Wow what an evening after a warm welcome at the Union Club we rushed to the Citizens Opera House …read more This was elegant Boston evening at the historic Citizens Opera House! I was graciously invited by my dear Boston hostess to serve as the date of an esteemed Harvard Business School professor. Yep the husband does not care for ballet. The avant-garde 05/07th performance was magnificent: bold choreography, and moments of genuine artistic brilliance that reminded us why live performance still matters in the digital age. The splendor of the Opera House itself only elevated the experience -- one of Boston's true architectural gems. The evening then continued with a quick walk through downtown Boston to the legendary Ritz-Carlton, Boston to celebrate the nomination of the new chairwoman. A fitting conclusion surrounded by thoughtful, and delightfully company. This is Boston society at its finest: culture, intellect, elegance... and an interesting question what was a Texan Frenchmen from El Paso doing there? Well, i had a blast....

If you get a chance to see a show - either a ballet or an off broadway show - at the Citizens Opera…read moreHouse, don't pass it up! The venue is beautiful - not sure how old it is, but they have done a great job at preserving its original condition, keeping it in mint condition. Entering and exiting the venue requires patience, but as long as you know that - you'll be fine. Everybody walks through metal detecters and they check your bags/purses. After you pass through these, you'll then show your tickets to enter into the theater. They have a decent selection of snacks and alcoholic and non-alcoholic bevvies. We got the twizzlers and pretzels plus some sparkling waters. I really appreciated how the water was in aluminum cans - they're looking out for the environment - thank you! Seating is easy cause they have lots of people to help guide you to the proper seat. They don't open the theater up until about 30 mins ahead of the show, so if you come early, you'll be standing out in the lobby. One of the women's restrooms is located on the second floor and during intermission it is an absolute you know what. Again, bring your patience. The inside of theater is stunning and we really enjoyed the show - sound is great, lights are great, seats are OK. They're small but that should be expected given the age of the theater. Overall, we really enjoyed our experience and will definitely be back.

It was our first time going to a ballet - the Swan Lake at the Opera house was such a magical…read moreproduction. The costumes, the set, the dancers, the orchestra - just everything, was so impressive. The Opera house was a perfect setting as well. I'm now definitely a fan of the ballet now :)

What a show!! You…read morecan always count on The Nutcracker to put you in the holiday spirit. The lobby alone will do that for ya. I mean look at this lobby! Christmas trees, chandeliers, nutcrackers, lights, balconies, ugh I just love the elegance and quintessential Christmas energy. Talk about TALENT. This show is no joke. This is ballet at its truest and finest form. These artists make ballet look easy (and it is far from it) so I applaud every single person in this show. Boston Ballet performers are absolutely phenomenal. What's so amazing, aside from the show, is watching people file in and noticing the crowd ranges anywhere from 7 year olds to 70 year olds. Anyone can come, watch, and enjoy. Truly a perfect outing for you and your whole family, with friends, or solo! Highly recommend catching The Nutcracker!

What an experience. Truly great to hear the Boston Symphony play. Highly recommend a visit if you…read moreare in the area and they are playing. A very talented lot of musicians. The ambiance of the place is amazing as depicted by the photos. It's an experience as mentioned. No food or drink here.

A nice historic venue. They have table service too so if you come early enough you can get drink…read moreorders in but with the seating generally tight I'm not sure that's a great idea unless you are seated on the outer rim. Eating would be even more complicated so no comment on the food or drink from me other than it is available. Do come here for the music. For me it is the second time seeing the Pops with a good stretch of years in between. Perhaps it depends on the show but it seems like few get dressed up anymore. As much as I don't like to myself there is a large spectrum of dress and even I think it has tilted too far to the casual. The acoustics are reasonable and the conductor was very entertaining. Overall, something to give a try to at least once in your life.

Had a pleasure of attending lecture from a professor ‍ for my admittance week at Harvard! The…read moretheatre was beautiful, full of stain glass, red bricks and wood. The whole place smelt like museum which I like! I can't believe this was my first time attending events at this legendary landmark and I look forward to attending more!

