Awesome venue from the friendliest ushers when you first walk in to the personal feel of the small theatre. I know everyone has said it, but there really isn't a bad seat in the house (to the point where I'll probably never pay for anything other than the cheapest seats). It is very clean. I prefer this theatre to larger ones...you feel much more involved with the show & don't struggle to hear/see, so you get all of the details. Great for a casual, cheap date. I also liked the convenience of everything downtown has to offer being right outside. Parking was a hit too- even though Monster Jam at Ford Field & another show at The Fillmore were going on, we were able to park behind City Theatre for ten bucks. Maybe it was just a lucky day, I don't know. Venue aside, I have to say that Robocop The Musical! was amazing, maybe even the best show I've been to. Impressive, clever, localized script and talented actors that made me laugh on a day when I was super sick & crabby. I am so excited about what a great night I had at this place! read more

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Went the other day to see "Ernie." It was a great show. We parked at the Fox Theatre parking structure for $5, and were able to get right into the theater just before showtime at 8. The show started at about 8:10, and was over by 9:40 or so. I must compliment the theater on keeping the temperature at a nice, cool, comfortable level. It was pretty hot outside, so it was great not to be actively sweating during the performance. It was a great night. read more

City Theatre is a small venue that reminds me of Go Comedy in Ferndale or Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle and only seats around 400 people. It's located right inside of Hockey Town Cafe, and next to The Fox Theatre. Since it's located inside Hockeytown Cafe, City Theatre shares bar and bathroom facilities with Hockey Town. You can order drinks at Hockey Town Cafe's bar but can't bring glassware into the theatre so you can ask them to pour your drink into a plastic cup. There is also a small bar that sells canned beers and cocktails right outside of the theatre. The bathroom is located downstairs. City Theatre shows concerts, plays, and comedy shows and has a community theatre vibe. We saw Little Black Dress the Musical which was cute but pretty cheesy. There's not a bad seat in the theatre, and every seat gave a good vantage point of the stage. Seats are close together though and your legs can get very cramped as there is not a lot of leg room and I'm not tall. The show we went to was general admission, and we easily found a seat even though we got there close to starting time since our dinner ran late. There was lots of audience participation so be forewarned if you sit in the front row, lol. They also showed Evil Dead the Musical here which I have heard is a riot and they spray the audience with fake blood. Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster so if you want to save on service fees, purchase at the box office (only open during showtimes) or at Hockeytown Authentics in Troy. Wasn't too familiar with City Theatre before attending this show but glad it's now on my radar and I'll definitely keep my eye out for other upcoming shows. read more

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This was GREAT!!! Saw the show "Earnie" about Detroit Tigers legendary announcer Earnie Harwell. I am not from Michigan however this is more than a baseball story. Only 2 actors in the show both read more

Cute little venue. Went here today for Potted Potter. We were running late and it turned out they had $5 parking in the Fox/Olympia lot behind it (score!) so that was great. Will call was actually when you get right inside the theater, which was interesting. Our seats were stage right (on the left hand side) and were okay ... there's really not a bad seat in the house though. I'd say it maybe seats 200-300 people max. I'd come here again for a play or show; the show we saw today was hilarious, as well, although today is it's last day in Detroit. read more

Tiny Detroit performance space you never knew existed. No, really. We lived right by it and were shocked when we saw where it was last night. Sharing a lobby with Hockeytown there is a bar where you can grab an overpriced drink while waiting. The lobby itself is very, very loud but don't worry - you can't hear it inside the theater at all! The bartender was less than friendly but the ushers made up for it. The space works well for audience interaction and great views for all. Some seats need a repair or two or at least seem to be lacking TLC. I can't wait to come back again especially since I now know that seat numbers are found on the right arm ;o) read more

City Theatre - Ready for the show. - Performing Arts Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

