My partner and I had such a wonderful time at this theater watching the nutcracker! I was shocked…read moreat how gorgeous & timeless this theater was (as it was my first time in). The outside of the theater does not do the inside of it justice. The ornate beautiful walls and ceilings of the theater took my breath away! They had cocktails and some snacks for sale as well during the show which was a nice respite. Absolutely recommend booking a show here!

such a beautiful location. it reminded me of Vienna, Austria in Europe with the golden…read moreembellishments and intricate details on the walls. I caught myself staring at them during the intermission for The Nutcracker ballet show. the show is something else for me to review, so I will not do that her because this one is meant specifically for the location. as beautiful and grand that it was, I just disliked that the staff was not taking initiative to help with directions. you had to go up to them, and even with the directions that they provided, the reference points that they used were still unclear. I feel like the staff also could have done a better job of outlining how the show will go because they did not make clear of the intermission and how long it would be. they also did a horrible job with seating people because they moved so slow and got in the way of viewers who were watching the show. Not much social awareness from them :/ Location does a good job of running thru what they expect before you come on for your show so that you could logistically plan. lots of parking after 1800 or 6PM because no more law enforcement for street parking. also, the lights that just twinkle in front of the location make it such an awe to look at. I have not been here during daytime, but I bet you that it is better in the nighttime

This is my first theater I performed at when I moved to Seattle. I've done shows in L.A.,…read moreDisneyland, etc...so I quit my travel job to pursue my love for musical theater. I missed it so much. I heard TMP was casting for South Pacific so that was my intro to meeting Jon and Jeff. I played Bloody Mary in South Pacific, I was part of Wedding Singers ensemble plus I played Imelda Marcos, I played Madame Liang in the reboot version of Flower Drum Song. I also did shows with the Children's Theater at TMP. I played The Sour Kangaroo in Seussical, and Princess Lucille in Junie B Jones and a little monkey business. I did a couple shows outside of TmP, and also invited to audition on Broadway. But after a few deaths in my family I decided to take a hiatus from doing shows. I'm still on a long hiatus. Actually at my age I don't think I could keep up with the young ones. Like any theater it had some improvements needed. Which TMP has done over the years . I've tried to support when I could. It's not very close to where I live. It's about a 30 minute drive. After all these years I'm just now writing this review because I regret not auditioning or even performing at TMP. I always tell people life is too short don't wait. Well recently we lost Jon who was co-founder, director, and choreographer of TMP. He and his partner Jeff were a big part of the Tacoma area arts. I do hope his legacy lives on. RIPARADISE Jon!

I haven't ever walked into Tacoma Musical Playhouse after living in Tacoma for quite a while until…read morerecently. I have driven by it enough times and some of their productions caught my eye more than once but what brought us here was for a production of Xanadu. Xanadu is a movie which stars Olivia Newton John and Fred Astaire makes an appearance in it as well. The movie was a real slog for me even though the movie is a cult classic and I love those types of movies... but "cult classic" is a very broad range and not all have the same appeal. The musical play is a spoof of the film and I knew it would have a brisker pace than the movie and I enjoyed it a lot! It was lots of fun and the songs sung served as a reminder of what's in the movie and had more of a positive earworm than a slog. The performers were great and they successfully cast a positive and feel good charm which was much needed. The Playhouse is also getting The Wedding Singer from the 80's inspired movie which I know would be a lot of fun and in this case I enjoyed the film much more!

I've seen a handful of plays here and I've even auditioned for one here years ago! While I didn't…read moreget the part when I auditioned, I've enjoyed coming here to be an audience member when they put on productions that capture my interest! My mother and I watched Carrie the Musical last night and it was fantastic! If Stephen King were in the audience, I think he would be proud! The acting and singing was great and really brought the classic horror story to life! I hope in the near future they'll put on productions of Phantom of the Opera, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Evil Dead the musical as those are all shows I've yet to see that I have been dying to watch (no pun intended)!!!