I've been to this venue twice now, both times for concerts of the Boston Philharmonic. I've also…read morebeen to Symphony Hall and Jordan Hall. Don't get me wrong, this is still a great theater, but it is my least favorite of the three... especially in the summer. No, nothing to do with A/C, but to do with the seating! The benches they have can be terrifically uncomfortable for long-term sitting (you know, like the kind you do at the orchestra. The cushions are cushiony enough, no compaints there... it is the backs of these things that get quite fidgety! I don't really know how to describe them other than to say: they aren't really flat. What does this have to do with winter? Well, when it's cold you have have a puffy jacket to serve as a makeshift pillow of sorts. Now that this needlessly long rant is over... I like how the seating is in a semicircle around the stage. What I like about this is your head won't be turned 70° for the entirety of the show. While if you are sitting at one of the ends (on the second floor, at least) you won't see the whole stage... this is typical of halls like this. Also, since The Blue Man Group does not perform here, it is not as important. Acoustically, since I am not an audiophile I can't comment in much detail. However, the hall being semi-circular and smaller gives the sound a little more "oomph" than a larger hall. Architecture is pleasant. It is not quite as extravagant as an Opera theater, but not a nondescript space by any means. Enough to get you looking around a bit before the show. Also, the deep wood tones add that "establishment" feeling that help you feel the age and institution of Harvard, and all that preceded whatever performance or lecture you have come to see. I was also a fan of the large room (hall?) that is the lobby. A great place to do a little mingling and walking about after the show or during an intermission. A few concluding notes: * While there is an elevator to the washrooms, I don't think the balcony levels are accessible. * Bathroom situation is not great. They are kept clean, certainly. Only there can be lines, especially lengthy for the ladies'.

Came to this venue while running merch on a short tour. All of the staff and security were so kind…read moreto us all, and they made everything a breeze. I will remember to come back here and recommend this venue any TM and musicians that I know are looking to play the Boston area.

I used to attend shows at The Rockwell at least once a month. It was a dive-bar of a venue, but it…read morehad heart. That, unfortunately, has changed over the past several years. Attended a show there in the summer and while the show was great, the venue is in horrendous shape and they don't care. First, they claim to be ADA compliant. That's pretty much a lie. They're wheelchair accessible, *IF* they remember to open the door that leads to the elevator, and ALSO to unlock the door that leads to the venue, HOWEVER, they very often forget one or both of those, but also, they do NOT have an accessible restroom!! Saloon, down the hall, allows use of their accessible restroom, *IF* they're open, but they have cut their hours, and were not open during the aforementioned show. No warning, just no ADA-compliant restroom. This is BAD. I have emailed the venue FOUR TIMES and have been completely ignored. So here we are. A place that used to be quirky but cool, is now just a little craphole that sometimes manages to book good talent. I would definitely advise my friends who produce shows to find elsewhere. Communication is important. So is accessibility. They do NOT care. I was going to be nice and give 2 stars, but you know what? With their willingness to refuse to talk about/include accessibility, they can take their one star and shove it.

I've enjoyed the couple of plays I've seen here quite a bit! The experience of getting tickets at…read morethe box office leaves a lot to be desired, though, so I'd suggest considering whether you want to brave the box office or just pay the extra fees to order online. In today's box office experience, I showed up during the normal box office hours, but the ticket window facing the outside of the building was curtained off, the door to the building was locked, and the inside box office door (which I could see through the transparent building door) was closed. I called the box office and they let me in, but maybe some clarifying signage (along the lines of "yes, we are open") would be useful. When I asked about purchasing a specific pair of tickets, the person in the box office initially stated there were no seats available in the row where I requested seats, although I could see seat availability showing up in my phone app. After we looked at the phone app together so I could better understand the discrepancy, they did confirm that the seats the app was showing were available and booked tickets for those seats. I also had quite a difficult time using a promotion for $25 tickets they had emailed me. First the person in the box office said that the promotion only applied to the seats that are always $25 dollars (although the promotion email said "all seats"), then they said the promotion had expired (although the promotion email said it was valid through midnight today), then they said that the promotion only applied to some show dates (although the promotion email said it applied to "all performances"). After we looked at the email together to try to sort through these differences, they let me book according to the terms in the email.