So Second City no longer lives here - but you can still catch a great show. I was here recently to see Evil Dead: The Musical. The show was freaking fantastic - but I suppose that this review should focus more on the facility than the show in particular. First off - tickets to shows are sold through Ticketmaster, so you will want to take a drive if you would like to buy tickets without spending approx $10 a ticket on fees. City Theatre is part of the Olympia Entertainment group, so I would think you could buy tickets at any of the Olympia Entertainment venues. (No guarantees though!) The box office for City Theatre is only open on show nights. If you've never been before, City Theatre is housed in the same building as Hockeytown Cafe. This means shared bathroom facilities with Hockeytown, as well as accessibilty to the Hockeytown bar for your drinking pleasure. (Although- glasses are not allowed in the theatre, so you might as well save yourself the trouble and ask the bartender to pour your beverage in plastic.) The venue is pretty intimate, so there really isn't such thing as a bad seat. The aisles are a bit on the narrow side, so hopefully you aren't stuck in the same row as someone who decides they need to leave mid-show... or for that matter, sitting anywhere behind such an individual. I would not hesitate to return to the City Theatre for a show in the future. :) read more

Nice, cozy little theater tucked inside the Hockeytown Cafe. Parking was convenient, even though there was a Tiger's game and other stuff going on downtown tonight. The theater itself is nice, but unfortunately, our experience was marred by the fact that half the audience (no exaggeration) stumbled in, drinks in hand, during the first half hour of the show, which meant those of us who were on time got to stare at people's asses while they all searched for their seats in the dark. Why the ushers let that many people come in after the show had already started, I don't know. It was pretty rude and for awhile all we could hear was conversations about where people's seats were, combined with being blinded by the ushers' flashlights. Someone in my row actually shushed the ushers and the actress in the show had to stop until people sat down. You can drink in the theater, which is nice, unless you happen to be seated near a group of drunk women, like we were. Apparently they thought they were IN the show and the ushers did nothing to shut them up. So again, poor management. I don't know if that kind of thing always happens at City Theatre, but I would think twice about seeing another show there just for that reason. read more

Great intimate venue for a fun date night. Dinner and drinks in Hockeytown cafe before the show is convenient because the theatre is attached. I have seen multiple shows and Evil Dead the Musical is a must see! read more

I found Groupon tickets for the show Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus so we went on a Sunday afternoon show. The theater is next to the Fox and across from Comerica Park inside the Hockeytown Cafe ( you walk inside the cafe to get to the theater). The venue is small and all the seats are good but the seats are narrow and I wouldn't want to be a large person sitting in them!! You can park in the structure next door for $15. I totally enjoyed the show and the venue and would definitely go again!! read more

I was here a few months ago to see The Evil Dead: The Musical. I enjoyed the show AND the theatre. The theatre is owned by Olympia Entertainment. I generally dodge having to drive down to the box office (or incurring the Ticketmaster fees) by going to the Hockeytown Authentics store on Big Beaver in Troy. It's a lot closer to my house, and you can get all of the tickets there without the extra fees. The theatre is small and intimate, and all of the seats are good. The Hockeytown Cafe bar is right outside the theatre, so you have easy access to adult beverages and food. I would not hesitate to return to the City Theatre for a show. read more

I'm going to give just a quick review for the theater. We went this last Saturday to see Hockey the Musical - hats off to Mitch, his brother, the cast and production for such a great show. It was funny and fun and a hit. Suggestion: If you want to see whatever show you're going to and not have it be crowded, pick an afternoon show. The theater is small - we were seated front row and it was really uncomfortable for me, so if you're not okay with being a little cramped, try to get seats away from the stage. Fortunately it was a small afternoon crowd so I was able to change seats and sit in back. The one negative I had was the heat. It was a hot muggy Detroit style Saturday, and there was no air conditioning. I started the show sweating. I think for the most part everyone else was okay, and about 45 minutes in I was more comfortable after the lights dimmed, but it'd be nice if they had AC. read more

Sweet little theater inside Hockeytown. parking is easy, $15 at structure next door. seating area is comparably small to that of other theaters, it is easy to see the performance from anywhere you sit. they have a bar in hockey town that serves drinks, if libations are your thing. You don't even have to leave the building! even better, you can bring them to your seat. I went with three friends to see 'A Girl's Night Before Christmas'. After our tickets were scanned, we got to keep them and were guided to our seat by a professionally attired usher, and given a program that advertise other shows going on all around the area. It was quite the good experience, I recommend this theater if you're looking for a night out. read more

I really enjoy this venue! We just saw our second show here and I cat wait to go back. For me it is a perfect size theater. Small enough that you see and hear everything as well as feel like you are part of the show but not so small that you feel like you are at a high school musical. We just saw Evil Dead the Musical. ....absolutely hesterical. If they bring this show back we will absolutely bring friends and sit in the "splash zone" (self-explanatory )!!!! read more

