My husband and I just hosted the masquerade-themed party at our house for my birthday…read more Communication with the company was perfect; we received an automated response saying they'd be in touch soon since we reached out initially on a weekend, someone got back to us on Monday, booking was easy, all questions were answered, and our actress (Diane) called us before the party as planned. Diane was right on time to set up the props she brought, which really added to our own set up and made everything look awesome. She was flexible when I mentioned we had people not interested in fully playing or who potentially needed to leave early--but those people ended up staying for the whole game because they were having a great time. The game is set up so everyone present can still feel involved and enjoy figuring out the mystery. When it was done, Diane quickly and quietly had everything packed up and loaded. We've never hired a company for this before but would definitely do it again with The Clue Collective and I feel confident in recommending them to others for a fun and creative activity!

From the outset, the Clue Collective team was nothing but professional. Booking was straightforward…read morewith clear descriptions of the shows offered, the cost, and the agreement. Email replies were prompt, pre-show instructions were clear, and the team provided a detailed outline of how the show would proceed during dinner. There was a check-in by phone twenty-four hours in advance to review details and any changes I may have needed to share. Lace and the entire team of actors arrived on time and quickly got to work organizing the props and selecting guests to assume characters. The clever show proceeded in a smooth and timely fashion. The room was filled with laughter. They created a delightful and engaging evening for everyone present, including the waitstaff. Bravo, Clue Collective!

First thing first, this is a review for their performance in Houston, TX…read more Just like any other Cirque Du Soleil performances that had come to grace Houston, Luzia takes place under the big tent set up at the Sam Houston Race Park. Parking will cost you $12 but coming in and out of the parking was a breeze. I came in pretty early (a little before 7 pm) and it took me less than two minutes to drive in, pay for parking, and park. There are parking attendees in the parking lot to direct you where to go so you don't have to drive around trying to find an open spot. In my case, since I came early enough, I got to park within a short walking distance to the tent and about 20 feet away from the exit. Walking up to the entrance, there was a short line since the gates hadn't been opened yet. During my wait in the line, there was a gatekeeper who kept reminding everybody to have their tickets ready to go so they could make sure that everybody could get in quickly once the gates were opened. Once the gates were opened, going in was quick. Yes, there was a security check but it was painless and efficient. Once inside, you have your typical Cirque Du Soleil shops, bars, and vendors. They had the typical CDS offerings: cotton candy, nachos, hot dog, canned coffees, beers, liquor, etc. Of course, they are also your typical CDS pricing: $7 hot dogs, $12 beers, $5 water, $10 nachos, etc. If you come here with a family, better be ready to drop some $$ for beverages and snacks. Even if it's just for a date, them alcoholic beverages prices will cost you. As for the performances, they are pretty much your typical CDS performances that will captivate your eyes, make you hold your breath, and gasp in awe as you watch in amazement the wonders of what a human body can do. You will witness show of strength, flexibility, accuracy, grace, accuracy, and some skills that you know take years and years of practice to perfect. Even the jester who entertains the audience in-between performances was very entertaining. The stage setting was unlike any other CDS that I'd seen in the past. I loved how the stage was visually stunning. The rainfalls along the center of the stage and the mini pond were definitely a welcome addition to the circular stage that rotates to ensure that every single audience gets a good look of all the performances happening on the stage. If you're a fan of Cirque Du Soleil, I'm sure you will be a fan of Luzia. I highly recommend that you take some time off your busy schedule and head out toward the Sam Houston Race Park and catch yourself some Luzia. You won't regret it.