The Central Square Theater is one of those neat black box theaters, where the seating and stage…read morearrangement changes based on the needs of the play that will be performed. The seating however is always raised, and the theater cozy, so seats with a bad view are highly unlikely. One thing that I think was new this season is that they've taken to decorating the waiting area for each performance, which I find to be great fun. Refreshments purchased at the concessions stand are allowed into the theater. One thing I notice that they make sure to tell the audience before every show - they love their subscribers. Blocks of seats are saved for their subscribers, and I think that they also get free parking. This theater is an easy walk from the Central Square T, and is located on the same block as Mary Chung's. *** 8/2011 *** With the new season they've changed from open seating to assigned seating. So buy your tickets early for a better selection of seats. The theater gets chilly sometimes, so consider bringing a sweater. *** 10/2012 *** Validation tickets for the University Park @ MIT Garage - 55 Franklin Street are available to all CST patrons at the Will Call Counter for parking after 5pm on weekdays and all day on weekends for a max of 5 hours. Parking for $5? Nice! PS - they sell a soda pop sweetened with cane sugar here - I recommend the cherry. *** 11/2013 *** 2013-2014 is the 3rd season that the Central Square Theater is playing "Arabian Nights" based on "One Thousand and One Nights." I highly recommend going to see it - it is terrific and I've seen it both seasons prior and am scheduled to watch it this December also. For Black Friday through Cyber Monday, the tickets are $35 (vs up to $61), or 4-Play Subscriptions (peak) are $100 (vs $163 regular price). *** 8/2014 *** For those with little ones, Central Square Theater has begun offering a Date Night with optional childcare ($20 for the first child aged 6 and up, $5 for any additional children) for specific nights. The kids get to watch a movie, while the parents enjoy the show. Something else new was a pre-show MicroTheater performance of "Othella" which began in the stairwell and headed into the lobby. Theater, right in your face. It was cool. It was scheduled to accompany the performance of "Her Aching Heart" as part of their Central Conversations series of discussions and special events. *** 12/2015 *** The fifth and final run of the holiday special "Arabian Nights." See it while you can! This season CST no longer decorated the lobby area specific to each show, but you can still enjoy whiling away the time till the theater doors open, relaxing at one of a number of small tables or checking out the framed photos of past shows hanging on the wall. They sell snacks and drinks that can be taken with you into the theater - I highly recommend the oatmeal cookies. But my beloved cherry soda is no longer available here, as they've changed brands. I loved how they wove together the tales of the Little Match Girl and the Happy Prince in "Matchless & The Happy Prince." I admit it - I got a bit teary eyed at one point. *** 12/2016 *** CST has changed their restrooms to be All Gender shared restrooms as they believe that everyone should have a safe place to use the bathroom. What does that mean? It means anyone can choose to visit either of their previously labeled Men's and Ladies' restrooms. It also means that if will make you feel safe, you may ask a staff member to accompany you to the restroom. What I didn't like was how you could peek in (and out) of the stalls through the gaps around the door - well, no more! They've installed privacy covers which makes your going private from accidental eyes.

This is a beautiful, intimate, classic old theater! Surrounded by lots of easy parking options and…read moresome terrific restaurants and bars, this is a fun destination in Boston! Well worth the drive, and the tickets were reasonably priced! We saw a fabulous performance by the Mark Morris dance group. It was our first time visiting this Theater and we will definitely be back!

Second time, first being 6 years ago, I sit up in the balcony and feel horrible. I swear I will not…read moreset foot there again. It is EXTREMELY steep, don't even know how it is legal. Vertigo ensues almost immediately. The seats are also ridiculously uncomfortable: absolutely no leg room, worse than the worst airplane seat. No clear evacuation procedures, God forbid something happens, you can't even get out of the seat in a timely manner. But steepness and vertigo are literally making me sick. It is a hazard for health! Not to mention that bathrooms are "inclusive " right now, with multiple stalls. So men and women mingle and wait in same lines for same toilet stalls. Speak about made feel uncomfortable. I guess the comfort of majority is unimportant now.