Wow!! What a phenomenal show. I couldn't be more pleased to have this gem here in Lakewood. Ticket…read moreprices are very reasonable, the staff is wonderful, and the acting was fantastic. What a gift! Can't wait to see another show here soon.

Black Lake Asylum is located in the bowels of Freight Square in a questionable part of Tacoma; the…read moreperfect setting for an asylum where unspeakable procedures were carried out. Yep, I'm in! Entrance to the asylum is granted by twin (?) patients after the usual rules are explained; with these two reappearing throughout the asylum. A closed room produces a surprise exit, and then a brief glimpse of the dreaded Dr. West is seen. As we walked through the haunt it was as if we were walking through a wonderfully evil art gallery. Walls had intricate black-light paintings of tremendous depth. It's nice to see that certain things you see or don't see in one part of the haunt are carried through to another part making for an overall much tighter experience rather than just a series of disjointed vignettes. This year's event is much longer than previous and included several "items" to catch. Be sure to talk to Mrs. West's ghost for a personal experience with the departed, look out front for "Fluffy", Crazy Karen in the ward and beware the giggling evil clown! This asylum is perfect for younger victims while still offering the scares & startles for the rest of us.

My brother and I went to Asylum on a whim and were ghoulishly surprised. We are typically jaded and…read morenot expecting much, but paid what appeared to be a steep admission price for both haunted houses (one is 18+ only) anyway since the net proceeds benefit the Children's Hospital and went to the all ages portion first. It rocked! Actor/actresses were fun, really in character and the decor was outstanding. The group put a lot of work into this haunted house and it shows. Maybe it wasn't super, super-scary, but it was entertaining and there were enough disturbing parts to give you the haunted house feel. Unfortunately, when we went to the 18+ house, they were on a break and we had a limited amount of time, so had to ask for a refund on that portion of the ticket. Not sure if that one was scarier, but we were satisfied enough by the first one that we felt like we got our money's worth. Also, zombie girls are hot.

I've been searching for a local circus to attend to as a now father to a 7 year old, i reminisced…read moreabout how I longed to attend the Ringling Brother's circus as a child but my parents would never take me due to the expenses. I always got a free ticket from school but never made it there. Years later - travelling circuses seemed to have diminished as did my desire to go. After my daughter turned 6 I began to search again but read a lot of disappointing reviews from other circus goers - then there was Jordan World Circus coming to Bremerton, the tickets are reasonably priced, the reviews were pretty bad, but we went anyways. It was just as I expected for a cheap show (which isn't a good thing) but that's for another review. When I saw the advertisment for Venardos via Facebook, paired with the ticket pricing and the good reviews, I didnt hesitate to buy and I'm very glad that I did. Though the city (Tacoma) location isn't at the "top of my list to take my family" the Star Center area was very clean and nice. Right off the bat seeing the Venardo's tent setup and the quality of their trailers, i knew we were in for a treat. There wasnt a line at the door to get in and the greeters were amazingly nice and all so personable. one of the biggest things that I was impressed by was that each person designated to help us used their names and introduced others to us by name. That alone shows that these folks care for one another as they aren't just "circus workers" but people of Venardos circus. The decor inside was everything I dreamed a circus would be, albeit I dreamt of a grander stage but the intimate size of Venardos is what makes it all so very special. We opted for the premium seating as there was a better line of sight of the acts, however there really isn't a bad seat in the house. Kevin the ring master was captivating and literally larger than life (still can't figure out if he's that tall or was he wearing stilts). The sideshow guys were hilarious and fun to watch, the main acts was captivating and breath taking. My daughter and her cousins were mesmerized. The aerial acrobats had my daughter yelling "it's like watching AGT (america's got talent) in real life!" The strong men balancing act had her saying "they are so strong like the hulk! and they have so many muscles they look like their shirts are painted on." It was everything I expected and more. Nostalgic, funny, memorable, captivating, exciting, and most of all fun. At the end of the show, the entire cast of the acts stood on stage and took pictures with EVERYONE that wanted to. Truly an amazing time. This will definitely be a family tradition for many years to come!