Disclaimer: This is a late review...The show was last March!…read more Imaginative and breathtaking, LUZIA-A waking dream of Mexico brings you through a spectacular performance filled with color, complexity and exquisite representation of Latino flavor that Cirque Du Soleil is famously known for. The show in itself is a shower or color in every act and the technology used is flawless. It's a show that will leave you on the edge of your seat and the ooohhs and aaahs are the usual squeals of delight. Imagine a rotating stage, showers and pools opening and closing, small silver robots watering the plants, a giant puppet horse and jaguar. People being literally thrown up in the air like a doll and men and twisting, climbing, flying, somersaulting, singing and dancing all of these while making a delightful story of a Mexican dream filled will color, cultural tradition and delight. All of this held on a big top in Downtown San Jose. Went out with friends to see the show for the first time. Even though there were crowds of people, it felt more festive than packed. We went to the port-a-potties before the show and we're glad that we did because there was a crazy line during the intermission. Food and drinks are sold and as expected they were a tad pricey. I got me a bag and a fridge magnet as reminiscent of the show. Bought it before the show started because I don't want to line up at the end of the show just to get my stuff. There were numerous stalls selling different items. There was even a wrestler's masks, trinkets and wearables sold alongside the show's actual merchandise. Tip: Bring a warm but light jacket...it can be stupidly cold outside but warm inside the tent when the show starts. The seating will be snug so better get cozy but not too cozy. Love it! ...hopefully next time, I will bring me familia!

Accidentally stumbled upon this place on a Friday night to roaring jazz music and a sign that said…read moreFREE TONIGHT. What am intimate venue with nice mood lighting. Sat and listens to music before meeting up with colleagues. This was a lovely little gem to find! Would love to come visit again.

This is clearly the personal passion of several locals and I applaud them for it. This is a small…read morespace that also serves as an office I think based on the copying machines and such in the space. Tonight was Stephanie Chou from New York and she was great. Chinese, Pop music in Jazz which was unique and wonderful.

The San Jose Jazz Summer Festival is held every year in downtown San Jose…read more It was a great time! Good vibes, multiple stages to choose from, lots of vendors and an awesome grown & sexy vibe. There are levels to the stage access, general access wristband gives access to 4 stages. Then there's an all stages wrist band that gives access to additional stages. Those stages were on the perimeter of the festival at the surrounding hotels and one stage was at the BreakRoom close to the festival main entrance. I arrived to the festival around 12 noon and the lines to enter were long. There are a host of volunteers who show up take the event flow. Day 2 of the festival Patti LaBelle was headlining!! Bring your own chair for a seat at the main stage, people arrive early to set their chair up, so consider this if there's someone you want to see on the main stage. The weather was great and I had a fantastic time. I'll check out next years lineup for sure! Cheers!

There was a promo saying "beat the rush & buy your tickets online!" So, I did. When I arrived,…read morethinking I just needed to show my QR code get my wristband and away I go - WRONG!!! Everyone else must have seen the same promo because the line snaked around so much I couldn't find the end. No exaggeration. Was in line over 1 hour to get in. They definitely need to improve this. So, once I got in, the music was great. I missed The Altons due to the line fiasco. I did get to see the Sinceres from East LA. They were very good.

Great summer food option at Great America! We were very lucky that we got to come here when our day…read moreunder the sun with rollercoasters and the water park coincided with Taste of Orleans. Since everything here looked way more delicious than the regular food park (and we confirmed they're much better!), here's my review of each offering. We paid to get a badge with little tabs that you rip off for each dish that you take. They're small bites, and the nice thing is that between the 3 of us, we got to share and sample each dish. These were what they offered at each lettered station: A) Chicken & Sausage Gumbo over rice A) Cajun Brownie B) Crawfish Fritters with Creole dipping sauce B) Muffuletta Slider C) Fried Oyster Po' Boy C) Boudin Sausage with Peppers D) Creole Shrimp and Crab Cheesecake D) Crawfish Boil E) Blackened Chicken Pizza E) Peach Cobbler F) Beignets F) Praline Bread Pudding These were some standouts: 1) Boudin Sausage with peppers--this was the first one I ate, soooooo good! It consisted of sausage stuffed with rice and peppers. Wish there was more sausage. 2) Cajun brownie--it looked like an ordinary though tasty brownie. Once you bite into it, you realize there's a spicy kick! 3) Crawfish Fritters with Creole dipping sauce--fritters were small, and they give you waaayyyy too much sauce, more than you need. 4) Muffuletta sliders--I took a bite, sliders aren't my thing 5) Fried Oyster Po'Boy--not a whole lot of oysters, to be honest. I would have liked more of them. 6) Gumbo--nice and hearty 7) Creole shrimp and crab cheesecake--one of my faves! It's a savory cheesecake, very unique! Save the creole sauce from the crawfish fritters (if you get them), because the dipping sauce goes so well with this cheesecake! 8) Blackened chicken pizza--mmm, good pizza! It was funny to receive this and marvel over how much better than looked compared to the basic pizzas that were being served to those getting standard food 9) Peach Cobbler--it was fantastic to see my boyfriend enjoying this. So nice and sweet! 10) Beignets--sweet, with an explosion of powdered sugar everywhere. I looked like a cocaine addict Great America should definitely do more of these food events!