When I think of the Wang, I generally think of theatrical productions, so I was surprised to hear…read moremy one of my favorite bands was performing at the Wang. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit could perform in a bathroom and it would be stellar, but both of their shows this past Friday and Saturday night were phenomenal! The Wang turned out to be a great venue. It is a beautiful historic theatre, but entry (including security) was easy and stress free. The band sounded amazing! We expected a "seated" audience, but as soon as the band took the stage, the entire audience remained on their feet swaying and enjoying the music and vibes. While I enjoyed this environment, I can see that elderly attendees, shorter patrons, or those with difficulty standing for 2+ hours might have been disappointed. No awful parking issues like Gillette or the Xfinity Center, better views than TD Garden...I'd love to see more rock concerts at the Wang!

Art deco details everywhere, lavish designs across the two level atrium and into the theater where…read morethey have shows. I think this would be a lovely architecture tour if we didn't have the event lights and noise of a DJ at the site. We visited an event here (not the theater part) where they had a Music America exhibit downstairs, and servers and music up in the main lobby. Very loud space and could use some more seating for the event, but was a fun gathering for ISDA hosted by LSEG. Cool venue, contains both the Wang and Shubert Theatres. An extraordinary gift in 1983 from Dr. An Wang, founder of Wang Laboratories, ushered in the era of The Wang Center for the Performing Arts and lead to a total of around $10mm in donations to help restore the theater in the 1980s.

When I was younger, I took ballet, pointe, modern and jazz extensively in the New Haven area, but…read moretook a hiatus during college. Feeling the desire to move beyond the monotony of the gym, I returned to ballet, starting with the adult classes at Fresh Pond Ballet 2 years ago. Nina Alonso Hathaway is a wonderful teacher. She presents clear, no pressure instruction while helping her students to improve their skills. I've had many teachers who believe the path to becoming a better ballerina involves insults and physical torment, and Nina is about as far from that camp of teaching as possible. She works with Blake Barich as well, who teaches with her, and Blake maintains a similar philosophy to teaching as Nina does. Her studio is affordable and a good choice for adults with hectic lives, as instead of a semester fee, she offers a 10-class card for $105 dollars. If you need to miss a class, you are not going to lose on your investment. Adults of all levels join her adult beginner classes, and students who have had training in the past are welcomed to dance with her advanced students (and even invited to take part in their annual ballet production at Pine Manor College).

There is something not quite right about Fresh Pond Ballet…read more Fresh Pond Ballet is past its prime. I learned the hard way and don't recommend sending a youngster to classes w Nina. I have 2 daughters and both have taken classes at FPB and other schools and the contrast is dramatically different. First of all, the place is a disaster. Having a lifelong relationship with dance - I have always taken lessons and belonged to gyms. I am an athlete, not a princess, so I don't need my workout space to look like a spa. But this "school" is a joke. There is no place to change, you have to step over strollers and parents changing diapers in some weird hallway, and I always feel like I am in the way or somehow in the wrong while trying to get my daughter ready for her class. I asked Nina if the bathroom had any more paper towels one time and she snapped at me with too much detail about her landlord not doing something or another and how it wasn't her responsibility to potty train children! I was astounded. Which brings me to Nina. My girls started classes with Nina last year. They were so excited to take dance lessons and learn how to dance like ballerinas! But Nina's critical nature and short temper soon took the wind out of my daughters' sails. Like I said, I've taken dance classes off and on for my whole life and have an understanding and appreciation for the discipline and hard work it takes to become good at dance or any of the performing arts. But Nina seemed more focused on keeping her students well behaved than well trained. My oldest daughter never asked to quit (even though 2 of her friends did) and went to every class, but I could see her mood change and as we would get closer to the class. She would set her jaw like she had to endure the class. It was stressful. My younger daughter's class was completely disorganized. Beginner classes always have a variety of levels but my daughter's skill actually got worse in Nina's class. The girls went to a different (not to be named) school this year and have blossomed. The school welcomes parents w a pleasant environment and they don't harass us with rules about where to sit and how to stand and when to pay. They have parking for cars and strollers and the teachers can focus on teaching the art of ballet. The teachers are firm but kind and my daughters have re-discovered their love of dance. Reading the previous reviewer's post about how the school really worked for her as an older returning student makes a lot of sense. I think that the teachers at FPB just don't have the energy for teaching to youngsters any more.