Second City is a local comedy troupe that does sketch & improv comedy. When it comes to comedy, I do prefer sketch & improv to stand-up, if given the choice, so this is my type of show. The last show I attended was called Gratiot (pronounced Gra-sh!t for the non-locals, in case you didn't figure it out) Happens, & there were tons of local references, so I was glad I'd been in the area for a couple of years so I actually got the jokes. They do all the sketches first, then the improv at the end. As for the improv part, this requires audience participation...they ask for various suggestions from the audience, asking people to name, for example, an animal, or a kitchen applicance, then incorporate them into a impromptu skit. Anyway, it's decent venue; small enough to encourage the audience interaction to make the improv comedy work. I became a fan of improv comedy during college when I started attending Without a Box's performances (the 5-C improv comedy group) & have been a fan since! If I remember correctly, there are other performances here too, because I think I also saw the Vagina Monologues here. I heard that the comedy performances were no longer located in Hockeytown Cafe, but oh well. I don't know where they moved to, so I'll stick with this address that I found. read more

I was here a few months ago to see The Evil Dead: The Musical (which was EFFING AMAZING, I might add), and absolutely LOVED the theatre! The theatre is owned by Olympia Entertainment, so you buy tickets through them, or through Ticketmaster, which can suck, but whatever. The theatre itself is really quite nice. It's connected to/inside of Hockeytown, so it shares a bathroom with it. But the great thing about it is that it also shares Hockeytown's bar, so HAAAAYYY! The best part about the theatre, though, is that it's really small and intimate, so all of the seats are really, really great. When my fiance and I saw the Evil Dead Musical here, we had "Splatter Zone" seats, so we were right in the front, but all of the seats had a clear, upfront view of the stage. I was impressed with how well thought out the seating plan was. I've been keeping an eye out for happenings at the City Theatre, just because I want to go back! read more

Located inside Hockeytown Cafe, makes it easy to grab a drink or a bite before the show. Lots of seating & a variety of shows. We saw Evil Dead the musical. Nice staff too. read more

Just went to City Theatre this weekend for the first time to watch Hockey-the Musical on opening night. Small venue. Friendly staff. You do feel a little bit cramped when you're seated--That's why I'm giving the place four stars. I would give the musical five stars. I walked in not knowing what to expect. A musical about hockey? What the heck? It turned out to be a great experience. Extremely funny and entertaining. Mitch Albom did a phenomenal job with the play and the songs. I highly recommend the musical! read more

Went to seee men are from mars, women are from Venus. There's a reason the theatre had 25 people there tonigh is the management staff sucks - you aren't allowed to laugh at performances or they'll move you to the back - serously, its a joke. No pun intended. However, the bartender staff outside the theatre is awesome, and, the lovely lady seating us was great. I gone here for 20 years now, and this was the worst management I've seen. I won't be back any time soon. They don't want business from people that want to laugh - botton line. read more

This is a really nice little theater with a friendly and helpful staff. I been to two different shows and have mostly enjoyed both of them. Good stories, good actors, good stage direction. Unfortunately this venue, like many many other venues in metro Detroit, suffers from sub par sound quality. The sound was so bad that every time the actors turned away, or crossed to the other side of the stage, you couldn't hear a thing they said. The sound company used directional 'shotgun' floor mounted mikes pointed up at the actors. Good for a small stage. Not so good when one of the main characters delivers most of her lines from the floor. If she hadn't been on the side of the stage I was sitting on I wouldn't have heard a single thing she said. Many other characters had lines from the floor ( being dead or dying) so we didn't hear those lines either. How difficult is it to add an extra Mike pointed to the floor? The music for this musical was canned, which I understand, there not being room or money for musicians in this venue. But it was also so loud it over powered the singers most of the time. Musical accompaniment is supposed to accompany the songs. Not BE the song. I don't think the sound guys ever walked around the theater during a performance. Or they would've noticed stuff like that. Just like they would've noticed that one side of the audience was laughing at jokes while the other side was completely silent. Because they couldn't hear anything. So we missed many of the jokes and half of the songs. I probably won't go back. Or, maybe I will. And sit on the other side of the stage so I can hear the half that I missed. Post script-city theater is an entirely responsible for this debacle. Ringwald must assume some of the responsibility for not paying attention to what's going on at their own shows. read more