If you're expecting a real circus, save your money. What you get instead is a handful of low‑effort…read moretricks, including some that failed twice, and a performer who ran off without finishing his act. The Rollerblade stunt was done right in front of the first row with zero safety precautions. The whole thing feels cheap, sloppy, and not ready for paying audiences.

I'm leaving a review solely to say, Don't get seats in rows B or C. My siblings and I thought we…read morewere getting my mom really good seats in row C. When we got to the theater, it turns out the second and third rows aren't on a raised step like the other seats. It's behind A and B on the floor. D, E, and F would have been better choices. The seats are slightly staggered but my mom can really only see one side of the stage clearly. I feel a little miffed we paid to look at the actor through two rows of people.

I went to the Theatre on the Square a while ago to see a flamenco performance (Fanny Ara in Juncal…read moreStreet: Flamenco) and I find it odd that I have driven past this place several times and never knew it was a performing arts space. I had been to the Pantages Theater before, which is right up the street, and I guess this building fits right in with the other spaces in the square. There is a parking lot right across the street which makes it very convenient to get to the venue. The space itself is very clean throughout and modern looking in structure and paint. It is wheelchair accessible with elevators and the volunteer staff are very friendly and can answer just about any question you want to know. It appeared to mainly be made up of older ladies who probably have been patrons to the arts scene for the longest time. There is also a nice concession area with small snacks, coffee, adult beverages, and other things. I didn't purchase anything so I don't know what the prices were like. The theater itself had a very intimate setting in that it's a smaller theater with limited seating. It's quiet different from the theaters that require a larger stage for ballets, operas, or other events were there are larger in production and stage presence. I really liked the setting. The seats were easy to find and you don't feel cramped. The performance itself was amazing. The lighting and sound were also equally as amazing. I had seen flamenco at a theater in Olympia and this one was much better. I'll definitely be back to the Theatre on the Square. I will say that if you see a show you want to attend, buy your tickets early since the theater is small the performances sell out quickly.

Attended my first event there, Carol King & James Taylor musical show. Very interesting venue, it…read morewas built in 1918 and the design reflects the affluence of the time after WW1. It's a former movie theater in its time. The molding in the auditorium is fascinating. The venue seats 750, the show was sold out last night. The auditorium is white and yellow, These colors give it a sterile feeling. Whenever I go to a venue I always note the number of emergency exits. The auditorium had two on each side of the stage. This venue is located on a steep hill in downtown Tacoma, the entrance to the venue has not been altered to today's standards so it's two double doors with a several steps up from the sidewalk. When the show was over all 750 of us funneled out of the theater via the double door entrance. I was stunned, had there been a fire trampling would occur, the small lobby we funneled thru there was a set of emergency exit doors. I truly felt my safety was at risk as we were all trying to exit via a set of two doors. I was trying to understand why the two doors in the auditorium were not open as an option to exit. The show was great I just really question the exit strategy.

Pros: Came here for The Naked Magicians and had a blast; was able to find free parking fairly…read moreeasily (lots of parking lots/garages nearby that were inexpensive--$10 for the evening); smaller, intimate venue; pretty much every seat is a good seat with a good view the way the venue is set up; friendly customer service--both in person and over the phone; checked in quickly; would definitely recommend/return Cons: Kind of an older theater; does not have a parking garage if its own; built on a hill, which can be challenging for some; limited food options (snacks and alcohol, but no real entrees); I believe no food/drink allowed in theater

Everything is good. I think all seats are good. The place is small and cozy. Why do I have to…read moreleave a long review?

This is my theatre home. As a director, I've appreciated the theatre's work toward inclusionary…read morepractices and also their willingness to take risks in how to tell stories to our community. I've worked with them since COVID and found their safety practices impeccable. They supported my decisions to keep our casts masked through rehearsals and conducted regular testing providing tests to us. It's a very friendly space and I always feel welcome whether as an artist or an audience member. I always have fun there!!