The Taste Of Orleans Festival premiered at California's Great America for the first time this year…read moreand I must say that I was very impressed. This seems to be the new thing with various amusement parks having food and wine festivals and I think it's a great idea because it allows the guests to try different foods and beverages outside of the normal amusement park fare. The festival took place in the Orleans Square section of the park and this are was really brought to life with various New Orleans style decorations, the huge Taste Of Orleans billboard/postcard and of course the zydeco music blasting throughout the area. This festival was held for two week on weekends only from 12-10. They had various creole/cajun food items that were available during this festival such as shrimp po'boys, Muffulettas, beignets, Crawfish Étouffée and so on. You could purchase the items seperately or purchase the tasting card. The tasting card listed 6 items to sample for $25 they included the beignets, creole meatballs, bourbon grilled chicken wings, Crawfish Étouffée, chicken and andouille gumbo and red beans & rice. I tried everything on the tasting card except the red beans & rice and I must say that I was really impressed with the food. The portion size was very generous and 2 people could probably split the tasting card and get full. The bourbon grilled chicken wings were really good they had a sweet and spicy flavor and were cooked to perfection. The creole meatballs came with three huge meatballs that were tender and not overcooked and topped with this unique sweet sauce (probably my favorite item). The crawfish etouffee was very good, it was my first time trying it and I was not disappointed. It was very spicy and full of flavor and served over rice. The gumbo I was skeptical to try because I don't eat gumbo, actually haven't had it in over 10 years but it was pretty good it had nice chunks of chicken and spicy andouille sausage but I wish it was served with rice or at least a piece of french bread. And lastly the beignets, these I was not too impressed with because I felt they were too heavy and tasted too much like a donut. I've had real beignets and while these were a step in the right direction they didn't really make the mark for me. I wanted to try the special bananas foster funnel cake but was too full. They also had a beer & wine tasting room and you could purchase a tasting card for that as well and from what I was told the pourings were very generous as well. Aside from the food there was lots to see and lots of entertainment throughout the area. There were two stages where a couple different bands played the traditional Zydeco music and they were good bands might I add. It really added to the festival and it was nice to see everyone dancing and enjoying themselves. There were about 6-7 artists making chalk art and it was amazing, they endured that heat and messed up concrete to draw this lovely artwork. Then every hour or so there was another band and singer that had the little second line thing going on, they would come from the middle of the park playing music all the way to Orleans Place. All of the staff working the festival had their nice Mardi Gras colors and outfits on, the girls on stilts were a hit with everybody. They would be dancing and throwing beads to the crowds of people while the band played. Then to end the night after the festival they had Cajun themed fireworks, these were by far the best fireworks I've ever seen at Great America although they were a bit on the short side. I see they have taken a page out of Disneyland's book because this was just amazing, when it starts all of the lights go out and the Zydeco music starts playing but the fireworks are timed to the music. They had fireworks and fire shooting from the buildings and everything. They really outdid themselves and I was very impressed. I absolutely loved the festival and was told that it will be back next year but bigger and better and I think it's definitely work checking out!

