an outdoor lot 2 blocks away for $20. It is about the average rate for the area but still seems steep to me for a 2 hour show. *breathe* Trying to not sweat the small stuff, so I say pay for the steep parking and enjoy the gorgeous theater and watch a nice show! It will be worth the experience.

It looked like it got a 4.6 star review but they say doors open at 6:30 and it didn't. I thought I…read morewas in the back of the place so I walk to market street to find the front but it turns out I was at the right place. It is at first street. I didn't think I showed up early but then someone told me they changed the time and they'll let everyone in at 7 pm. I waited and we didn't get in until 7:15. I don't know; maybe I'm strict with time but it threw me off. We had plenty of time to get to our seats so we got beer for one of us. I was expected an open space to get to my seat because I had a cane. They blocked the open space so I had to scoot in to the aisle to get to my seats. I guess the show was packed and they had to add seats. Seats were not bad but not comfortable. I did have good seats so I can see the people performing.

Now that my girls are not participating at Infinity Dance Studio any longer I feel comfortable…read moreleaving an honest review. My girls really did like their time at Infinity for the most part. For younger children and for recreational dancers I think that it can't be beat - we tried other studios years ago and they never felt as comfortable in any as they did at Infinity. They had a lot of fun, especially in tap and jazz, and the recitals are wonderful to participate in and watch. Mine did end up doing some of the competitive level dancing and that is where I found issues. It's very cliquey, not so much with the children/teens, but with the teachers. There are some very talented dancers who have competed with Infinity for years and they definitely take precedence over other dancers. I understand why this happens, however, when you speak with other parents you certainly see that when dancers who are not in this particular group make a competitive team they: Are moved towards the back of the dance and ignored Are asked to stay in a lower level of a comp team for "more practice" until next year...then never moved up In my time there I witnessed many parents moving their children to different studios so that they were pushed to the next level and did not remain stagnant. It's disappointing to see your children trying so hard to advance themselves but not having the teachers push them or give them constructive criticism/feedback. I think this could be a great studio if the teachers and the owners were willing to really work with all students, and not just the "star" dancers. It's too late for mine but I hope they take this feedback to heart.

I had to write a review for our dance studio that we absolutely love! Miss Jen has such a way with…read morethe little kids that my daughter has looked forward to every class since the 1st one almost a year ago now. The value is really good for the quality of lessons that they receive, and most importantly she has so much fun and enjoys class. There is a very welcoming and positive atmosphere for all of the dance members to feel comfortable. We've had such a positive experience from communicating with staff through email and staying in-the-know with pertinent studio information from the start. The studio staff are also very informed and good at organizing all of the many details that go into putting on an exceptional recital. I'm so glad she is part of Infinity. Thank you for providing such a great environment for kids to grow a love of dance.

As someone who goes to a lot of circuses, I liked Garden Bros more than I thought I would. Let's be…read morehonest, the social media ads looked a bit cheesy and unoriginal. But it turned out being pretty decent. I didn't come for all the kiddy stuff outside (ie. bouncy inflatables), but I'm sure it adds an additional perk for kids, along with all the colorful merchandise for sale. There were plenty of carnival snacks available, like popcorn and funnel cakes. We grabbed a hot dog and a couple beverages while there, nothing special. What made this particular circus unique was the interesting Hollywood theme. Typical circus stunts and performances showcased alongside a variety of movie scenes and characters, with clips from these blockbuster films showing on a giant screen during each act (the entire floor also an LED screen), accompanied by the recognizable and exhilarating tunes of these well known flicks. This included aerialists swinging to an Avatar backdrop, Indiana Jones shooting arrows at (rather around) a human target, Cruella with adorable dogs sliding, jump roping, walking on two hind legs and more, dinosaurs from Jurassic Park making their way around the ring, clogging and drumming by pirates (of the Caribbean), fun upbeat dancing by Grease performers, Ken and Barbie with their skating act, wheel of death artists putting on a show to Mad Max, and Moulin Rouge's tango scene, with its alluring music, as well as multiple balancing tricks happening simultaneously on stage. Seating was comfortable (bleachers, but with back support for each individual seat). Sitting in the "front row" (row G) of our section meant we had plenty of legroom. But there wasn't much elevation for viewing with the setup they used under the giant circus tent. There was also a cool breeze, possibly a fan or AC blowing directly at us from underneath the bleachers, so that felt nice. Trusses/support beams blocked some views of the circus stage (but luckily not ours). I decided to check out this event, cuz I got a deep early bird discount at just ten bucks (2 adults, no kids), but the SJ show at West Wind Capitol Drive-In had its issues. There was no communication about parking costs, and a pricey $25 for extremely SLOOOOW inefficient parking. Then a slowass-moving general admission line, and when they randomly opened the VIP line to all and shouted out it was open, it was like a circus out there, people pushing and shoving as they raced to these new lines... so disorganized. Also, inaccurate showtime hours. Sunday's 5:00pm show started and ended much later than the times listed on the ticket. It was supposed to end at 6:30pm, but it was still going when we left, a little before 7:00pm, cuz we had somewhere else to be. FYI, the "20 minute" intermission in the middle of the show seemed to drag on with endless kids getting their photos taken with the dogs, which probably contributed to the overall delay. All of that being said, despite its flaws, we ended up still enjoying our time here.

We took 4:30 pm tickets for Memorial Day weekend as it seemed to be a fun activity to do with kids…read more We were 4 adults and 3 kids . First of all the parking . It costed $25 ( pretty expensive for San Jose ) but we booked it anyways online . Yes could have got it there too after teaching and it would have costed the same however we were not sure if it could be an issue so we got ours beforehand . There was a long slow queue for entering in the parking lot which was lil frustrating ( specially since we had kids in the car) . After parking , we had to get in the line based on the tickets we booked . There were some bounce houses and some other stuff as well which you can enjoy before the circus and you can get tickets for them to online or on site . We booked our tickets online beforehand however we could have bought it after reaching there too . I did not check if there was a price difference for this but when I booked it online , they said they online was cheaper for the first 100s of ticket ( or something along those lines ) . There were separate lines for general admission vs VIP /premium . We got premium tickets as the price difference wasn't that much . However I noticed that seats are not very different as well for premium Vs General tickets . Even the view you would get would be almost same . One thing I would like to suggest is that you should try to book a ticket in the first row if whichever class you opt for as theme there will be no seat right In front of you which makes it easier for the younger kids to see the show . We got our seat 3 or 4 th row in premium seating and there were some tall people sitting right in front of us which made it little difficult for the kiddos . The height difference between different rows isn't as much . Just before you enter the tent , there are lot of stalls for buying food and toys . They looked attractive but we didn't buy any . They do come inside the tent where you are seated to sell these , so if you missed out on buying something before , you can buy them at that time . The circus was good , they had lot of entertaining shows . It was based on Hollywood movie themes . And they had a wonderful show with the dogs which were a hit amongst the kids . There is a 20 min intermission and you can get some pictures on the stage during that time . If you want a picture with dogs , you need to buy a ticket for that too though . All in all it was a good experience.