"The untold true story of the witches of Oz." Went to see the opening performance of Wicked on the…read moreopening night of the 2019-2020 Broadway San Jose live performance season at the San Jose Center for Performing Arts. Season ticket holders for the past 4 years, we got $82 tickets for the Wednesday evening show in the very best seats for our section 2, with everyone toward the center and in front of us having the $112 section 1 seats. The well heeled ticket holders in the Presidential box, paying upwards of $162. Bleacher seats and side view seats in section 3 for $62 We are there 45 minutes before the 730 curtain time. The mass shootings in the news have lead the theater to have body searches with a metal detector wand, and all bags opened and searched by hand. Of course every lady is going to be carrying a purse. With a full house of 2677 patrons and if only 10 seconds per patron, it would take over 8 hours to screen everyone. Huge line close to the opening act. Kiosks selling memorabilia and souvenirs of Wicked, with the wife and I taking pictures in front of the Wicked signs. Inside the theater itself we can see the changes, with a map of the Emerald Kingdom as a curtain, and a dragon replica hanging over the top of the stage, just like in New York's Broadway. The curtain rises, and the play starts, with stragglers coming in the first 15 minutes, trying to ease their way to their seats in the 1972 Frank Lloyd Wright designed theater with no center aisles. Highlights: Onlookers aghast as the birth of the green baby Elphaba, Ugly Elphaba rooms with gorgeous blond Glinda in school, Doctor Dillamond the goat teaching class in school, Glinda catching the rich and handsome Fiyero, Magnificent backdrops from the Emerald City, Elphaba's father The Wizard of Oz and his gigantic mechanical machine, The Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, Elphaba's wheel chair bound sister wicked witch of the East meeting her untimely demise Elphaba in an all black costume becomes the wicked witch of the West, Glinda becoming the good witch, Elphaba taking Fiyero from Glinda, as her own. Elphaba escaping the palace guards by defying gravity in her flight , Elphaba reunion with Fiyero as the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz Elphaba seemingly fizzling to dust after someone put out a fire on her with a cup of water. Fiyero and Elphaba reemerging from the cellar and escaping together. Wicked has decent acting, and some singing, such as "Defying Gravity" and "As Long as Your Mine", and minimal dancing, but excels in costumes design, story adoptation, screen scenery, and special effects, just like I saw in New York's Broadway two years ago, but at half the price. Just be aware of the lengthy security and bag search lines - a sign of the ominous times we live in.

We took our 11 and 14 year old nephews here. The little one was def kind of scared, but we all had…read moreso much fun. There are 2 haunted houses and the second was scary as hell! Totally worth it. The actors were really good and make a solid effort to make it worth your while. It is kind of short so skip paying for the VIP ticket - it'll feel like a slight rip off. We paid for regular tickets - 20 bucks for both haunted houses. There were no lines on a Sunday night - glad we skipped paying for "VIP."

Lines were long but they managed the crowds well. Sets were really cool and the actors did amazing…read morespooky work. Was a bit hard to find, but the logo and spooky faces on the wall, line outside and lights out front made it obvious. Glad they are back after not being around in 2024! If you struggle to find it, just drive the eastridge loop and you will find them!

This a beautiful, quaint but exciting event. The acrobats…read moreand horses put on spectacular show. Elaborate costumes and lighting. Every seat gives you a fantastic view and since tent is smaller than most show of this kind it feels more intimate. They had a snack bar with all your circus favorites, posters for picture taking and a area of soveniers. I totally recommend this show, for the price it's worth a night out with the family.

This show was OK. Nothing truly spectacular. I saw it at the Sonoma fairgrounds with my boyfriend…read moreand we paid for the general bleacher seats which were totally fine because the ones that are $20 more are not even 4 feet away from the ones we sat at and it's pretty much the same view. You had to pay admission to the fair first and then buy the tickets for the show. We couldn't bring any food that we purchased at the fair into the tent for the show. To me that was ridiculous because the circus was a part of the fair.